The Cape Charles Town Council attended a presentation Thursday on the Virginia Main Street Program given by Felicia Hart, Community Development Director for the Town of Front Royal. The Main Street Program is entering its 40th year, and was developed as way to help aging ‘downtowns’ revitalize and adapt to the changing retail environment. According to Ms. Hart, the role of the small town Main Street has changed over the years, and cannot be expected to provide the range of services and products that are made readily available by national chains such as Food Lion or WalMart.
While our Main Street, Mason Avenue, or Front Street may be an economic asset, it is really much more; it is the essential element in how we brand and define our town, as well as being a fundamental link to our past. Mason Avenue and the Harbor District accounts for a big chunk of our tax base, but according to Hart, making it thrive requires more than just a new coat of paint. It takes a holistic approach which the Main Street Program describes as the Four-Point Approach – Organization, Promotion, Design and Economic Restructuring.
Organization establishes consensus and cooperation among folks that have a stake in the commercial district. This should be a collaborative effort which provides effective, ongoing management and advocacy for the Mason Avenue business district. A broad cross section of the community, incorporating a range of perspectives will generally produce the best results. A governing board of directors and standing committees make up the fundamental organizational structure. Coordination is provided by a paid program director. This structure not only divides the workload but builds consensus and cooperation among the various stakeholders.
According to Hart, the promotional aspect means cultivating the image and promise of Main Street, marketing the downtown’s unique characteristics to shoppers, investors, both existing and new businesses, and visitors. You build this image by creating a positive image through advertising, retail promotional activity, special events and marketing campaigns. Again, this is mainly a volunteer effort. [Read more…]