The Main Street Approach

Main Street™ is a philosophy, a program, and a proven comprehensive approach to downtown commercial district revitalization. This approach has been implemented in over 1,200 cities and towns in 40 states across the nation with the help of the National Main Street Center and statewide downtown revitalization programs. The success of the Main Street™ approach is based on its comprehensive nature. By carefully integrating four points into a practical downtown management strategy, a local Main Street™ program will produce fundamental changes in a community's economic base:

Organization involves building a Main Street™ framework that is well represented by business and property owners, bankers, citizens, public officials, chambers of commerce, and other local economic development organizations. Everyone must work together to renew downtown. A strong organization provides the stability to build and maintain a long-term effort.
Promotion creates excitement downtown. Street festivals, parades, retail events, and image development campaigns are some of the ways Main Street™ encourages customer traffic. Promotion involves marketing an enticing image to shoppers, investors, and visitors.
Design enhances the attractiveness of the business district. Historic building rehabilitation, street and alley clean-up, colorful banners, landscaping, and lighting all improve the physical image of the downtown as a quality place to shop, work, walk, invest in, and live. Design improvements result in a reinvestment of public and private dollars to downtown.
Economic Restructuring involves analyzing current market forces to develop long-term solutions. Recruiting new businesses, creatively converting unused space for new uses, and sharpening the competitiveness of Main Street's traditional merchants are examples of economic restructuring activities.

The Eight Principles Guiding Successful Downtown Revitalization Programs are:

Comprehensive. A single project cannot revitalize a downtown or commercial neighborhood. An ongoing series of initiatives is vital to build community support and create lasting progress.
Incremental. Small projects make a big difference. They demonstrate that "things are happening" on Main Street and hone the skills and confidence the program will need to tackle more complex projects.
Self-Help. The State can provide valuable direction and technical assistance, but only local leadership can breed long-term success by fostering and demonstrating community involvement and commitment to the revitalization effort.
Public/Private Partnership. Every local Main Street™ program needs the support and expertise of both the public and private sectors. For an effective partnership, each must recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the other.
Identifying and Capitalizing on Existing Assets. Unique offerings and local assets provide the solid foundation for a successful Main Street™ initiative.
Quality. From storefront design to promotional campaigns to special events, quality must be instilled in the organization.
Change. Changing community attitudes and habits is essential to bring about a commercial district renaissance. A carefully planned Main Street™ program will help shift public perceptions and practices to support and sustain the revitalization process.
Action Oriented. Frequent visible changes in the look and activities of the commercial district will reinforce the perception of positive change. Small, but dramatic, improvements early in the process will

Criteria for National Designation as a Main Street™ Program

Broad-based community support for the commercial district revitalization process with strong support from both the public and private sectors.
Vision and mission statements relevant to community conditions and to the local Main Street™ program’s organizational stage.
Comprehensive Main Street™ work plan.
Historic preservation ethic.
Active board of directors and committees.
Adequate operating budget.
Paid professional program manager.
Program of ongoing training for staff and volunteers.
Reporting of key statistics.
Current member of the National Main Street Network.

It takes hard work and commitment by a community to become and maintain its designation as a Main Street™ community. Along with this designation comes the honor of permission to use the title "Main Street™". Communities must be evaluated and meet the criteria above to use this title. Evaluation is done yearly, and will be granted only to Main Street™ designation level communities that fully participate in the State's "Tier System".

Call the Washington State Main Street Program at 360-725-4056 for more specific information about Main Street™ criteria, use of the Main Street™ name, or the Tier System.

Why is Downtown Important?

Can malls and discount centers take the place of downtowns in the future? The answer is most definitely no. Though malls and discount centers play important roles in our communities, downtown is much more than a shopping center. It is critical for everyone involved in downtown revitalization to understand the value of downtown. Here are some good reasons why downtown is important (though they’re not in any particular order):

Your central business district is a prominent employment center. Even the smallest downtown employs hundreds of people. Downtown is often the largest employer in a community.
As a business center, your downtown plays a major role. It may even represent the largest concentration of businesses in your community. It also serves as an incubator for new businesses—the successes of tomorrow.
Most of the businesses in your downtown are independently owned. They support a local family who supports the local schools, etc. Independent businesses keep profits in town.
Downtown is a reflection of how your community sees itself—a critical factor in business retention and recruitment efforts. When industry begins looking at your community as a possible location, they examine many aspects including the quality of life. Included in quality of life is interest in downtown — is it alive and viable, or does it represent local disinterest and failure?
Your downtown represents a significant portion of the community’s tax base. If this district declines, property will decrease in value and subsequently increases the tax burden on other parts of your community.
The central business district is an indispensible shopping and service center. Though it may no longer hold the place as your community’s most dominant shopping center, it still includes unique shopping and service opportunities. Attorneys, physicians, accountants, and insurance offices, as well as financial institutions, are often located downtown.
Your downtown is the historic core of your community. Many of the buildings are historically significant and help highlight your community’s history.
Downtown represents a vast amount of public and private investment. Imagine the costs to recreate all the public infrastructure and buildings already existing in your central business district. Think of the waste of past dollars spent if downtown is neglected.
A central business district is often a major tourist draw. When people travel, they want to see unique places. There isn’t a downtown like yours in the world!
Downtown is usually a government center. Most likely it is where your city hall, county courthouse, and post office are located. This “one stop” shopping for government services is a notable feature of downtowns across the country.
And, perhaps, most important, your downtown provides a sense of community and place. As Carol Lifkind, author of Main Street: The Face of Urban America, said “...as Main Street, it was uniquely American, a powerful symbol of shared experiences, of common memory, of the challenge, and the struggle of building a civilization... Main Street was always familiar, always recognizable as the heart and soul of the village, town or city.” (Edited from an article by Alicia Goehring, Wisconsin Main Street Program, Wisconsin Department of Development)