In 2013, leaders of Main Street Marshfield, in Marshfield, WI, wanted to bring a bakery downtown. Rather than traditional business recruitment techniques, the Main Street program hosted the Baker Battles. Bakers from the surrounding area competed in a bake-off with a prize of $500 and a grant if they opened a downtown bakery in the…Continue reading
Bike corrals have recently appeared on the streets of Kalamazoo, MI. They are part of a pilot project that aims to remove bicycle hoops and racks from city streets to free up space for pedestrians, café dining, and other uses. During the pilot, corrals will be set up at seven different locations for about one…Continue reading
Just in time for the first major heat wave of the summer, the city of Phoenix, AZ, launched its Chilled Drinking Water pilot program downtown. The custom-made water stations provide taps for filling bottles with chilled water and two standard drinking taps. The initiative aims to provide fresh water and to reduce single-use plastic bottle…Continue reading
In the 1990s, downtown Macon, GA, was beset by vacancy and decay. Today, the city is in the midst of a dramatic turnaround that garnered it one of three 2024 Great American Main Street Awards. The honors went to NewTown Macon, the city’s downtown organization. Its results have been impressive — downtown Macon has renovated…Continue reading
Downtowns nationwide are bedeviled by a glut of one type of real estate and a dearth of another. They have too much vacant retail space, and too little residential space. Larisa Ortiz, managing director of public nonprofit solutions at design consultancy Streetsense, offers a contrarian perspective on how to resolve the imbalance. "There is an…Continue reading
Macomb, IL, is a little city whose leaders freely admit it’s in the middle of nowhere. These days, they’re making a big claim: The downtown is now home to the world’s largest Monopoly board. In May, downtown leaders unveiled the completed Macombopoly. The project is a nod to Elizabeth "Lizzie" Magie, a Macomb native who…Continue reading
In Millburn-Short Hills, NJ, Restaurant Week has turned into a springtime traffic driver. The event debuted in March 2023, then returned in March 2024. Restaurant Week is organized by Explore Millburn-Short Hills, a special improvement district, and involves some 40 restaurants and boutiques offering 60 specials. Steve Grillo, executive director of Explore Millburn-Short Hills, says…Continue reading
Amid a nationwide increase in homelessness and addiction, many downtowns are struggling to present an image of cleanliness and safety. Meanwhile, some cities have been unable to fill open positions on their police forces. To meet a growing need, downtown leaders are increasingly turning to private security firms. For many cities, private security is a…Continue reading
The 2024 Main Street Trends Survey from Main Street America offers insights into the budgets, salaries, and issues that Main Street programs are facing. When asked to identify their biggest challenges, executive directors came up with a three-way tie: Not enough variety of businesses, poorly maintained buildings, and inconsistent store hours were each cited by 31 percent…Continue reading
