Winchester’s Main Street agriculture event was a success, as expected!

On Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012, Winchester’s downtown walking mall was filled with excitement for local farms. Farm Bureau, in partnership with the Winchester Old Town Development Board, Winchester Main Street Foundation and Virginia Main Street program, produced an extraordinary community event, Winchester’s Main Street Agriculture, held on the historic Loudon Street Pedestrian Mall.

The partnership was a natural fit. “There is a Farm Bureau and a Main Street in every state,” said Dee Cook, membership development specialist with Virginia Farm Bureau. Winchester is one of 25 Virginia communities designated as Virginia Main Street communities. Cook said that she hopes Frederick County’s successful Main Street Agriculture event will lead to similar events all over Virginia in the near future. “This has been the pilot,” she said. “We hope to roll it out statewide next year,” Cook added.

More than 20 vendors set up booths to sell their farm products and provide interactive, educational activities for the public. There were also many educational demonstrations including a hydroponics display, grape crushing, a live beehive and farm-to-table cooking demonstrations, along with others.

photo credit: lancasterfarming.com 2012

Here is a nice article from LancasterFarming.com about the event, Taking the Farm to the City.

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 farmers markets allow entrepreneurs to develop a following, experiment with pricing and marketing, ramp up sales and move on to larger ventures or permanent storefronts.

And, that seems to be exactly the scenario followed by Lynchburg’s Lorraine Bakery. After years of baking breads and pastries at home, in 2007, Petra Hackman, her husband Steve and their children rented a temporary stall at the Lynchburg Community Market.  The family’s beautifully-crafted, European-style breads quickly garnered a loyal following. A year after setting up their temporary stall, the Hackmans were able to establish a permanent store front still in the Community Market known as the Lorraine Bakery. The bakery now offers more than two dozen different types of European-style breads in addition to pastries, crepes and other sweet and savory delights. According to one fan, “it’s a little bit of Europe in Lynchburg.”

Lynchburg’s Community Market opened its doors in 1783 and is purported to be the third oldest farmers market in the country.  Perhaps it is also the third oldest business incubator in the country. For a truly “local” experience that shouldn’t be missed, and to scout out new up and coming businesses, take a trip down to your community’s farmers market or stop by the Lynchburg Community Market when you are in the area. The market is open year-round, Tuesday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

Partner in Promotion: The USDA Farmer’s Market Promotion Program

On October 13, 2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $9.2 million investment in the promotion of local farmers markets through the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP). As the FMPP website states, “These grants are targeted to help improve and expand domestic farmers’ markets, roadside stands, community-supported agricultural programs, agri-tourism activities and other direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities.”  Farmers’ markets are integral parts of many VMS communities across the Commonwealth and many currently existing activities could be enhanced and expanded through accessing the resources of the Agricultural Marketing Service. 

Though grants have been awarded for 2012,  exploring examples of activities and programs who have successfully gained this funding can help VMS communities prepare for accessing these funds upon the next request for proposals.  The USDA also provides multiple other grant and loan opportunities for rural communities, ranging in scope across the four points of the Main Street Approach.  For direct assistance from the USDA, contact Errol Bragg, director of farmers’ markets and local food marketing, at (202)720-8317 or errol.bragg@ams.usda.gov.

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 and recording this video featuring more than 40 downtown merchants in the lyrics or as participants. But it doesn’t really look like work because it’s just too much fun.

Camm told the Lynchburg News & Advance, “I just wanted to bring some energy and some fun. Anything I can to do help energize downtown revitalization. That’s what the whole project was designed for … It’s fun, you know? I walk down the street and people yell out their car, Get downtown!” 

That’s because the song is infectuous. I’ve watched it more than once, and I’m guessing that there are some others who have done so as well.  So far it’s been viewed 3,600 times since being posted on August 9. In addition to promoting the district, the video was timed as a specific lead-in to the community’s Third Annual GetDowntown! Street Festival on Sep. 9.

Sustainable Main Street resources available

Main Street efforts are already bringing together economic, social and environmental goals in pursuit of fostering quality in their communities. To push it a step futher, 70 participants gathered in Staunton in July for two days of conversation on and the examination of sustainability models in Virginia.

Speakers included Andrea Dono of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and sustainability leaders from across the commonwealth. 

If you were unable to make it to the workshop, you can catch up on the conversation by downloading the training archives available now at www.dhcd.virginia.gov/mainstreet.

Be a Culpeper Local

Culpeper, Virginia just received some good press after it unleashed its new shop local campaign, Be a Culpeper Local.  The campaign combines educating the nearly 50,000 Culpeper County residents on the value of buying locally with a website, beaculpeperlocal.com that directs visitors to local shopping and dining options, specials, and a way to track how much of your state sales tax is being returned to local Culpeper general funds and school coffers.

This fiscal year, 2010–11, the County general fund expects to receive $4.5 million (part of which is allocated to the Town), and the school expects to receive $6.4 million. All these millions are from us spending our dollars in Culpeper County!

It may not need saying, but this same math works for every community in Virginia, from Abingdon to Winchester and everyone in between.  This is but one of many ways to  jumpstart a shop local campaign.  If you need more reasons to value shopping local, you can visit this page.

For more information on shop local campaigns and the value of shopping local, peruse our training archives page, visit the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies website or get in contact with the Virginia Main Street staff.

Where will you get your festival on?

We’re approaching fall in Virginia. That means crisp air and crisper apples, rotund pumpkins and autumnal spices, bluegrass and blues, vintage cars and vantage locations for the display of changing leaves. It means festivals. 

The 21 designated Main Street communities and some of our more active affiliates are setting out the hay bales and sweeping the streets to welcome residents and visitors in celebrations of the season.  Let us know where you’ll be headed in coming weeks (select as many as you want), and visit the community websites for more information.

In season: Virginia’s farmers’ markets

Governor Bob McDonnell has proclaimed August 1 – 7 as Virginia Farmers’ Market Week, and there are plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Across the country, farmers’ markets are rising in popularity and number. Between 2008 and 2009, their number increased 13 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And in Virginia, you expect to find them in every vibrant downtown.

Jessica Brewer of Culpeper Renaissance, Inc. points to the farmers’ market in that community’s historic downtown as a gathering spot and an economic engine. 

“It really is the place to be seen on Saturday mornings. Because of the market,  the community’s restaurants, food-oriented retail stores, and our popular tasting events, the people hear Culpeper, and they’re starting to think quality, fresh food.”

What’s fresh in your community? The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services offers a handy chart to show what’s likely to be fresh at your  market, and they’re offering up some prizes for your picture of what’s happening locally. Enter the Farmers’ Market Photo Contest by August 18 and share pictures of your community coming togetherover the local harvest at your market.

The unexpected entrepreneur

If you were asked to describe an entrepreneur, what words would you use?  Maybe terms like “bright, energetic, or magnetic.”  This 2004 article in the aptly named magazine Entrepreneur, gives a whole host of other terms, not all of them complimentary. 

Two descriptions of an entrepreneur that most people would not use are “ex-felon,” and “non-English speaking.”  However, it may just be these often overlooked sectors of your community could be an integral piece of your community’s economic restructuring.  In the classic Republic, Plato said, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”  If this is true, then those least able to obtain traditional employment should be those with the most entrepreneurial spirit.

Upholsterer and entrepreneur Troy Graves. Photo by Tara Bozick, Danville News.

Take Troy Graves.  This Danville resident spent a few years in prison, where he apprenticed as an upholsterer, eventually redoing a chair for the Governor’s office.  When he completed his incarceration, he had trouble finding steady work but was determined not to go back to his former ways.  With the help of a partnership with Virginia Enterprise Initiative, New Visions New Ventures and the Small Business Development Center, Troy was able to get business skills training, write a business plan, and obtain a microloan that allowed him to set up shop.   When this newspaper article hit the street, his phone rang off the hook and he has business lined up for the foreseeable future.  Troy is still building his credit, and hopes to own his building one day soon. 

And consider this positive story from National Public Radio from a place where positive stories have been few and far between.  It seems the one part of Detroit that is flourishing is the predominantly Latino neighborhood known as “Mexican Town.”  Many less developed economies have a strong entrepreneurial tradition; again, harkening back to Plato’s words about necessity.  The most entrepreneurial members of these societies often find a way to come to the United States and bring that spirit with them. 

Make sure you consider all aspects of your local business environment when planning your community’s future.  You just might find success in the most unexpected places.

Virginia Main Street announces Downtown Improvement Grant opportunity for designated communities

In an ongoing celebration of the Virginia Main Street’s 25th anniversary, the Virginia Main Street program has announced a rare funding opportunity specifically for designated Virginia Main Street communities.  Downtown Improvement Grants of up to $2,500 per designated community are now available for special, one-time projects. 

The grant opportunity is designed to offer communities the ability to complete a Main Street-related project for which financial resources are not otherwise available.  Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. May 21, 2010.

Read the grant announcement for more information on the application process.