Virginia Main Street welcomes its newest team member, 2009-10 intern Margaret Barre. Margaret will graduate in 2010 from VCU’s Masters program in Urban and Regional Planning with a focus on urban revitalization. After growing up in New Orleans, Margaret received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. She then followed a dream of living … More Welcome VMS intern Margaret Barre
Download the Fall 2009 Main Street Monitor for a look at revitalization efforts centered on arts and cultural assets around the commonwealth. The Art of Downtown: Revitalization with an arts and cultural approach features include 10 tips for building on your community’s cultural assets 7 best practices for implementing a mural program 3 elephants, a … More The Art of Downtown: Revitalization with an arts and culture approach
Governor Timothy M. Kaine, his cabinet and members of his senior staff conducted their sixteenth and final Cabinet Community Day on a sundrenched, autumn Tuesday, Oct. 20 in downtown Lynchburg. The Governor holds four Cabinet Community Days every year, visiting eight regions of the state twice over the course of the administration. Executive Director Angela … More Downtown Lynchburg shines for cabinet community day
So blend the turrets and shadows there That all seem pendulous in air, While from a proud tower in the town Death looks gigantically down. Some words from Edgar Allan Poe (“The City in the Sea”, 1845) warm us up for the tricks, treats, and other Halloween horrors planned on Main Street this year. First, … More It’s getting scary downtown
The Star Exponent says it was Culpeper’s “cool and unassuming” nature that drew a rock icon to town last week. And there’s probably something to that. The town’s Main Street effort, led by Culpeper Renaissance, Inc., has done much to foster the town as an epicurean destination. A vibrant farmer’s market, gourmet food and wine shops, and fine dining … More Virginia Main Street celebrity siting
A recent Roanoke Times article gave newly hired executive director Katie McElroy an opportunity to promote the work of the Community Partnership for Revitalization, the nonprofit organization that coordinates Rocky Mount’s uptown and downtown revitalization efforts. The article, “Future the Focus in Rocky Mount”, spotlighted McElroy, who used the media’s interest in her hiring to get word out about the organization’s strategies … More A press interview with Rocky Mount’s Katie McElroy
Public policy can direct private investment. By creating opportunities and incentives that align with a community’s economic development strategy, a locality, whether small or large, can put the tools in place to turn the vision into a reality. Abingdon, the historic Washington County town, recently approved two new tax credits to help local property owners … More Abingdon puts policy tools to work
Even with the economic struggles of the recession, it turns out there are plenty of reasons to be happy, especially if you’re an entrepreneur, says one recent study. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is taking a 25-year look at our lives through an ongoing 100,000-person survey. The self-employed, citing the greater control of outcomes and the civic ties and … More Increasing happiness on Main Street
It turns out you do. At least if you are trying to gain traction and trust in the online world. It may seem purely intuitive that bad press or reviews are not good for sales, but this short article from Fortune magazine says otherwise. This article is geared toward online sales, but the idea can … More Who needs all that negativity?
Virginia Main Street’s annual essentials training provided a two-day session focused on economic restructuring and design challenges facing communities today. A group of more than 60 participants gathered in the heart of Old Town Manassas at the renovated Candy Factory, now home to the Center for the Arts of Greater Manassas and Prince William County. Hilary … More Intensive two-day training attracts 60
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