Page 94 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2015

DOWNTOWNS work, shop, dine and relax
MAIN STREETS
Programs that enrich, revitalize downtowns
story by Lynn Lofton photo by Lori Beth Susman
Main Street programs are improving cities and quality of life for residents throughout South Mississippi. These organizations do their part for economic development by making downtowns viable places to work, shop, dine and relax. Economic figures lend credence to the success of these programs.
“Gathering statistical data is an essential part of what we do at Main Street,” said Mississippi Main Street Association Director Bob Wilson. “Although we talk about quality of life, pedestrian friendly and walkable communities, it’s
the economic impact numbers that justify a big part of our effectiveness and are important to our elected officials and financial partners.”
Stacy Pair is the Mississippi Main Street Regional Director for the coastal region. She had a conversation recently with
an economic development director in a small community. “He asked me, ‘how do I get retail businesses into our downtown?’ He was looking for money or a quick fix,” she said. “However, my response was, ‘you have to make it the place to be.’”
Businesses and developers want to be where the action
is. Successful downtown corridors have bright colors, attractive streetscaping, events, walkable options for families, healthy farmers’ markets, cooperative advertising programs and good incentives for their developers among other things, Pair points out.
Let’s look at two of South Mississippi’s Main Street programs — Picayune, which is one of the area’s oldest programs, and Long Beach, which is working to rebuild its program.
94 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • August 2015
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