Marion Downtown Revitalization Association Provides Entrepreneur Training and Small Business Grants

Last fall, Marion Downtown Revitalization Association introduced a pilot project designed to help fill vacant downtown storefronts. Called “Pop Up Marion,” the project provides up to $5,000 in grant funds for qualifying new downtown businesses to help offset startup costs. 

Pictured are Pop Up Marion Boot Camp graduates. Marion is looking for a second round of boot camp applicants.

 

 

 

 

The initial funding was provided by Virginia Main Street through a competitive grant process.  Executive director Ken Heath found additional funds to help sweeten the pot. 

“Radio stations WOLD/WZVA jumped on board to offer $1,000 to each of the contest winners,” said Heath.  “The Chamber of Commerce of Smyth County provided free membership for the winning businesses, and our downtown Wells Fargo Bank was so excited that they provided an additional $5,000 to help us provide the funding for another startup to join our downtown business family.” 

The successful project brought two new businesses to Marion’s Main Street district, and MDRA is ready for round two. To qualify for start-up funding, entrepreneurs have to go to small business boot camp, designed especially for the types of businesses that Marion’s Main Street needs. 

“We completed a community survey that gave us great information on what types of businesses our area would most likely support,” said Heath.

Partnering with People Inc., the Virginia Department of Business Assistance and the local sponsors, MDRA’s program provides eight sessions of classroom instruction for those thinking about starting a business.  

“The modules are designed to be a great way to get someone ready to start a business through the boot camp process,” said Heath, “but each class stands alone so that if someone is interested in just one or two sessions, they are welcome to attend and sharpen their skills.”  Heath says he believes that offering continuing opportunities for growing and adapting small businessed is key to success at all stages of the business’s life.

Seating preference for the boot camp will be given to entrepreneurs who want to explore opening businesses downtown, but everyone interested in participating will be welcome to attend as space allows.  The classes are free, but registration is required.  Those interested in the pop up grant program MUST attend all eight sessions, successfully present a business plan and open a business in downtown Marion within 90 days following “graduation”.

Believe in Bristol Opens Downtown Entrepreneur Ideaspace

  

Believe in Bristol’s Downtown Entrepreneur’s Ideaspace

While caught up in the details of drafting board by-laws, choosing downtown bench designs, training volunteers or coordinating downtown merchant coffee hours, it is easy for Main Street board and committee members and staff to forget that the primary goal of the Main Street organization is the economic redevelopment and revitalization of the local historic commercial district.

That probably won’t be a problem for the folks at Believe in Bristol (BiB). BiB recently opened a new office/Downtown Entrepreneur’s Ideaspace. The ideaspace will provide downtown entrepreneurs access to technology, meeting space and training to help them establish and grow new businesses downtown. To celebrate the opening of the ideaspace, BiB provided a free entrepreneur basics workshop (taught by People, Inc.) and a mobile marketing workshop (taught by the Virginia Deptartment of Business Assistance).  Believe in Bristol’s new small business resource center was funded, in part, by a $20,000 Virginia Enterprise Initiative (VEI) Innovation Grant. Last year’s Innovation Grants also funded downtown business development initiatives in the Main Street communities of Staunton (including an innovative hours exchange program) and Waynesboro (which is developing the Waynesboro Innovative Student Entrepreneur Competition, which will help fill empty storefronts along Main Street). VEI Innovation Grant applications will be accepted in January 2013.

Getting Started with Virginia Main Street

Virginia Main Street is accepting applications from communities interested in being designated a Virginia Main Street community. However, if your community is not ready to take this step, here are steps to to help establish or reinvigorate a successful local preservation-based downtown revitalization organization.  

• Look at downtown as if you are a first-time visitor. What is positive? What needs improvement?
• Invite a Main Street volunteer or manager from another community to talk with a group of community leaders about what that community and organization has accomplished and how the program works.
• Recruit board members and take them to other downtowns to meet with peers, hear about what does and does not work, and see how your downtown compares.
• Adopt articles of incorporation and bylaws, and register with the State Corporation Commission.
• Decide if you can afford to hire a program manager, or more importantly, if you can afford not to! Agree on an employment contract and performance plan, schedule orientation and training, select an office location, etc.
• File for 501 (C)  tax exempt status with the federal Internal Revenue Service.
• Develop job descriptions for board members, officers, committee chairs and staff.
• Recruit and educate your committees, use slide and video shows and give them appropriate information to read in small doses.
• Schedule “downtown walkarounds” with your board and committee members. Get to know every square inch and what is good or bad.
• Work with the board and committees to set up regular meeting schedules.
• Set up meetings with stakeholders and partners including:
  • all downtown business and property owners;
  • local elected officials, city manager and department heads;
  • leaders from financial institutions, industry and utilities;
  • Chamber of Commerce board and staff;
  • other important community groups (historical, tourism, arts and cultural, etc.) and set up presentations to their membership if desired; and
  • the media.
• Have a reception to introduce the program and board members to the community.
• Have the board develop a workplan that includes your vision for downtown, the organization’s mission and prioritized annual activities assigned to committees with timeframes, individuals assigned to implementation and budget allocations.
• Draw up a budget and have it correspond to the workplan. Set up financial control systems.
• Develop a fundraising plan, including a list of potential supporters.
• Solicit volunteers for key projects, create a volunteer file and develop a volunteer recognition system.
• Select public relations tools to get the word out such as brochures, newsletters and newspaper columns.
• Develop a media list for mailing press releases.
• Begin to build a clearinghouse of resource material. Collect and read anything pertinent, such as community plans, studies, newspaper articles, promotional brochures, previous meeting minutes, ordinances, newsletters, etc. Order necessary periodicals. Start a file system and scrapbook for the organization.
• Identify economic development resources and recent or proposed projects.
• Identify historic preservation resources and recent or proposed projects.
• Review the existing promotions calendar, and collect information on past promotional events.
• Do an inventory of downtown including buildings, businesses, parking, etc. Include photographs.
• Develop a network with other Main Street managers.  Ask questions and get info on their programs.
• Join the National Main Street Network and the Virginia Downtown Development Association, circulate their newsletters and encourage board members, committee members and staff to attend their conferences.
• Apply to become a DHCD Virginia Main Street Commercial District Affiliate.

Share this list with your downtown stakeholders by printing an Adobe Acrobat .pdf version of this list here.

How do you know if your event was a success?

Many Main Street organizations are planning major winter festivals and downtown shopping events. Although there is a festive feel in the air with these short days and cold weather, the lovely weather is not enough reason to plan and call on volunteers, sponsors, Main Street businesses and the public to hold a festival. There must be genuine and commonly understood goals and measurable benefits to the Main Street community for every event organized and executed by the Main Street organization. Is the event intended to drive customers to Main Street businesses? Is it to show off the Main Street district? Is it intended to raise funds for the Main Street organization?

With well-understood event goals, you will be able to ensure that your Main Street events continue to be a hit with the Main Street community by completing a post-event evaluation within a week of the event. The evaluation process will help identify the event’s strengths and weaknesses and will help to improve future events.

At a minimum, evaluate the following:

1. Attendance: Who and how many attended? Estimate this using pedestrian counts, parking volume surveys, photo counts, exit surveys, ticket sales, etc.  
2. Event executions attitudes: What did volunteers, attendees and businesses think about the event? Collect this information using formal or informal surveys or evaluations distributed to event participants and organizers. Review the event logistics to determine what worked and what didn’t work.
3. Economic impact: Ask Main Street businesses what economic impact the event had on them. Was there an increase in sales or foot traffic over the same period last year? What was that one thing that they really liked about the event and would like to see continued? What would they like changed or added to the event next time?
4. Sponsor value: What was the media value of the event to your sponsors? Evaluate the cost and benefit to your sponsors based on attendance and the buying power of the attending audience. Survey attendees to gauge sponsor awareness. Prepare final reports for sponsors including attendance numbers, attendee demographics, assessment of media value and photos showing sponsor visibility at the event.
5.  Event Goals: Did the event meet its goals? Is it worth doing again?

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.

VMS designation applications accepted through March 15, 2013

Virginia Main Street (VMS) is getting ready to add new Main Street communities to the 25 communities officially designated as Virginia Main Streets. VMS is now accepting applications, due March 15, 2013, for new Virginia Main Street communities.

Why apply for designation as a Virginia Main Street community?

First and foremost, designated VMS communities join a highly-experienced network of 25 outstanding Main Street communities that have, in the last five years alone, sparked more than $236 million in private investment in their historic commercial districts and created a total of 826 jobs in 2011. In addition, the VMS program provides a full-range of assistance to designated communities. Services include historic architecture and wayfinding design assistance, organization tune-ups, economic restructuring technical assistance, branding and marketing plan development, visioning and strategic planning, as well as a variety of training opportunities and resources. Designated communities are also eligible to apply for downtown improvement grants of up to $25,000 and financial feasibility grants to help facilitate the rehabilitation of “white elephant” buildings burdening the local Main Street.

What type of communities are eligible to become Virginia Main Street communities?

Virginia Main Street communities generally have the following characteristics:

• A traditional, mixed-use downtown commercial district
• Historic character
• Population of up to 75,000
• Proven ability to coordinate downtown community and economic revitalization resources provided by local, regional, state and federal governments, with a specific emphasis on resources provided by DHCD
• Economic distress
• Local government and private sector support  
• Commitment to grass roots, stakeholder-led revitalization

For more information about the Virginia Main Street Program, see the VMS Program Design, website and blog. For more information about the VMS designation process, contact VMS or review the Designation Application here.

Seven Keys to Stronger Community

Scott Doyon, a partner with Place Makers, recently posted Seven Keys to Stronger Community as a response to the question: “Where do we start?” This is not an exhaustive list, and he actually encourages readers to make suggestions for expanding,and they have. There is a good diaolgue in the comments section of his post. He states, “If you are looking to bulk up the strength of your community, especially in these times of limited resources, these are the areas that provide the greatest returns.”

1.  Good governance

2.  Walkable, connected, mixed-use character

3.  Parks and gardens

4.  Partnerships

5.  Programming

6.  Neighborhood-responsive schools

7.  Tree culture

Photo: Believe in Bristol

Kain Benfield’s wrote an article analyzing Doyon’s seven points. He said, “Scott has given us a good list. Mark Holland’s eight pillars of a sustainable community would add a healthy food system and economic development to the list.”

Does all this sound familiar? There is significant overlap with the Main Street approach and its guiding principles. These are proven concepts for building and maintaining strong communities. Thinking of your community, its strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats, what would you add to this list?