What ever happened to Main Street? It seems that we
carry within us this instinctive need to have our
own local Main Street. We picture it in our minds
as a place to stroll, meet the neighbors, look in
the shop win-dows, buy the things we need from the
local merchants, gather together in the town square
on special occasions; a place to see and be seen.
We all know what Main Street is; we see it in the
mov-ies and at the places that we visit on
vacation. Haven’t we all watched James Stewart walk
through Bedford Falls in “It’s a Wonderful Life,”
or visited a quaint village in Vermont and
immediately wished that we lived there too?
So what did happen to Main Street?
Along Portion Road, the original local Main Street, or downtown, existed along Hawkins Avenue near the in-tersection with Portion Road. Over time additional business districts developed east along Portion Road, usually taking the form of strip malls and shopping centers. As the local population grew, and acquired the abil-ity to drive anywhere for anything, the local business districts were no longer the primary providers of goods and services. The com-mercial cores suffered from a complicated cycle of disinvestment: the lack of local shoppers resulted in businesses that failed or moved away, rental rates slip and property owners have less to invest in their buildings, the buildings begin to look shabby or unin-viting, so fewer residents shop locally and new businesses become harder to attract.
At this point you may be asking, “but my downtown doesn’t seem to be that bad.” Which is true; a quick drive down Portion Road would seem to indicate that there are relatively few empty storefronts. In this we would seem fortunate. But does that fact alone produce the Main Street we all dream of? Is this as good as it gets?
Let’s assume that we do have an emotional attachment to having our own local Main Street, but does that in itself make it worth-while? Auspiciously, there are practical trends and assets that support the creation or revitalization of local business districts:
==> Many shoppers are tired of the imper-sonality of giant malls and indicate that they value personal attention, name recognition, and better service—all features of traditional downtown districts.
==> The local downtown businesses repre-sent a substantial share of the local economy, such as jobs, tax income, and investment. What is good for local businesses is good for local residents.
==> Because shoppers are more mobile than ever before, Main Street businesses can serve consumers from a much greater area, but only if those consumers feel that making the trip is worthwhile (see the article in this issue on (Re)Designing Downtown).
==> Shoppers enjoy visiting downtowns with a sense of history and unique envi-ronments. There is something about shopping in an historic building like Ag-new & Taylor that Home Depot just can’t reproduce.
Despite all the benefits, “Main Street” just doesn’t happen on its own; it re-quires a vision and planning. Fortunately, there are resources. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is one organization that has realized the importance of a local Main Street and the growing desire of many communities to create one. The Trust has created the “Four-Point Approach” briefly outlined below:
==> Organization: The four C’s of orga-nization are collaboration, cooperation, consensus, and committees. Only by working together is Main Street possible.
==> Promotion: Marketing downtown’s unique characteristics to shoppers, inves-tors, new businesses, and visitors through an effective promotion strategy, including advertising and events.
==> Design: Creating an inviting and appealing atmosphere, such as façade improvements that are conducive to de-veloping an architectural unity, and window displays, safe parking lots, land-scaping, and a public square (see the article on Public Squares).
==> Economic Restructuring: Helping existing businesses expand and recruit-ing new businesses to create a diverse and economically viable downtown, and converting unused space into productive properties.
Main Street doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t always happen easily, but with the participation of local businesses and residents, instead of asking, “what ever happened to Main Street?” someday we could be walking down it.
So what did happen to Main Street?
Along Portion Road, the original local Main Street, or downtown, existed along Hawkins Avenue near the in-tersection with Portion Road. Over time additional business districts developed east along Portion Road, usually taking the form of strip malls and shopping centers. As the local population grew, and acquired the abil-ity to drive anywhere for anything, the local business districts were no longer the primary providers of goods and services. The com-mercial cores suffered from a complicated cycle of disinvestment: the lack of local shoppers resulted in businesses that failed or moved away, rental rates slip and property owners have less to invest in their buildings, the buildings begin to look shabby or unin-viting, so fewer residents shop locally and new businesses become harder to attract.
At this point you may be asking, “but my downtown doesn’t seem to be that bad.” Which is true; a quick drive down Portion Road would seem to indicate that there are relatively few empty storefronts. In this we would seem fortunate. But does that fact alone produce the Main Street we all dream of? Is this as good as it gets?
Let’s assume that we do have an emotional attachment to having our own local Main Street, but does that in itself make it worth-while? Auspiciously, there are practical trends and assets that support the creation or revitalization of local business districts:
==> Many shoppers are tired of the imper-sonality of giant malls and indicate that they value personal attention, name recognition, and better service—all features of traditional downtown districts.
==> The local downtown businesses repre-sent a substantial share of the local economy, such as jobs, tax income, and investment. What is good for local businesses is good for local residents.
==> Because shoppers are more mobile than ever before, Main Street businesses can serve consumers from a much greater area, but only if those consumers feel that making the trip is worthwhile (see the article in this issue on (Re)Designing Downtown).
==> Shoppers enjoy visiting downtowns with a sense of history and unique envi-ronments. There is something about shopping in an historic building like Ag-new & Taylor that Home Depot just can’t reproduce.
Despite all the benefits, “Main Street” just doesn’t happen on its own; it re-quires a vision and planning. Fortunately, there are resources. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is one organization that has realized the importance of a local Main Street and the growing desire of many communities to create one. The Trust has created the “Four-Point Approach” briefly outlined below:
==> Organization: The four C’s of orga-nization are collaboration, cooperation, consensus, and committees. Only by working together is Main Street possible.
==> Promotion: Marketing downtown’s unique characteristics to shoppers, inves-tors, new businesses, and visitors through an effective promotion strategy, including advertising and events.
==> Design: Creating an inviting and appealing atmosphere, such as façade improvements that are conducive to de-veloping an architectural unity, and window displays, safe parking lots, land-scaping, and a public square (see the article on Public Squares).
==> Economic Restructuring: Helping existing businesses expand and recruit-ing new businesses to create a diverse and economically viable downtown, and converting unused space into productive properties.
Main Street doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t always happen easily, but with the participation of local businesses and residents, instead of asking, “what ever happened to Main Street?” someday we could be walking down it.
