Laying the Foundation in Cape Charles How does a small town make the case for investing in Main Street? For Cape Charles, Virginia, the journey began with a simple but essential question: What value will this bring us? This “bonus track” in the Value of Main Street series (Part 1 & Part 2) tells the … More Demonstrating the Value of Main Street: Bonus Track
In the heart of the unincorporated town of Toano, on the western edge of James City County, lies a small nonprofit with a big vision: the Toano Historical Society (THS). Founded in 2018, THS seeks to inspire community spirit, promote local history, and preserve the small-town character of the Toano Commercial Historic District—a collection of … More Building Capacity: How Toano Historical Society is Revitalizing Through Human Capital Development
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the landscape across various sectors, including the nonprofit world. As your local Main Street program strives to do more with limited resources, AI offers solutions that can help streamline operations, enhance communication, and improve overall efficiency so there is more room to focus on real community impact. Artificial Intelligence … More Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Nonprofits: Registration Open for Upcoming Workshop Series
If you go looking for problems, that’s what you’re going to see. But, what if you had tools to help you amplify what is going right in your organization, at any stage of development? I (Kyle Meyer) have the pleasure of working with the Town of Urbanna, which is currently a Virginia Main Street (VMS) … More Fostering Growth: Appreciative Inquiry in Urbanna’s Main Street Startup
The Virginia Main Street (VMS) program’s Main Street Champion merit award highlights an entity whose generous support and partnership has furthered a Main Street organization’s work. The 2024 award went to the Danville Regional Foundation (DRF) in Danville, Virginia. In 2010, DRF sponsored a “See the Possible” trip to Greenville, South Carolina, enabling local leaders … More 2024 Main Street Champion Merit Award Winner – Danville Regional Foundation!
How many vacant spaces are in your Main Street district? Where is there room to add more housing, businesses, and gathering spaces? Answering these questions is key to unlocking the potential of your built environment. A building inventory is essential for a thorough understanding of the physical and economic makeup of your commercial district. Creating … More Build a Better Building Inventory
Guest Blogger Diana Schwartz, executive director of Danville’s River District Association, is a native of Dickenson County, Virginia, and was previously director of business retention for the Ocala/Marion Chamber and Economic Partnership in Florida, as well as director of the Ocala Main Street Program. Danville, Virginia may be best known for the railroad system, including … More A Jewel Worth Saving: Re-imagining Danville’s North Union Street
Like grilled cheese and tomato soup, Main Street pairs well with BoardSource. BoardSource.org exists to help nonprofit boards become a strategic asset for their organization and effective nonprofit boards ensure the Main Street revitalization effort is under way and succeeding. Have I piqued your interest to learn more about a newly discovered resource or more … More Improve the Effectiveness of Your Nonprofit Board
At the 2018 Downtown Intersections in Harrisonburg, we continued the tradition of acknowledging outstanding achievements in comprehensive downtown revitalization efforts through Merit Awards. They recognize the hard work, dedication and success of Virginia’s Main Street communities and their achievements across the four points of the Main Street Approach®. This is the fourth in a blog … More Recognizing the Hard Work on Main Street: Western Front Hotel
At the recent 2018 Downtown Intersections in Harrisonburg, we continued the tradition of acknowledging outstanding achievements in comprehensive downtown revitalization efforts through Merit Awards. They recognize the hard work, dedication and success of Virginia’s Main Street communities and their achievements across the four point of the Main Street Approach®. This is the third in a … More Recognizing the Hard Work on Main Street: Sandwich Sampler Competition
Virginia Main Street 