** Guest blogger Katey Warren, Tourism PR specialist, Harrisonburg Tourism and Visitor Services The tourism offices and downtown Main Street partners of Harrisonburg, Luray and Waynesboro, along with Massanutten Resort and Shenandoah National Park, have banded together to create the Mountains 2 Main Streets Passport Program, a regional initiative that engages and rewards Shenandoah Valley visitors. The … More Mountains 2 Main Streets
The Appalachian Trail Community™ designation program is a new program of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, designed to recognize communities that promote and protect the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). The program serves to assist communities with sustainable economic development through tourism and outdoor recreation while preserving and protecting the A.T. Completed in 1937, the 2,180-mile-long Appalachian National Scenic … More Virginia’s Appalachian Trail Communities
This past February, Virginia Main Street awarded seven Downtown Improvement Grants ranging from $6,000 to $25,000. The grants are intended to help local Main Street organizations implement economic restructuring strategies that will have measureable local and regional economic benefits, establish and strengthen partnerships in the community and increase the capacity and involvement of local Main Street … More 2012 Downtown Improvement Grants Awarded
In October, Harrisonburg will become the first city in the Shenandoah Valley, and one of only a handful of cities in the state, with a public, Level II electric car charging station. Located behind Harrisonburg Electric Commission (HEC) in downtown Harrisonburg, the charging station will provide citizens with clean energy for their electric vehicles and … More Harrisonburg drives downtown strategy for electric charging stations
The Darden School of Business and its Tayloe Murphy Center at the University of Virginia has announced 14 finalists for the 2011 Tayloe Murphy Resilience Award. The following businesses in Virginia Main Street Communities were selected from among 88 applicants and 21 semi-finalists: A Bowl of Good Cafe, Inc., Harrisonburg Gearclean, Winchester Highground Services, Franklin … More Tayloe Murphy Resilience Award finalists announced
When people proudly shop locally, they do so to support their neighbors and fellow community members–those working to earn a living, create a job or two, and invest in the district. It makes sense then that highlighting people behind the business can strengthen the the link between merchants and their customers. That is exactly the point of one of … More Advance Abingdon gets up close and personal with merchants
In the summer of 2010, Virginia Main Street (VMS) provided seven Downtown Improvement Grants (DIGs) that allowed designated Main Street communities to undertake specific projects for which they did not otherwise have funding. The small grants, capped at $2,500, were awarded in a competitive process based on projected outcomes, committee and volunteeer leadership, and the capacity to successfully complete the planned project. While Virginia Main … More Virginia Main Street Downtown Improvement Grants at work
The Yellow Button, a clothing boutique for the fashionable in the heart of Harrisonburg, knows its cutomer. Students and professionals in the Shendandoah Valley don’t want to give up access to quality clothes and accessories just because they’re not in a major urban area. In fact, this 2009 photo shoot, which uses Harrisonburg’s downtown streets as … More Main Street Merchant Profile: The Yellow Button
Downtown Harrisonburg merchants have pulled together in a cooperative promotional strategy that offers an alternative to the typical Black Friday rush. This year, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance (HDR) and the Merchants of Historic Downtown Harrisonburg (MHDH) structured a weeklong blitz of downtown shopping to highlight the best in gifts that the district has to offer. Nearly 30 … More Harrisonburg Gift Blitz promotes merchants and extends Black Friday specials
From the first American colonies to the modern college town, many Virginia communities have a rich history to share. Two VMS communities have recently been recognized for transforming aspects of their pasts into valuable assets for their downtown neighborhoods. Berryville Main Street has received the Virginia Downtown Development Association’s 2010 Building Development and Improvements Award of … More Main Street Communities Bring History to Life
Virginia Main Street 