Dakotafire Get your spark here.

If Main Street is the face of a community and the first impression it gives visitors, an active and lively downtown is key to telling an upbeat story. Read More »

“Am I foolish for trying to open an antique shop in Arlington, S.D.?” That was the question that led Randy Bullis on the path to starting Bits of Yesterday seven years ago. Read More »

When Lori Holt first opened Quilter’s Corner in Faulkton in 1998, she knew one key that her business would need to thrive. Read More »

It’s been said that the best advertising is word-of-mouth. One social media outlet is aiming to give “word-of-mouth” about businesses in the rural Dakotas a louder voice. Read More »

In small businesses—as in small towns—healthy relationships are key. Read More »

Having a commencement speaker has become less fashionable for high school graduations—perhaps because one too many speakers continued past the point of polite patience for the elderly grandparents, Read More »

For the March gathering of economic developers for the Prairie Idea Exchange project, we dove into the topic of Main Street. Read More »

We all know the few blocks that make up our rural Main Streets like the back of our hands, but we may not often stop to think about the purposes they serve in our communities. Read More »

This is the question that started the group gathered at the March Prairie Idea Exchange event talking. Read More »

People come to Main Street for far more than business transactions. If communities want their Main Streets to be vibrant and bustling, national organizations suggest, Read More »