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Renee Changnon, Assistant Editor Hardware Retailing Magazine, and Tara Mazzarella of Independent We Stand
Independent We Stand Road Trip Centers On Main Street
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts. Independent We Stand profiles the work that these groups do and promotes the events they put on.
This summer, the team set out on a weeklong road trip to visit America’s Main Streets in person and connect with the people who sustain them in a more meaningful way. During the “Main Streets Make Us Better Road Trip,” the team traveled more than 2,000 miles, stopping in 22 cities and conducting 40 interviews with Main Street heroes along the way.
The goal of the trip was to eat, sleep, play and shop 100-percent locally. That even included finding independently owned gas stations — the most challenging (but still not impossible) part of the trip by far. The team stopped in large, metropolitan areas like Detroit and Boston, as well as smaller communities like Rochester, Michigan, and Montclair, New Jersey. At each stop, we interviewed small business owners, Main Street directors and buy local advocates to get a deeper understanding of the community and to create content that we can use to share this deeper understanding with the public.
Kristi Trevarrow - Executive Director Downtown Rochester
Downtown Rochester Wants To Help People Make Memories
Located just outside the Detroit metro area, Rochester, Michigan, swaps the hustle and bustle of the city with a familiar hometown vibe. Downtown Rochester is home to more than 350 shops, restaurants and service businesses, 85 percent of which are independently owned. Relying on the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach®, the Rochester Downtown Development Authority (DDA) helps these businesses grow, in order to enhance the quality of life for local residents and to help them make long-lasting memories in this special place.
“When people support their Main Streets, it’s all about places and place making,” said Kristi Trevarrow, executive director of the Rochester DDA. “It’s a place that they want to raise their children and make memories that are going to last a lifetime —you can’t do that anywhere but down on Main Street.”
Trevarrow admitted that the buy local message seems to have been “watered down” over the years, but the significance is still there, and groups like Independent We Stand and the National Main Street Center have helped along the way.
“We started our organization back in 1983, but we really got traction back in 2000 when we joined the National Main Street Center,” she said.
Cleveland Main Street Groups Make Big Neighborhoods Feel Small
An innovative program in the big city of Cleveland attempts to make room for the small. The Small Box program turns old shipping containers into retail spaces for start-up small businesses and gets them near the big action of downtown without the big price tag of downtown rent. It’s a perfect example of the creative ways that Main Street groups add value for their businesses and their communities.
“Small Box is a wonderful creative project that we started because we were having trouble finding retail spaces for local businesses,” said Tom Starinsky, associate director of the Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation, which launched the Small Box program with Cleveland Container Structures last year. “We borrowed the idea of converting shipping containers into retail spaces from other cities, and we were able to create it through a crowd-funding campaign, where we raised enough money to do three boxes.”
The first three stores opened last fall, and the team is currently fundraising to open four more boxes. The Warehouse District is Cleveland’s oldest commercial neighborhood, and its development corporation is just one of the Main Street groups working to support local businesses throughout the city.
There’s also the Historic Gateway District, which is known for its local entertainment. Starinsky is also the associate director of the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation.
From left to right: Ben Johnson - Owner Blarney Stone Pub, Shane Laquercia - Fields Corner resident and fan, and Lee Adelson - Board President of Fields Corner Main Street Tom Starinsky - Associate Director Historic Warehouse District & Historic Gateway District
Montclair Center Overcomes Historical Challenges to Become Award-Winning Main Street
If the name Montclair Center sounds familiar, it’s probably because the New Jersey community’s Main Street group recently won a 2015 Great American Main Street Award from the National Main Street Center. Independent We Stand stopped by the Montclair Center Business Improvement District (BID) to see what makes this downtown district stand out. As it turns out, the community has faced many of the same challenges that communities and Main Streets across the country have faced in past decades, but it has rallied to produce a remarkable transformation.
“Our real challenges came in the ‘70s and ‘80s, when both the customers and the businesses flew to the malls,” said Luther Flurry, executive director of the Montclair Center BID. “We hit our nadir around 1990, when most the downtown was underutilized and/or vacant.”
Organizing and leveraging the buy local movement has helped lift Montclair Center to the bustling, artsy scene it is today. As such, it’s a draw for residents, Big Apple commuters and tourists.
“Fifty years ago, if you had a local store, if you built it, people would come,” Flurry said. “Today merchants need to know how to compete with the big boys, and the buy local campaigns, several of them have wonderful business support components that help the independent merchant know how to attract and retain their local customers.”
Independent We Stand Celebrates Main Street Success With Big Support
Success stories like these snapshots from the road trip drive Independent We Stand to continue growing the buy local movement. Sometimes, it’s a single program that brings hope to small businesses in a given community. Other times, it’s a tradition of organizing and working together that makes the difference. Either way, Independent We Stand seeks out these stories and tells them proudly.
This work wouldn’t be possible without equally hardworking sponsors and partners, including the National Main Street Center. The Independent We Stand movement is sponsored by big names like STIHL Inc., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, PPG Pittsburgh Paints and Tire Pros. In working with these brands, Independent We Stand showcases how small businesses can produce big results and enhance the way of life for people in their communities.
To effectively connect Main Streets and their businesses with supporters in the community, Independent We Stand has a number of tools for both business owners and consumers. Discover new independent businesses on your Main Street with the Independent We Stand free mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Like the online local business search engine, the mobile app lets you find local businesses on the go, wherever you are. Follow the Independent We Stand blog for the latest news and stories about Main Streets across the country.
Bill Brunelle is the co-founder of Independent We Stand. Independent We Stand is a cause marketing campaign and its mission is to educate consumers about the importance and strong economic benefits of supporting locally owned businesses.
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Announcing the 2020 Mary Means Leadership Award Recipient
Meet Sharon Jablonski, the Director of Morganton Main Street in Morganton, North Carolina, and the first recipient of the Mary Means Leadership Award.
Announcing the 2020 Great American Main Street Award Winners
Congratulations to these Main Street programs for their fantastic work!
Community Spotlight: Missouri Main Street Connection Leads the Iowa Community Expedition
Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) had the opportunity to take Missouri Executive Directors and other community representatives on the Iowa Community Expedition
District Spotlight: Pontiac, Michigan
In response, UrbanMain and Main Street Oakland County joined forces in March 2018 to assist Pontiac stakeholders in putting their downtown organization back on a positive track, making Pontiac the first community in Michigan to participate in the UrbanMain initiative.
2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets Winning Sites
American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Main Street America announced the winners of the 2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets campaign.
2018 Community Transformation Workshop Recap
An essential component of the Main Street America Institute, the three-day in-person workshop gives participants hands-on tools to enact revitalization projects in their communities.
A Statewide Movement Improving West Virginia Main Streets
Since 2013, Try This West Virginia has sought to improve health environments in local communities as a collaboration of organizations working together to combat the health challenges facing West Virginians.
Community Spotlight: Main Street Hampton
Main Street Hampton hosted a Food and Friends Farm-to-Table dinner at the Rustic Brew during Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week.
Community Spotlight: Partners in Preservation 2018
From community gathering spaces to retail incubators, from small towns to big cities – this year’s projects and communities are a testament to the diversity of Main Streets across the country.
Community Spotlight: Ames, Iowa
Downtown Ames hosted a festival for the 46th annual RAGBRAI race (The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).
7 Ways To Bring Your Main Street On Screen
You don’t need to be a big-name district to make a video that goes viral; you just need to know what you’re doing.
Comcast Newsmakers: Revitalizing Downtown
Matt Wagner, National Main Street Center's Vice President of Revitalization Programs, discusses competitive advantages, incrementalism and the power of the Main Street America network
Community Spotlight: Main Street Homer, Louisiana
Main Street Homer (Homer, Louisiana) was awarded a $25,000 A Community Thrives social impact grant from Gannett/USA Today Network to create an arts center with affordable artist studios and classroom/event space.
Evolution, Acceptance, and Change: The Main Street Approach as a Catalyst for Revitalization
Nearly slated for demolition 30 years ago, downtown Cedar Falls has experienced an amazing transformation through its revitalization journey using the Main Street Approach.
Main Street Roots Run Deep in Downtown Wytheville
Since starting as Executive Director, Todd has helped the organization achieve Virginia Main Street Designation Status and national Accreditation.
Announcing the 2018 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc., announced Downtown Oregon City, Rock Springs Main Street/Urban Renewal Agency, and Howell Main Street as the 2018 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) winners during its annual conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Main Streets in Action
We rolled out four new Main Street America videos highlighting the power of the Main Street movement, Main Street Approach, economic impact of Main Street, and the incredible volunteers that make Main Street's grassroots network so effective.
Community Spotlight: Ridgefield Main Street
Ridgefield Main Street is an energetic, up-and-coming Washington Main Street program located just north of Vancouver, Washington.
Want to do something big? Start small.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: The Refresh from Our Communities’ Perspective
Here's a bit of background on each of the communities. Read on for the Refresh Implementation Q&A.
Announcing the 2017 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Reality of Main Street — Letter from the President
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Refresh Implementation: Our Process and Lessons Learned So Far
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
The Reality of Main Street
There is another way for smaller communities to compete in today’s economy and we believe a strong main street strategy is at the heart of it.
The Myth of Main Street? Letter from the President
Letter from past MSA President, Patrice Frey
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Strategic Planning Through Transformation Strategies – Saline, Michigan
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
Revitalization and Main Street Transformation
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
Revisit Your Community’s Unique Assets: Connecting Asset-Based Economic Development to Community Transformation Strategies
This need for change results from the heavy emphasis on three components of the refreshed Main Street Approach.
The 2016 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The 2016 winners are a diverse group in geography and character, but together demonstrate the broad applicability of the Main Street Approach:
Main Street Nation Radio
The first official show under the Main Street Nation banner aired in June 2015 on WJR-760 AM Detroit.
The Path To The Future
The economic value of historic preservation on Main Street.
Refresh Demonstration Project Sites: Learning Labs for the Updated Main Street Approach
A series of demonstration projects providing the opportunity to test new strategies on the ground, learn from practitioners, and refine the approach.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Wisconsin Main Street: 27 Years of People, Places and Progress
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
A Walk Through Rehoboth Beach Main Street
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
Announcing the 2015 Great American Main Street Award Winners
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.
