Main Street Monday Q1 Recap: Small Town Adventures Across America
Main Street Monday is back in 2024! One of our signature elements has hit the ground running to start the year. In the first quarter of this year, I visited over 60 retailers in 11 communities across 8 different states. This has become one of my favorite things to do every week. I love exploring downtown areas, meeting with retailers to learn about their businesses, and seeing what the area is doing to help their independent retailers be successful.
If you are unfamiliar with our Main Street Mondays, you can follow along through our social media channels as I explore different downtown communities. Every Monday, I am in a different town, and I will feature the town as well as its retailers. The purpose of these community visits is many-fold. For one, by meeting with retailers and learning about their stores, I can understand their stories and the challenges that they face. This helps us craft what types of education to focus on. Many topics we have had as webinars have been inspired directly by conversations I have had with retailers in their stores. Additionally, when I am in front of retailers, I can recommend resources that might help them with a challenge they are facing. Main Street Monday is also a great way for me to spread awareness of Heart on Main Street; many retailers don’t know about our organization or the services we offer to independent retailers. Also, did I mention that visiting these downtown communities and featuring their stores is fun? It’s good to have fun while doing your job.
I have truly enjoyed every community I have visited so far while doing Main Street Monday. Each community has something to offer its residents and visitors and has its own unique quality that makes it special. I wanted to highlight a few of these communities and some of the great things that they are doing.
Stillwater, MN, has developed its downtown as a destination for people and companies alike. The city hosts frequent events like its Lumberjack Days celebration and the World Ice Sculpting competition to bring people to the city throughout the region. They have also built hotels to accommodate corporate events, which bring additional visitors to Stillwater’s stores and restaurants. This has allowed it to be year-round shopping location.
Franklin, TN, has found a way to honor its history without being controlled by it. Downtown Franklin was the site of a battle during the American Civil War, and while this is represented well with a monument and signs explaining the history, the town has developed businesses to position the downtown as a magnet for shoppers, not just Civil War buffs. Franklin allows itself to be a historical city with a modern appeal.
Alpharetta, GA, is a great example of a modern commercial district built to create and support a downtown. They show that new commercial centers don’t have to be strip malls and chain stores. Alpharetta has built an extremely attractive downtown development with places for residents to gather, shop, eat, and enjoy open spaces for live music or recreational activities.
Geneva, IL, developed creative solutions to expand its downtown beyond the historic Main Street area. As the need for downtown space grew, Geneva re-zoned some of the residences on an adjoining street and transitioned homes into stores. This has created a very fun shopping experience that feels like you are being welcomed into people’s homes to shop.
These are some of the countless examples that I see while visiting communities. Thank you to the retailers and communities of Carrollton, TX; Alpharetta, GA; Geneva, IL; Bay City, MI; Niles, MI; Seymour, IN; Pontiac, IL; Stillwater, MN; Monticello, IL; Franklin, TN, and Belle Plaine, IA for allowing me to feature you in during the first quarter of 2024!
