Congratulations to David Stone, owner and founder of Solid Stone Fabrics on being selected as a finalist in the Momentum Business category of the Association for Enterprise Opportunity’s (AEO) Power of One Awards. Stone founded Solid Stone Fabrics in 2003 and operates in his hometown of Martinsville, VA, a Virginia Main Street community who has seen … More Congratulations to Solid Stone Fabrics
Microenterprises, businesses with five or fewer employees, are probably some of the most common business start-ups on Virginia’s Main streets. These scrappy entrepreneurs bring energy and new ideas to empty store fronts and formerly boarded up buildings. So, it’s probably a good idea to know how the organizations that assist microentrepreneurs are doing. And that … More A Census of Microenterprise in the U.S. and Virginia
Congratulations to Culpeper Renaissance, Inc., a 2012 Great American Main Street Awards® (GAMSA) winner. Recognized as a leader in implementing the Main Street Four-Point Approach®, embracing sound historic preservation practices and building strategic partnerships, Culpeper Renaissance, Inc. (CRI) was honored at the Main Street Awards Ceremony at the 2012 National Main Streets Conference in Baltimore, Md. The National Trust … More Culpeper – 2012 Great American Main Street Award Winner
The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a good story on the revival of the Draper Mercantile and Trading Company. The story will be one that is familiar to many on Main Street. The once thriving general store, the place where everyone once shopped, picked up the mail, chatted with neighbors and friends, doesn’t survive the coming of … More New life for an old general store
Congratulations to the 14 designated Virginia Main Street communities that received Milestone Achievement Awards at this year’s annual luncheon. The luncheon, attended by nearly 100 members of the Virginia Main Street community, was hosted by DHCD Director Bill Shelton. Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jim Cheng applauded the hard work and accomplishments of the Virginia Main … More 2012 Virginia Main Street Milestone Achievement Awards
This past February, Virginia Main Street awarded seven Downtown Improvement Grants ranging from $6,000 to $25,000. The grants are intended to help local Main Street organizations implement economic restructuring strategies that will have measureable local and regional economic benefits, establish and strengthen partnerships in the community and increase the capacity and involvement of local Main Street … More 2012 Downtown Improvement Grants Awarded
One of the many services that Virginia Main Street (VMS) provides designated Main Street communities is access to the technical expertise available from the National Trust Main Street Center (NTMSC). Although the work of the NTMSC is always community specific, the observations and recommendations that are included in the reports are valuable resources for any … More VMS adds “Reports” page to blog
Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro’s economy ranked among the country’s strongest micropolitan areas, reports the March issue of Site Selection Magazine. The Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro area is tied at #13 in the national ranking and is top-ranked for Virginia. The only other Virginia locality to make the list, Martinsville, came in at #32. The U.S. Census Bureau defines a micropolitan region as … More Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro In Top 20 “Micropolitans” Nationwide
Remember flash mobs? Those quirky get togethers where groups of strangers would do the lambada in the middle of a bank plaza or dress like Pee Wee Herman? While those may have been fun and worthy of a few giggles, wouldn’t it be great to put that same premise to a productive use? Enter the cash mob. … More Could cash mobs strike your downtown?
In his recent blog post, What Pictures Can Teach Us About Walkability, Kaid Benfield suggests that we can use some very simple techniques to determine how well our downtown is doing. Benfield’s emphasis is on sustainable communities, which, he argues, are perhaps best described as communities that are walkable. Benfield asks, “is [the community] safe, … More Can your Main Street Pass the Walkability Popsicle Test?
