Entrepreneurs. Better with age?

Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the economy. They’re innovators, experimenters and risk takers, the driving force behind capitalism’s “perennial gale of creative destruction,” in economist Joseph Schumpeter’s evocative metaphor. So says Chris Farrell in this week’s Bloomberg Businessweek. But Mr. Farrell goes on to remind us that entrepreneurs are not only young, brash, rule breakers.  [...]

New life for an old general store

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has a good story on the revival of the Draper Mercantile and Trading Company. The story will be one that is familiar to many on Main Street. The once thriving general store, the place where everyone once shopped, picked up the mail, chatted with neighbors and friends, doesn’t survive the coming of [...]

VMS adds “Reports” page to blog

One of the many services that Virginia Main Street (VMS) provides designated Main Street communities is access to the technical expertise available from the National Trust Main Street Center (NTMSC). Although the work of the NTMSC is always community specific, the observations and recommendations that are included in the reports are valuable resources for any [...]

Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro In Top 20 “Micropolitans” Nationwide

Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro’s economy ranked among the country’s strongest micropolitan areas, reports the March issue of Site Selection Magazine.  The Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro area is tied at #13 in the national ranking and is top-ranked for Virginia. The only other Virginia locality to make the list, Martinsville, came in at #32.   The U.S. Census Bureau defines a micropolitan region as [...]

Staunton in Preservation Magazine

The recent history of one of Virginia travelers’ favorite Main Street  communities was recently showcased in Preservation – The Magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Secret of Staunton’s Success explains how the city used historic preservation as an economic engine to transform the downtown. Starting with the restoration of a handful of [...]

From Farmers Market to European Bakery

24 of the 25 designated Virginia Main Street communities have active farmers markets. In addition to being great places to buy locally-grown produce, eggs and meat, farmers markets also serve as small business incubators. As pointed out in Ashley Fletcher Frampton’s article, Entrepreneurs Get Start at Area Farmers Markets, the low start-up costs and captive audiences at [...]

Small City Placemaking Conference and Festival to happen in Roanoke

Cityworks (X)po, a conference and festival about creating energetic places in small cities, will take place in Roanoke on October 27-30. The event, spearheaded by entrepreneur and placemaker Ed Walker, will highlight best practices in creating, governing and participating in a vibrant cultural life in small cities. Some of the nationally-recognized speakers and performers include James Howard Kunstler, Kennedy [...]

Harrisonburg drives downtown strategy for electric charging stations

In October, Harrisonburg will become the first city in the Shenandoah Valley, and one of only a handful of cities in the state, with a public, Level II electric car charging station. Located behind Harrisonburg Electric Commission (HEC) in downtown Harrisonburg, the charging station will provide citizens with clean energy for their electric vehicles and [...]

Altavista On Track arts incubator effort spotlighted

Lynchburg station WSET recently featured Altavista’s efforts to build business downtown.  The community’s Main Street organization, Altavisa On Track, has helped in the coordination and implementation of a DHCD-awarded Community Development Block Grant, and recently created an arts and antique incubator to spark entrepreneurship in the historic district. The strategy was the result of a Virginia Main Street-sponsored economic-restructuring plan facilitated by [...]

Hip-hop highlights: Lynchburg video features merchants and real community spirit

This video, promoting Downtown Lynchburg, is terrific. It’s even better when you know that it was done through the volunteer efforts of Lynch’s Landing board member Tony Camm and a bunch of spirited merchant and community participants. Camm, manager of the Downtown Lynchburg Holiday Inn, put a musical pastime to work for the community, writing the song [...]