Virginia Main Street

Thriving communities work daily to attract, grow, and support small businesses. Not only do small businesses bring in additional revenue and jobs for residents, they give their community a unique character and sense of place. May is recognized as Business Appreciation Month, and in honor of small businesses across the Commonwealth, we are featuring three … More Business Appreciation Month: CBL Small Business Feature

Since 1973, when Historic Preservation Month (well, a week at the time) was signed into law by former President Richard Nixon, civic leaders, historians, and community members have taken the month of May as an opportunity to celebrate and educate our nation on its historic assets. Historic preservation is an essential facet of the work we … More May is Historic Preservation Month

The Local Initiative Support Coalition (LISC) recently created the Black Restaurant Fund, made possible by a donation from Uber, to invest in the growth of Black-owned restaurants and food service businesses with an equity-like investment program. Interested business owners can learn more about the program here and submit an intake form to determine eligibility. What … More LISC Black Restaurant Fund

Helping small businesses is one of the key ingredients to creating a vibrant downtown! To fully-bake that vision, you will need to employ a comprehensive approach, the Main Street Approach, a framework where strategies are implemented through a broad range of activities that span four areas of work, which includes Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and … More Economic Vitality: A Key Ingredient to Creating a Vibrant Downtown

Over the past decade, entrepreneurship has played a bigger and bigger role in the practice of Main Street at the national, state, and (hopefully) local levels. Main Street America (MSA) has done extensive research to develop resources to guide local efforts on building healthy Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, and Virginia Main Street (VMS) created and spun off the Community Business Launch (CBL) program that … More Vital Activities for Your Economic Vitality Committee

During the month of April, the Virginia Main Street (VMS) team published seven blog posts, highlighting the latest community vitality-related news, events and more! Here’s a recap: VMS Community News: Grant Announcements: Grant Highlights: Business & Building Inventories: Training: Stay tuned for lots more great content in May!

As part of a recently announced U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Thriving Communities grant project, Main Street America (MSA) will assist Henry County and the City of Roanoke by providing two years of no-cost intensive technical assistance to help identify, develop, and deliver transportation projects that strengthen each of their communities.  Henry County With the … More Main Street America Brings Thriving Communities Program to Virginia

Business and building inventories are a valuable resource for a Main Street organization. Not only do they provide a comprehensive list of downtown stakeholders, they can be used to conduct a market assessment, track investments, fill vacancies, and promote real estate opportunities (just to name a few). Creating a comprehensive inventory is a great project … More Downtown Business & Building Inventories: What, Why and How?

On April 13, 2023, a ribbon cutting for the Clifton Forge LOVE sculpture was held on the grounds of the town’s Masonic Amphitheater with a great show of support from the community! As an extension of the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s (VTC) LOVEworks program, which is a state-wide branding initiative designed to promote travel in Virginia … More Clifton Forge Spreads the LOVE Through New Sculpture

During the month of May, join the Virginia Main Street (VMS) team for an immersive half-day workshop focused on Diverse Funding and Sustainable Program Operations. Led by self-described spreadsheet nerd Jennifer Goldman, the workshop – Money Matters – will dive into funding best practices, diverse funding streams and work plan-aligned budgeting. Held separately in three … More Registration Open for Virginia Main Street Rev Up: Diversified Funding & Sustainable Program Operations