Virginia Main Street

St. Paul continues to punch above its weight in downtown revitalization! With support from a $10,000 Virginia Main Street (VMS) Downtown Investment Grant (DIG), the community recently completed an alleyway activation project, creating a pocket-sized outdoor eating space between two restaurants that hosts both permanent and temporary art exhibits. One temporary exhibition space is truly … More Activating an Alleyway With Art in St. Paul

In early October, Rebecca Rowe, associate director of community vitality at DHCD, presented “Virginia Main Street: Partnering for Success” to the towns meeting at the Virginia Municipal League Conference in Norfolk. This post contains a synopsis of the key takeaways from that presentation. What is Main Street, and why does it matter to your community? … More Effective Partnerships for Local Governments and Main Street

In October, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and Virginia Main Street (VMS) team welcomed Joe Borgstrom of Place + Main Advisors to Virginia to conduct a series of workshops focused on what it means to be a “development-ready” community. Each training provided participants with a deeper understanding of real estate development and … More Reflection & Opportunity: A Look Back at the Development-Ready Communities Workshops

Through Virginia Main Street’s (VMS) Firm Principles, Flexible Paths series, the Center of Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) is diving into their 7 Actionable Principles (7APs) to strengthen nonprofits and their relationships with funders. The 7APs offer a common language around key and proven practices, infused with values of equity and growth. The third principle emphasizes the … More Firm Principles, Flexible Paths: Build Relationships

During the month of November, the Virginia Main Street (VMS) team published six blog posts, highlighting the latest community-vitality news, events and more! Here’s a recap: Downtown Accessibility and Inclusion Celebrating Volunteers Adding a Youth Seat to Your Board 7 Actionable Principles Community Business Launch (CBL) Spotlight Stay tuned for lots more great content in … More In Case You Missed It: November 2023 Digest

As we celebrate Thanksgiving and prepare to wrap up the year, we (as nonprofit organizations) often celebrate and thank donors and sponsors that financially supported our work. But, don’t overlook the many volunteers that gave their time and talents to implement the work of Main Street and further local revitalization efforts. Demonstrating gratitude is key … More Giving Thanks to Main Street Volunteers!

Last month, Crystal and Jason Burton cut the ribbon on a brand new location for Sweet Tooth Café in downtown Gloucester, a location they now own. What started for the Burton’s as being the owners of a micro-cupcakery in the back of a shared commercial space in 2015 has since transformed them into not only … More From Business to Building Owner

Through Virginia Main Street’s (VMS) Firm Principles, Flexible Paths series, the Center of Nonprofit Excellence (CNE) is diving into their 7 Actionable Principles (7APs) to strengthen nonprofits and their relationships with funders. The 7APs offer a common language around key and proven practices, infused with values of equity and growth. The second principle relates to … More Firm Principles, Flexible Paths: Manage Financial Position

Cultivating new volunteers and perspectives is an ongoing process for every local Main Street program, and this effort can even begin with high school students. Downtown Wytheville, Inc.’s (DTW) youth initiative started when Todd Wolford, Executive Director, was transitioning into the role from his previous career in recreation. Prior to joining DTW, Wolford ran a … More Adding a Youth Seat to Your Board