Virginia Main Street

Each year, the Virginia Main Street (VMS) program offers a number of grant opportunities to help further the revitalization and preservation of historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts across the state, with a goal of creating vibrant and thriving local economies. The following grants are available: Downtown Investment Grant (DIG) Description: DIG funds allow Main … More Virginia Main Street FY24 Grant Applications Due Soon!

On March 27, 2023, Main Street America (MSA) announced that the River District Association (RDA) in Danville, Virginia has received the prestigious Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA), which recognizes communities for their excellence in comprehensive preservation-based commercial district revitalization. Selected by a national jury of industry professionals and local leaders in the fields of … More Danville’s River District Association Earns Prestigious 2023 Great American Main Street Award

The Town of Crewe has become an Exploring Main Street (EMS) community and formally joined the powerful, grassroots Virginia Main Street (VMS) network! Founded in 1888, the Town of Crewe was built to support the operations of Norfolk & Western Railway as a divisional halfway point between Norfolk and Roanoke, Virginia. Interestingly, the town was … More Crewe Joins the Virginia Main Street Network by Becoming an Exploring Main Street Community!

During the month of March, the Virginia Main Street (VMS) team published eight blog posts, highlighting the latest community vitality-related news, events and more! Here’s a recap: VMS Community News: Transformation Strategies: Volunteer Recruitment and Retention: Community Vision Planning: Community Business Launch: Homeownership: Training Resources: Stay tuned for lots more great content in April! Photo Credit: Taft

Recently, the Virginia Main Street (VMS) program hosted the second webinar in its new training series that prepares Main Street community champions for the “Switch to Six,” illuminating the new Main Street America Evaluation Framework through stories from across the network. Addressing Standard 2 of the framework, Inclusive Leadership and Organizational Capacity, speaker Dionne Baux, … More Reflection & Opportunity: Inclusive Leadership and Organizational Capacity

Transformation Strategies are an integral part of the Main Street Approach. These strategies are unique to each downtown district and can be a powerful tool for a Main Street organization. They highlight a downtown product and/or service and a target consumer base to draw from / market to. Local demographic and retail market data, along … More The Power of Transformation Strategies

On behalf of Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin, the Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation (SCDHC) recently received the Spirit of Virginia Award for their consistent work in creating viable, thriving, and sustainable communities within Central Virginia. The Spirit of Virginia Award was established in 2022 to salute persons or organizations … More Southside Community Development and Housing Corporation Receives Spirit of Virginia Award

Last month, local Main Street directors from across the state gathered in Wytheville, Virginia for the 2023 Virginia Main Street (VMS) Director’s Retreat. Hosted by Downtown Wytheville, Inc. (DWI), the event offered three days of learning, networking and energizing camaraderie! There was a tour of the historic Millwald Theatre, which recently reopened to the public … More Wytheville Hosts 2023 VMS Director’s Retreat

At the heart of Main Street are the people who make it happen! Volunteers are a vital part of a Main Street organization as they offer essential insight, credibility, and capacity. However, finding great volunteers and keeping them on board can be a challenge.   In a Main Street America Institute course on Advanced Principles of … More Growing Your Grassroots: Volunteer Recruitment and Retention 

On Tuesday, March 7, Mayor Alonzo Jones, Ken Larking, City Manager, Diana Schwartz, Executive Director for the River District Association (RDA), and other local leaders cut the ribbon at 206 North Union Street for the “Plan Danville” storefront. “The City of Danville wanted to invite the general public to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony to … More Danville’s Storefront for Community Vision Planning