We've learned about the important role
volunteers,
economic development tools as well as
events and promotions play in downtown revitalization. But as vital as all of those moving parts may be for economic success, one factor remains that is the most important of all. That would be the men and women behind the curtain making it all happen.
"A strong organization is the most important point," says Laura Krizov, manager of the
Michigan Main Street Center (MMSC) at MSHDA, a program that provides technical assistance and training to downtown organizations. "Without that, nothing else can get done."
So what is a "downtown organization" anyway? And how does it become strong?
Typically, it's a board of volunteers and at least one staff person charged with revitalizing a historic commercial district. In some cases these boards are non-profits, like the
Old Town Commercial Association, and in others they are governmental boards, like the
downtown development authority in Portland or the principal shopping district that is
Downtown Lansing, Inc.. How those organizations become and remain healthy is a much trickier tale.
That's why the MMSC exists. The program utilizes The Main Street Four-Point Approach®, a tool developed by the
National Trust for Historic Preservation, to help stimulate growth and vibrancy in Michigan downtowns. In other words, the MMSC gives an identity to the proverbial "they."
"Communities are full of so many people with so many great ideas," explains MMSC Design Specialist Kelly Larson. "They all say, 'They should do this,' or, 'someone should put on this great event or fix up that building.'
"That's what a Main Street organization is - everyone accepting that they are the 'they' and getting things done."
The MMSC works with their member downtown boards - called Main Street organizations - to help them grow in the four areas of the Main Street approach: economic restructuring, promotions, design and organization. The line for their help is getting longer. The program currently has 21 Associate Level communities, eight Select Level and eight Master Level communities. Each year just three Associate Level communities will qualify to move into the Select Level where they are able to take advantage of the following services:
The Economic Restructuring PointEvery small, independent business owner knows that it's a tough world out there. For as many challenges as there are, however, there is also slew of help to be had. "One thing we're developing now is succession planning for businesses," says Emily Pantera, Economic Restructuring, or ER, Specialist for the MMSC. "A lot of times we have business owners how are ready to retire and they just close their doors. Instead, we're going to teach them how to find an entrepreneur in their community who would like to take over and grow their business."
This new training is in addition to entrepreneurship training, retail merchandising training, a comprehensive market study of the community and more.
The Promotions PointMary Lee Stotler is the MMSC's promotions specialist. As it turns out, all of those
great downtown events aren't so easy to put together. Stotler helps downtown organizations maximize the impact of every effort.
Promotions involves image campaigns, special events and retail events," she says. "The purpose is to get people downtown and see the community in a positive way."
One of the services Stotler provides to communities is analysis of their existing events including the question, "Why are you doing this event?"
"Sometimes they don't know," Stotler says. "I think it's really important, especially when resources are so scarce, to think about if they're spending resources events that work. We're making sure they are lean and focused."
The Design PointTidy, handsome and well-preserved historic downtowns don't happen on accident. The National Trust for Historic Preservation knew this when they launched The Main Street Four-Point Approach®. As it turns out, preserving the look and feel of turn-of-the-century downtown districts is as important to building a vibrant economy there as that same healthy economy is to supporting a historic preservation ethic.
It's Kelly Larson's job to help downtowns keep the cycle moving forward. As the design specialist, she provides historic preservation and design services to member communities. "The primary thing I do is
design services," she says. "That's where I work one-on-one with property owners in the downtown to make sure that maintain the historic integrity of their building and make sure it's functional for their needs as a business owner.
"We work to find a balance between not wanting to get rid of a beautiful historic cornice and making sure they have the signage that they need on their building."
The Organization PointWhile all of this technical assistance feeds the downtown boards who share it with their committees, volunteers and merchants, a key job of the MMSC is to keep those boards healthy and strong to keep their programs chugging along. While the center is currently working to employ a new Organization Specialist, the whole team is working together to help their member communities recruit and retain volunteers, maintain fundraising, public relations and make sure each program's activities are all pointing toward the same vision - all functions of the organization point.
"If the organization has a vision their program, it's a lot easier to get people involved," says Krizov. "People are more committed to a cause when they can see themselves going toward that same vision together."
The MMSC spends a great deal of time working with boards to help keep them organized. They provide training for board members on everything from developing work plans for projects to developing a brand for their organization. In short, they take what are often rag-tag groups of community volunteers and train them to be high-functioning, educated downtown revitalization professionals.
"You have to have a strong board," says Larson. "There must be a committed, strong core of people in each downtown who are prepared to make the hard decisions. Communities with strong boards are 100 percent better off."
And the benefit of a downtown with a strong board? According to the MMSC team, there's no overstating it.
"People say it's not like we're solving world hunger or anything, but we are," says Stotler. "We're building communities. Great communities are where those big things happen."
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
The MMSC team
Laura Krisov
Kelly Larson
Mary Stotler
Emily Pantera
Photos © Dave Trumpie