Dakotafire Get your spark here.
For the March gathering of economic developers for the Prairie Idea Exchange project, we dove into the topic of Main Street.
The actual topic suggestion, which came from one of the developers in a brainstorming session, was “Revitalizing Main Street when it’s off the beaten path.”
For each of the topics in the PIE project, we ask three basic questions to direct the conversation:
- Why does this matter?
- What’s happening?
- What’s possible?
What follows are the stories that resulted from that conversation. Read. Consider. Then join in the conversation at www.pie4.us. Ideas from that online forum will appear in the July/August issue. Click on the following articles and enjoy a slice of PIE!
- Why Main Street Matters
- “When you think about your own experience, what are you noticing about small-town Main Streets/downtowns?”
- Main Street can be an awesome ‘place’
- Where is a great main Street, and what makes it awesome?
- Highway or Main Street? Towns need both
- Empty spaces on Main are an opportunity
- Shops cooperate to create antique circuit
- Store draws fabric lovers from a distance
- Bringing clientele to backroads retailers, via the information superhighway
- Customer service is vital in rural areas
- What does it take to have a successful business in a small town?
- Business owners band together to bring women to Britton’s Main Street
- New effort aims to support startups
- Supported businesses support communities
