Main Street Communities Partnering for Entrepreneur Development

This past spring, DHCD’s Virginia Enterprise Initiative awarded six innovation grants to help develop new and innovative techniques for cultivating and assisting micro-entrepreneurs. Three of the awardees (Bristol, Staunton and Waynesboro) are specifically targeting micro-entrepreneur development in their local Main Street districts.

Staunton Creative Community Fund, in Staunton, will continue to build off of its strong record of innovative entrepreneur development initiatives like Ignite Staunton and “Confessions of an Entrepreneur” by developing a local Hours Exchange Program, a networked community kitchen incubator and an online platform for sharing local Kickstarter projects.

Community Investment Collaborative (CIC) in Charlottesville will offer two 14-week entrepreneur development classes and will begin offering micro-financing to training graduates who want to start or expand their businesses.

United Virginia is expanding its micro-entrepreneur development services to southern Virginia. United Virginia will offer four 10-week entrepreneur development classes and will coordinate micro-financing for new or expanding businesses in southern Virginia.

Total Action Against Poverty (TAP) and its affiliate Business Seed Capital, Inc. (BSCI), working in the Roanoke region, is going to develop Virginia’s first solidarity lending program based on the Grameen Bank model. If successful, TAP and BSCI hope to establish the Virginia Chapter of Grameen America.

Believe in Bristol (BIB), Bristol’s Main Street organization, is going to develop and coordinate a micro-entrepreneur training and technical assistance program to encourage new businesses to fill up empty store fronts in Bristol’s Main Street district. The entrepreneur development program will be housed in BIB’s new offices.

The City of Waynesboro will work with nearby colleges and universities to develop a business competition program for new business graduates interested in starting a business in an empty store front in Waynesboro’s Main Street district. In addition to training and assistance in business start-up and micro-financing, the Waynesboro Downtown Development Inc. will help the three winners of the competition work with downtown landlords to find available rental space for their new businesses.

Culpeper – 2012 Great American Main Street Award Winner

Congratulations to Culpeper Renaissance, Inc., a 2012 Great American Main Street Awards® (GAMSA) winner.  Recognized as a leader in implementing the Main Street Four-Point Approach®, embracing sound historic preservation practices and building strategic partnerships, Culpeper Renaissance, Inc. (CRI) was honored at the Main Street Awards Ceremony at the 2012 National Main Streets Conference in Baltimore, Md.

The National Trust Main Street Center’s annual GAMSA awards recognize exceptional accomplishments in revitalizing the nation’s historic Main Street commercial districts. CRI is credited with leading the once-thriving downtown district back to vitality after steady decline that began in the 1970s. The demolition threat to a once-bustling train depot was the spark that ignited citizen action. CRI was formed in 1987, became a Main Street program in 1988 and joined public and private entities in redeveloping the depot, making streetscape and infrastructure improvements and restoring badly damaged storefronts. Vacancies are now down to 6 percent from 86, thanks to a mix of banks, boutiques and coffee shops. Upper floor apartments along Culpeper’s Davis Street are occupied, and the downtown is again thriving.

Culpeper demonstrates what can be achieved with a strong commitment to historic preservation and a broad base of supporters,” says Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center. “This combination enabled its swift but thoughtful recovery from the 2011 earthquake and promises a bright future for Culpeper as a growing regional cultural and entertainment destination.

A great two-minute video summarizing the town’s accomplishments was shown at the awards presentation ceremony and can be viewed on the Culpeper Renaissance, Inc. 2012 GAMSA page.

Culpeper is the fourth Virginia Main Street community to be awarded a Great American Main Street Award. Previous Virginia GAMSA award winners include Staunton (2002), Manassas (2003) and Lynchburg (2006).

2012 Downtown Improvement Grants Awarded

This past February, Virginia Main Street awarded seven Downtown Improvement Grants ranging from $6,000 to $25,000. The grants are intended to help local Main Street organizations implement economic restructuring strategies that will have measureable local and regional economic benefits, establish and strengthen partnerships in the community and increase the capacity and involvement of local Main Street committees and volunteers. The funded organizations included:

• Advance Abingdon, which will improve a public park to help anchor the western end of the Main Street district and encourage private investment in this part of the district.
• Altavista on Track, which will renovate the upper stories of the building currently housing the Altavista Arts and Antiques incubator to allow for additional vendors.
• Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, which will complete façade improvements on the former McCory’s Department Store as part of a larger restoration project that will establish a Main Street “mini-mall” for small retail, food and professional tenants.
• Luray Downtown Initiative, Inc., which will complete permanent gateway improvements at the Main Street district’s most heavily-trafficked entrance.   
• Marion Downtown Revitalization Association, which will launch the Virginia Main Street community’s first pop-up program by providing three new small businesses in the Main Street district with business training and grant funding to help defray start-up costs.
• Staunton Downtown Development Association, which will upgrade outdoor lighting fixtures to help better connect the thriving downtown commercial district to the “Wharf District.”
• Waynesboro Downtown Development, Inc., which will construct the Center for Coldwater Restoration demonstration hatchery and information center in the Main Street district to help develop the community’s potential as an outdoor recreation and tourism destination.

Downtown Improvement Grants are just one of the many forms of support that Virginia Main Street offers the state’s 25 designated Main Street communities.

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 an “urbanized area” based around a town or city with a population between 10,000 and 50,000 people.

The magazine’s criterion for ranking includes capital investment and job creation. Six local projects met at least one of the three criteria for successful micropolitan cities — at least $1 million in new capital investment, a minimum of 20,000 square feet of new construction and creation of at least 50 new jobs.  

The six companies that catapulted the Staunton/Waynesboro micropolitan into the top 20 are:

1. Cadence <$15.9 million expansion>
2. Fisher Auto Parts <$3.5 million expansion>
3. Innovative Refrigeration Systems, Inc. <$1 million expansion>
4. PPI/Time Zero, Inc. <$1.15 million expansion>
5. nTelos, Inc. <$2.34 million expansion>
6. Lumos Networks <$1.2 million expansion>

“2011 was a great year for our community. Investment and interest are up,” said Amanda Glover, Assistant Director of Economic Development for the City of Staunton.  “Companies know we can provide a really strong work-life balance. When they see the success of our long-term businesses, they know they’ve made the right choice.”

When asked to list why she believes the Staunton/Augusta/Waynesboro micropolitan area is attracting this kind of investment, Glover says, “We have location, labor and logistics. We offer access to two interstate highways, as well as rail and air. We are centrally located among 11 colleges and universities. We are just a couple of hours from Washington D.C., Richmond and Norfolk. Plus, the Shenandoah Valley is one of the most beautiful places in the country.”

The same issue of Site Selection Magazine reports that statewide, Virginia’s new corporate facilities and expansions increased 44% over the previous year, boosting Virginia among the top five in the national ranking for new corporate facilities.  Site Selection now ranks Virginia #5 nationally in 2011, up from #10 in 2010.

Attracting, Developing and Retaining Main Street Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs are generally pretty imaginative people, but some may need a creative venue and an audience to help them articulate their ideas. Staunton Creative Community Fund’s (SCCF) recent Ignite Staunton! campaign proved to be the creative outlet that entrepreneur Michael Reeps needed to make his unique business concept a reality.

Last fall’s Ignite Staunton!, partly funded by a Virginia Enterprise Initiative grant, was the community’s first “open mic night for creative ideas.” The presenters were given five minutes, 20 slides, which advanced every 15 seconds, whether ready or not, and an opportunity to pitch their most passionate ideas to an audience of friends, family and community members. The fun, fast-paced events were designed to be interactive, allowing audience members an opportunity to provide feedback to Ignite presenters and to vote for a $5,000 People’s Choice Award.  Reeps’ idea beat out more than 20 others for the $5,000 award, and he hopes to soon be fully operational with Staunton Fresh, an online farmers market that promises to connect local foods with local people.

Other Main Street communities are attracting, developing and retaining entrepreneurs by developing unique business incubators, like Altavista Art and Antiques, providing loans and grants for Main Street pop-up shops, coordinating with nonprofit organizations and government entities to provide micro-loans to Main Street entrepreneurs and starting dialogues about how to best develop entrepreneurs who want to participate in the Main Street market place in nontraditional formats like food trucks.

What is your community doing to attract, develop and retain those entrepreneurs who will make your Main Street a truly successful downtown marketplace?

Online Registration Now Open for Sustainability Toolkit

Sustainability is more than a code word for environmental stewardship. Going well beyond the “greening” of individual buildings and recycling, it’s a comprehensive strategy that can foster vibrancy in a community today while ensuring that resources are available for tomorrow’s needs. 

But just how can communities care for their corner of the world and its people while creating an environment that’s good for business?  Sustainable Main Street, the 2011 Virginia Main Street Toolkit, is designed to help communities focus the Main Street Four Point Approach® on exactly that question.  

Join the state’s engaged network of downtown revitalization professionals and volunteers for this fast-paced, interactive look at successfully-balanced community development practices in downtown Staunton, a thriving community that’s serious about sustainability.

Read the full agenda, or register online here.  Book your room at the Stonewall Jackson by June 27 to get the block room rate.

Virginia Main Street Summer Toolkit:  Sustainable Main Street
July 20-21, 2011
Stonewall Jackson Hotel and Conference Center
24 South Market Street
Staunton, Virginia

Hosted by Virginia Main Street and the Staunton Downtown Development Association, (SDDA), the Virginia Main Street Summer Toolkit is an advanced and targeted training session designed to get beyond the basics and provide anyone working to better their community with outcome-oriented revitalization knowledge.  Toolkits provide a balanced mix of expert presentations, panel discussions and group work sessions to ensure that every attendee goes home with fresh ideas and a plan for what’s next.

Staunton rallies for the Sears Hill Bridge

The creative spirit of the Downtown Staunton community is driving a playful public engagement strategy around the restoration of the Sears Hill Bridge. The pedestrian bridge, which had linked the Sears Hill neighborhood and Downtown Staunton for more than 100 years, was condemned in January 2010.

Restoration of the bridge will cost about $200,000, and the community is pulling together to make it happen. In a collaborative strategy led by the Staunton Downtown Development Association (SDDA), Friends of the Sears Hill Bridge, and The Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge, residents can lend their talents and give their dollars through a short film competition and an art window installation.

A key element of the public awareness project involved Flying Warthog Films, a micro-enterprise recently funded through the Staunton Creative Community Fund. The team worked with volunteers to produce a short narrative film conceived by SDDA Exeutive Director Julie Markowitz. Watch the film here:

 

Read more about the effort  in the Augusta Free Press. For more information on the complete project or to donate, visit www.stauntondowntown.org or join the Facebook Cause here.

Advance Abingdon gets up close and personal with merchants

Anthony's Desserts proprietor Anthony Perkins, as featured in the I Love Abingdon blog.

When people proudly shop locally, they do so to support their neighbors and fellow community members–those working to earn a living, create a job or two, and invest in the district.

It makes sense then that highlighting people behind the business can strengthen the the link between merchants and their customers.

That is exactly the point of one of the first projects of Advance Abingdon’s newly hired executive director. Susan Howard subtitled her new “I Love Abingdon” blog with the description: Comments and photos from the director of Advance Abingdon as she prowls around town getting to know merchants and others in the community.

“One of my first jobs as the director,”  says Howard, “is to know the stakeholders and understand their goals.  So I knew I needed to get out on the street first thing.”  Her camera went with her.  “Posting the photos and stories of merchants helps others get to know the people who make Abingdon’s historic commercial district special. It promotes the unique goods and services we offer, and I hope it’s an entertaining read.”

Follow Susan’s blog on blogger,  and check out some of these other Virginia Main Street Community blogs:

Blog Downtown (Harrisonburg)
The Downtown Lowdown (Staunton)

Staunton completes banner project

In 2010, the Staunton Downtown Development Association (SDDA)  received one of two community projects that took advantage of Virginia Main Street’s recent Downtown Improvement Grants to fund identity banners. (We took a look at the Culpeper’s banner project in the January 13 blog post.)

Before the grant, Staunton had a priority-based budget and the funds to only place the banners in part of their district. SDDA Board leaders saw the grant as an opportunity to expedite the second phase of the project, completing banners for the Churchville Avenue Corridor. In their press release and the subsequent press earned by the project, the organization was very clear about the motives and desired outcomes of the project. Articles ran in the Augusta Free Press and WHSV Channel 3.

Julie Markowitz, executive director of the SDDA, said that, “Installing new, colorful banners in those areas will show SDDA support for businesses and property owners in that part of the district.”  This very visible investment can go a long way in demonstrating commitment to part of the footprint that doesn’t alway get as much attention.  Additionally, the banners will visually connect the central district to the public spaces and arts and cultural amenities of Gypsy Hill.

Staunton was one of seven communities to receive a 2010 Downtown Improvement Grant.

Downtown remains the holiday gathering place

Traditional holiday events continue to draw crowds downtown this year in spite of the bone-chilling weather experienced in many parts of the commonwealth.

Last Friday, Rocky Mount’s “Come Home to a Franklin County Christmas,” had its largest turnout yet as guests enjoyed music, food, and shopping with vendors and merchants.  “The horse-drawn carriage rides and the miniature horse and buggy rides for the youngsters were both big hits,” Barbara Chauncey, a volunteer with the Community Partnership for the Revitalization of Rocky Mount told the Franklin News-Post. The temperature was in the thirties, but that didn’t stop children from lining up for the Department of Recreation’s build-a-bear event.

In Staunton, the traditional holiday festivities included the annual parade–this year with a rock and roll theme–and a new character on the scene–Elfis, a rockin’ elf  who encourages shopping locally by handing out Staunton Downtown Development Association giftcards. 

Nothing says tradition in the holidays like a gingerbread house, and Old Town Manassas does that up right.  View the results of their 15th annual Gingerbread House Competition.  In Warrenton, the GumDrop Square  tradition continues with a series of events throughout late Novemember and early December.

Main Street proves itself again this year as a location for business and a community gathering place during the holidays, and there’s still time to get out and enjoy some downtown traditions. Try Waynesboro’s Christmas in River City on Friday evening, the 17th, and First Night Winchester on the Loudoun Street Mall on New Year’s Eve.