April 2024

Welcome to the North Main Street Business District Monthly Newsletter. If you are a North Main business owner, property owner, or employee and would like to share your news, celebrations, and updates please send them to Kirsten Aherron (RDA Communications and Events Manager), at kirsten@riverdistrictassociation.com. And please share this newsletter and the North Main Facebook page!

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https://www.riverdistrictassociation.com/additional-business-districts

Welcome: Reflections cuts & styles

106 Meade Street

Reflections cuts & styles owner, Jawaan Baber is an electrician by trade and a Danville native, who attended George Washington High School. After High School he attended DCC to learn a trade and he started his own business in 2021 called J. E. Barber Property Management LLC. The company does home repairs, and property maintenance.

106 Meade Street is the first building he bought. It was once said Meade Street was the worst place in Danville! He decided to purchase the property and renovated it as a way to showcase his property management business skills, and to turn the building into a business that he can pass on to his children. The project took 2 years to complete. He wants his kids to see that if you put your mind to something with determination and focus, you can accomplish anything.

Meade Street is a center point for the top of North Main Hill and it has so much history and

Jawaan Barber wants his last name to be part of it. His is a strong family and there is a such thing as change for people, places and communities. He says, " I am loving the growth of our city. The casino is very inspiring to alot of people. Change is happening all around us and soon this city will be equal for all of us. North main is where Danville started from."

Would you like to be part of the North Main Street Community Council? Come check it out!

North Main Banners

There are new banners lining the North Main Business District. These are up to highlight the area but are place holder banners until the local community decides upon a name and logo for the area!

Interested in being a part of the Community Council that meets to work on these kinds of things? See the flier right above this section and join in the conversation!

True North Speaker Series

The River District Association and the North Main Business District invite you to join us monthly starting in August to hear from amazing, innovative and influential local Black women. Each month, on the 3rd Wednesday at 12 noon tune into the North Main Business District Facebook page for a live interview to hear the inspiring life stories of these women. We have ten great speakers lined up. Then in June 2024 we will have a live in-person panel interview with all 10! We can't wait for you to join us.

Link to North Main Business FB page: https://www.facebook.com/northmaindistrict

The True North Speaker Series is now aired weekly on RGM TV Channel 16!

Watch it on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12 pm.

Juneteenth Registration

Are you a Black-Woman Owned business? Sign up to be a vendor at the June 19th Speaker Event!

Vendor Application

April True North Speaker: Lakesha Reed Curtis

CEO Medical Solutions Academy

Mrs. Lakesha Reed- Curtis, wife and mother of two, is a woman of action who dreams big and

just decided to ChasHers! She was born and raised in Danville, Virginia, but now currently

resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her loving family. Her focus in life has always been to

find different avenues with the opportunity to provide services to the community. Her goal

then became to provide higher education opportunities for students interested in the

healthcare field to advance career wise in the future. By introducing Medical Solutions

Academy to her community, she has become dedicated to empowering her community through

educational programs that serve to make prospective health care workers prepared for

employment in the medical field.

Lakesha has twenty years of nursing experience and received both her Bachelor and Master

degree from Winston-Salem State University. She is currently pursuing her DNP for American

Sentinel University. By establishing Medical Solutions Academy, she has gained adequate

experience in the full process of operating and administrating successful medical certification

programs from start to finish. She has had the opportunity to witness students complete these

certification programs over the course of the last twelve years. Her educational program has

expanded over the years and now includes Nurse Aide, , Medical Assistant, Medication Aide,

Medical Office Assistant, CPR Certification, and LPN. She has built this school from the ground

up and enjoys playing such an important role in others’ lives.

Business Resource: Grow with Google

Main Street America and Grow with Google are teaming up to help business owners in small towns gain new skills through local Digital Coaches.

Grow with Google Digital Coaches are local marketing experts who help diverse small businesses grow. They offer live training and hands-on coaching on topics like how to connect with customers, sell products online, and improve business productivity – for free.

Together, Main Street America and Grow with Google have on-boarded 10 new Digital Coaches to lead free trainings and empower small businesses with skills to grow.

Learn more and meet the coaches here: https://bit.ly/3MW4xlU

Small Business Development Center

Did you know that the Longwood Small Business Development Center offers a wide variety of webinars (many of them FREE, some with a small fee), as well as one on one business consulting. If you need help thinking through a business plan, or how to expand your business, the SBDC is a great resource.

Check out what's offered at: www.sbdc-longwood.com

About the North Main Business District

The North Main District is from Riverside Drive, up North Main Hill to Thomas Street. For those wishing to stay up to date on revitalization in the North Main District, you can follow the Facebook page: Facebook.com/northmaindistrict

The River District Association (RDA) is excited to be piloting an initiative that will bring the revitalization programming that has been successful in the River District to the North Main Business District. The work in the River District will continue with the same energy and focus. RDA will help facilitate community led visions for the North Main Business District, and provide support through existing programming such as the Dream Launch Bootcamp, Facade Improvement Grants, and more.

About the River District Association

The River District Association (RDA), formerly Downtown Danville Association, was formed in 1999 to coordinate efforts to revitalize the downtown Danville, Virginia community, now called the River District. RDA is comprised of a volunteer Board of Directors which includes representatives from River District businesses and property owners, the City of Danville, and other community stakeholders.

Our city enjoys accredited status under the Virginia Main Street Program. The program is over 20 years old and is recognized nationally as the most successful formula for downtown revitalization. We are committed to the Main Street Four-Point Approach™ of organization, promotion, design, and economic vitality.

RDA follows the Main Street model to coordinate the public-private partnerships required to revive Danville's River District and now, other Neighborhood Business Districts (NBD). We work with the City of Danville, area businesses, and institutions to develop programs and events to get the community working together; to market the area's unique assets; to get the district in top physical shape; and to attract and retain businesses.