Those who work in MainStreet know it can be a challenge to answer the question "what does MainStreet do?" Executive Directors and Board Members have crafted their “elevator” pitch to summarize a large and multifaceted approach in just a few short sentences.
New Mexico MainStreet (NMMS) developed a series of videos called “Voices of MainStreet” to highlight MainStreet's entrepreneurs, building owners and community members working to restore buildings, rebuild great streets, and create economic opportunities in downtowns. In historic downtowns, local MainStreet leaders, using the state’s public investment, are making a difference by transforming the local economy and improving the quality of life.
NMMS worked with Narrative Media of Santa Fe to produce the series and help demonstrate what MainStreet does and what it means to community members.
Engage People:
MainStreet partners speak to the power of MainStreet’s strategies to implement local projects through community based economic development. Property and business owners, residents and funding partners are coming together to build vibrant downtowns and stronger economies. Partners and business owners in this video include: Henry Rael, McCune Charitable Foundation; Peyton Yates, Friends of New Mexico MainStreet; and Claudia Isaac, UNM Professor of Community and Regional Planning.
Rebuild Places:
MainStreet restores the unique fabric of our communities, renovates commercial properties, reconnects neighborhoods to local business & community activities, and improves streetscapes to create a sense of place and develop a local environment to attract private reinvestment. Partners and business owners in this video include: Henry Rael, McCune Charitable Foundation; Lois Hamamoto, Sachi Organics; and Tom Clayton, Owner & Restoration, Rawlins Building.
Creative & Cultural Enterprises:
Creative enterprises and industries are growing local economies through partnerships and collaborations that cultivate local talent, build unique job skills, establish innovative workspaces, create spaces for local entrepreneurs and help existing businesses grow. Partners and business owners in this video include: Henry Rael, McCune Charitable Foundation; Lee Gruber, Syzygy Tile; and John Olivas, JACO Outfitters.
Entrepreneurs:
MainStreet is the place where unique businesses and enterprises are anchored in the historic and cultural assets that make downtown special. Every MainStreet town has a unique community heritage from which a strong and economically vital district emerges. Partners and business owners in this video include: Henry Rael, McCune Charitable Foundation; Sara Matthews, Borracho’s Craft Booze and Brews; Diane Barrett, Diane’s Restaurant/Bakery and Deli; and Natalie Good, Power & Light Press.
The New Mexico Coalition of MainStreet Communities spent the month of September promoting the videos via Facebook and on their website to invite folks to learn more about the people, businesses, and places that are the Voices of MainStreet. Across our state, people are working together to rebuild their communities.
“New Mexico MainStreets, Arts & Cultural Districts, and Frontier Projects can be found in urban and rural communities across our state,” said Lisa Pellegrino Spear, President of the New Mexico Coalition of MainStreet Communities and Executive Director of Clovis MainStreet. “They all have a common story: people who are passionate about the places they call home and people who are determined to create vibrant economies, jobs, and places for people to gather. The videos begin to tell these stories.”
New Mexico MainStreet currently serves 30 designated MainStreet Districts, 11 Arts & Cultural Districts, more than 20 Frontier Community projects, and eight Historic Theater Initiatives. For more information about New Mexico MainStreet, visit www.nmmainstreet.org.