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Established in 1989, Main Street Radford strives to unify, strengthen
and promote Radford's commercial business district. Preservation and
strengthening of heritage and character are a paramount focus of the
non-profit organization, as downtown Radford received both Federal and
State historic district status in 2002. The objective of the Main
Street program is to create a strong heart
that becomes the pulse of the city, interconnecting the downtown with
the city's cultural and recreational opportunities.
Main Street Radford operates using four main principles as an
approach to revitalizing downtown: design, promotion, organization, and
economic restructuring. This comprehensive approach aims to give back
to the community a sense of place, a boasted economy, and an active and
integrated Main Street
lifeline.
Organization
The strength of a downtown is found in its people. Main Street Radford
corners on building an active community--a network of community
members, organizations and businesses to work towards the common
vision.
Design
The Main Street approach to design is to focus on the enhancement of
visual and social (people friendly) quality of the downtown. Design
efforts include beautification projects, assistance in designs for
property improvements, advertising discounts with select media, and
access to facade and business loans.
Promotion
Main Street Radford works to create and market a positive and
progressive image for the downtown area based on the distinctive
attributes of the downtown and the attributes of the City as a whole.
Economic Restructuring
Economic growth of the Main Street
area revolves around strengthening existing economic assets,
identifying potential markets, and fulfilling the identified market
potential.
In 2003, Main Street Radford successfully welcomed a wine shop,
computer store, frame shop, and florist to add to the mix of the
mixture of specialty shops on the business district. The Farmer's
Market again flourished with an added bonus of special music and kids
activities. The annual Summer Jam event in July helped to celebrate the
end of summer and beginning of fall events including the Highlander
Festival, Scarecrow Building,
Trick-or-Treat Trail and a Holiday Open House. MSR also established a
$1 million facade loan program for businesses to help with interior and
exterior renovations.
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