Accept No Imitations: Main Street is the Real Deal

By Joe Borgstrom, Director
Specialized Technical Assistance
& Revitalization Division
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

One of the nice things about having a blog is we get pretty instantaneous feedback. As I mentioned in my last post, not all of it is always positive. The biggest misconception (by far) is by those who think Main Street is a public sector-driven model. They think that we, and those who support Main Street, somehow believe government is THE answer. These folks clearly haven’t learned about Main Street.

Make no mistake, Main Street is NOT a government driven model. In fact, it is one of the first things we tell communities. Government cannot revitalize a downtown on their own. On the flipside, the private sector cannot revitalize downtown on their own either. Successful and sustainable downtown revitalization comes from a strong partnership between business/property owners and the unit of government they are located in. This is a hallmark of Main Street in its eight principles. Here’s an excerpt from the National Trust Main Street Center’s website on partnerships:

Both the public and private sectors have a vital interest in the district and must work together to achieve common goals of Main Street's revitalization. Each sector has a role to play and each must understand the other's strengths and limitations in order to forge an effective partnership.

The other thing that we love about the Main Street approach is that it is self-help. There are no sugar daddies here. Communities must work together to get things done. The Michigan Main Street program does not offer operating grants. We don’t subsidize their operation. We provide training to help Main Street organizations understand the importance of being self-sufficient and sustainable. This excerpt for the eight principles says it best:

No one else will save your Main Street. Local leaders must have the will and desire to mobilize local resources and talent. That means convincing residents and business owners of the rewards they'll reap by investing time and money in Main Street — the heart of their community. Only local leadership can produce long-term success by fostering and demonstrating community involvement
and commitment to the revitalization effort.

Now, your community may be engaging in efforts to revitalize downtown. I can’t tell you much about HOW they’re doing it. They may have several different groups doing different things. Some efforts might be 100% publicly financed. Some downtowns might have one big benefactor who buys everything and redevelops it. What I can tell you is that unless your community is using the Main Street philosophy, whatever they’re doing is probably not sustainable. Even the biggest companies can go out of business. (We in Michigan know that all too well.) 100% public funding can be yanked as the result of a poor economy or politics. Practicing the Main Street model ensures both public AND private sectors are at the table pulling the same rope in the same direction to help downtown move forward. It is the real deal!