The little city of Monroeville, AL, has a big reputation. After all, it’s the hometown of two famous authors — Truman Capote and Harper Lee, who set To Kill a Mockingbird in Monroeville.
Alas, literary bona fides take a struggling town only so far. A textile mill that was an economic driver closed down, leading to an exodus of residents and businesses.
By 2014 Monroeville faced significant challenges. The town’s historic district suffered from a vacancy rate of 31 percent, and many downtown buildings languished, sitting vacant.
But downtown leaders didn’t give up. Instead, they moved to save the historic district, establishing Monroeville Main Street in 2014.
In just a decade, downtown Monroeville went through such a dramatic transformation that it was one of just three winners in the 2024 Great American Main Street Awards.
Monroeville’s efforts ranged from cleaning and greening, to launching new events, to subdividing and refurbishing buildings in an effort to attract businesses and residents. The small city is even working to build a pipeline of budding entrepreneurs.
Monroeville Main Street launched Business Understanding & Ownership for Youth (B.U.O.Y), a free eight month training program for area teenagers and young adults. The young entrepreneurs develop business plans and then pitch their businesses for an opportunity to win $3,500 in prize money from a downtown bank’s charitable foundation.
In one early cohort, a participant opened a business downtown and another bought a downtown property.
Monroeville Main Street, the Small Business Development Center of Alabama, and Main Street Alabama partnered to create the program which is open to high school juniors and young adults through age 30.
More on Monroeville’s journey from vacant to vibrant appears in the October issue of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.
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