Mary's Minute, "Unexpected Blessings"
I am often amazed at how time changes and moves us in so many ways. In just a few short months, I will have been in Alabama for 8 years! It feels like just yesterday I arrived here, excited for a new start and terrified I would not measure up, there have been so many changes this past 8 years and I am blessed beyond measure for the opportunities it has given me in my job and my personal life.
This past year has been crazy on so many levels, with the pandemic and the adjustments that will remain with us moving forward. During that time we have become much better at electronic meetings, learning to work effectively from home, and knowing the way we were accustomed to doing business was never going to be the same. For this issue of Mary’s Minute, I wanted to focus on just three of the many unexpected blessings we had going on this past year.
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Small Box Shops: Finding Success During a Worldwide Shutdown
Who would have thought that just a few short months after the launch of Main Street Alabama’s Small Box Shop initiative in Heflin and Wetumpka that Main Streets around the Country would be shutting down due to a worldwide pandemic? Probably not the first time you have heard “who would have thought?” But, as we have seen in our cities around the state, Main Streets are coming back with a vengeance. Shopping local is on the rise. And, in these two communities, Main Street Alabama’s Small Box Shops are playing a critical role.
In the City of Heflin, Main Street Alabama's smallest community (pop. 3,480), Southern Charms made its debut in the Small Box Shop on Black Friday 2020. A group of ladies looking to try their hand at retail inquired to Heflin Main Street about utilizing the space. Opening a retail store had always been something this mothers and daughters team want to do but really didn’t have the resources to go into a full-time space. The Small Box Shop was a perfect fit. By just the end of the Christmas season, they had outgrown the space. Working with Heflin Main Street, they identified a perfect space for their new full-time space and are in the process of renovating a historic building downtown. Continue reading
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Community Highlights featuring Scottsboro's Photo Trail
Scottsboro recently created a photo trail that showcases historic photos positioned strategically throughout the downtown district. Click the link to learn more about the inspiration and implementation of this project. Full Story
To read more about what other Main Street Alabama Designated communities are doing, click here.
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Main Street Alabama welcomes two new cities to its Network Communities. Ashland (pop. 2,037) and Lineville (pop.2,332) both located in Clay County, joined 21 Network members that have recognized the economic benefits of preservation and revitalization in our historic business centers. Joining as a Network Community signals that a community is ready to begin a coordinated approach to downtown revitalization.
“We have long heard of the benefits of the Main Street Four-point approach from communities throughout Alabama. We have momentum and our two cities, while historically may be rivals, are working together to better the whole county,” said Lamar Dewberry, Clay County Economic Developer. “We look forward to working with our cities and business owners to breathe new life in our two downtowns.”
Main Street Alabama will begin providing network community services that will help kick start the programs in each of these cities.
The Network is where communities start before applying for Designation. Is your community? Check out this checklist to learn more.
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Special Thanks to COVID Response Funders
Thanks to generous funding from the Walker Area Community Foundation, the Holle Family Foundation, the Caring Foundation, the State of Alabama, the Alabama Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils, the Coosa Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council, and Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, we have provided dozens of hand sanitizing stations, foot door pulls, social distancing signage packages, plexiglass shields and other resources to help communities and small businesses react to the COVID-19 pandemic. In some communities, we were able to bring in teams of consultants to conduct targeted training and give one-on-one feedback to small business owners to help them reopen safely and adapt their business practices to respond to the pandemic.
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Committing to the "Shop Local, Support Small" Car Tag will Help Small Businesses
Time is running out to help small businesses by pre-committing to purchase the "Shop Local, Support Small" car tag. Funds raised through the pre-commitment registration fee of $50 will be used for small business workshops and grants. Email your confirmation receipt to mary@mainstreetalabama.org and we'll mail you some swag. Also, hold on to that receipt, you'll need it to pick up your tag as well.
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As a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program, Main Street Alabama helps to lead a powerful, grassroots network consisting of over 40 Coordinating Programs and over 1,200 neighborhoods and communities across the country committed to creating high-quality places and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development.
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Main Street Alabama
880 Montclair Road, Suite 245
Birmingham, AL 35213
205.910.8819
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