Congratulations milestone award winners

April 6, 2010

Nineteen communities received Milestone Achievement Awards or other special recognition at the Virginia Main Street 25th Anniversary Dinner and Award Ceremony on March 25 in Lynchburg.  The 25 Year Club: Virginia Main Street’s Kyle Myer, Bedford Mayor Skip Tharp, Franklin Downtown Association President Victor Story, Winchester Old Town Development Board Member Dave Spence, and Virginia … More Congratulations milestone award winners

Quality v. quantity

March 30, 2010

Last Thursday, at the Virginia Main Street 25th Anniversary Milestone Achievement Awards, keynote speaker Chuck D’Aprix spoke about the importance of making your downtown attractive to entrepreneurs.  One way to do this is to focus on the quality of the experience rather than the quantity of products you sell. In short, it is difficult to compete … More Quality v. quantity

April 1 luncheon focused on supporting local businesses

March 29, 2010

The Virginia Downtown Development Association continues its popular Hot Topics Luncheon series in Martinsville on April 1, with a focus on nurturing a climate supportive of local businesses.  Eddie Bumbaugh,  executive director of Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, will present on incentives  instrumental to generating a strong business climate.  The session will address how a downtown can serve as an entrepreneurial incubator and include … More April 1 luncheon focused on supporting local businesses

VMS to Celebrate 25 Years

March 18, 2010

On March 25, the commonwealth will officially celebrate 25 years of Main Street revitalization at Lynchburg’s Craddock Terry Hotel.  The anniversary dinner will combine special acknowledgement of the quarter-century mark with the annual Milestones Award ceremony. The event will feature special guest speaker Chuck D’Aprix, president of The Downtown Entrepreneurship Project, dinner and live music. … More VMS to Celebrate 25 Years

Even stores on Main Street do it: Making e-commerce work downtown

March 15, 2010

Today we’re going to take a closer look at the crosshatched area in the Permuto Discoveries graphic. That shaded e-commerce portion of spending includes catalog, telephone, and online sales.  Sure, the biggest piece of these sales is likely handled by Amazon’s high-tech automated warehouse distribution system or by a cheery voice at Chesapeake, Virginia’s QVC call center.  But there is also a … More Even stores on Main Street do it: Making e-commerce work downtown

Anchors on Main Street

March 4, 2010

Every Main Street community is working to bring shoppers downtown, but what does that mean in the era of internet shopping?  Shoppers are buying more online–but they don’t buy all products in an equal amount.  In the next few posts, we’ll take a look at this sharp graphic from Permuto Discoveries, and offer some questions that might prompt … More Anchors on Main Street

Minds Wide Open contest features Main Street communities

February 23, 2010

Minds Wide Open, a statewide celebration of women in the arts, will highlight thousands of special events across the commonwealth between March and June of 2010. While any individual or group can participate by presenting at least one public program focused on women, and related events are taking place in nearly every part of the state, … More Minds Wide Open contest features Main Street communities

Marion’s revitalization path highlighted by municipal league

February 18, 2010

This month, the Virginia Municipal Leagues’ magazine, Virginia Town and City, features a cover story on the revitalization of Downtown Marion. The subhead reads: “Downtown success story wasn’t written overnight,” and the article, by Marion Downtown Revitalization Association Executive Director Ken Heath, stresses the deliberate, step-by-step approach the community has taken to bring visitors downtown to … More Marion’s revitalization path highlighted by municipal league