News and Updates
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August 16, 2010
Friday's Gazette had an excellent article on how Maryland's downtowns are weathering the current recession. There are 23 municipalities designated as "Main Street Communities" by Main Street Maryland. It's part of a nation-wide program to make downtowns more of a shopping, living, and entertainment destination. And it's important to note that the word "destination" was used in the article. Frederick was most prominently featured in the article but Annapolis, Bel Air, Cambridge, Cumberland, Hagerstown, Mount Airy, Rockville, and Salisbury were also mentioned.
August 9, 2010
This weekend's Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that DeLand is negotiating to have a mixed-use development built on a vacant lot on Woodland Avenue in downtown. One of the goals is to have more residents living downtown to help create a more vibrant atmosphere. But it's also important for the development to fit in with the historic character of the city as well.
August 4, 2010
Today's News-Journal has an interesting article on Daytona Beach's plans to revitalize its Main Street. The Main Street area is separate from the city's downtown, which is on the main land and is also the target of revitalization efforts. Both areas have great potential but neither made it to our list of Destination Main Streets. The downtown area has too many vacancies and the Main Street area does not have much variety--primarily bars and biker joints. Although the plans for Daytona Beach's Main Street looks promising, one option includes turning Main Street into a pedestrian mall. The goal is to get the bikers off Main Street, which is understandable. Making an area more pedestrian friendly is always a good thing. However, the city will need to be careful with this plan as other cities have tried it with mixed success. The most common pitfall is reduced access to businesses in the pedestrian mall zone.
August 3, 2010
The Baltimore Sun reports the Annapolis City Council will extend how late establishments serving alcohol can stay open. The previous "closing time" had been set at midnight. This will be changed to 2 a.m. The move will benefit many of the businesses downtown by extending the lengths of stay of many visitors and tourists. However, one of the costs associated with the change will be the need for a stronger police presence before and after the 2 a.m. closing time.
July 6, 2010
Today's Daytona Beach News Journal features an article about New Smyrna Beach's struggling downtown. Keep in mind, our site features New Smyrna Beach's more vibrant Flagler Avenue district. But New Smyrna Beach does have a downtown as well located on Canal Street, a few miles inland. The article talks a bit about the challenges Canal Street has been facing along with what the area business owners are doing to improve the situation. One major difference between the lively Flagler Avenue and the depressed Canal Street is access. Years ago, a major highway was built, bypassing Canal Street entirely. However, the more successful Flagler Avenue is still a major route that provides direct access to the beach. And for a lot of people visiting New Smyrna Beach, it's all about the beach.
June 27, 2010
A new rail station will be built in Cocoa, Florida. It's part of Amtrak's plan to bring passenger rail back to Florida's east coast. Florida Today reports that a site has been chosen on Rosa L. Jones Boulevard. Some are angered over the decision not to place the station on Stone Street, home of Cocoa's African-American Diamond Square district, saying that a station there would go a long way towards redeveloping the neighborhood. But supporters of the Rosa L. Jones site say any location will benefit businesses over a half-mile area, easily helping both neighborhoods. The full impact probably won't be known until the train station is in place. However, the Jones location is only a few blocks from Cocoa Village, the area's Main Street community. In this age of popular Transit-Oriented Development projects, it will be nice to see transit built in an area already served by a walkable business community.
June 24, 2010
The Philadelphia Business Today reports on some of the challenges facing Chestnut Hill lately. The recent recession is one of the reasons for the large number of vacancies appearing in the community lately. It is interesting to see the communities treat their Main Streets the way the owner of a shopping center or mall would. It is a business after all. The Chestnut Hill Community Association has hired Downtown Works, a consulting firm, to report back on strategies for improving the town's Main Street, Germantown Avenue. Also, the Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District has hired a retail recruiter to help get more stores into town. The irony is that just a few years ago folks were complaining about the influx of chain stores in the area. However, Borders has since moved out and left behind a large vacant space. Is it better to have some chain stores on your Main Street if it means having a vibrant retail center?
June 21, 2010
We're continuing to expand our site. We've added a Yahoo Buzz button to the top of each page. This will join the Facebook and Digg buttons already at the top. There's an additional Share button at the top that can be used to share this site through any of dozens of online networks. You can help us out by sharing this site or any of your favorite pages with your online friends. We also added a Facebook link at the top of the page to make it easier to join us through Facebook. Thanks for your help!
May 12, 2010
In addition to the new Facebook button, we have also added a Digg button to the top of each page. Use the Digg button to submit a link to your favorite Main Street to the Digg web site. The more Diggs a Main Street gets, the more likely other people will read about it. This is especially important if your business is located in that particular Main Street. Thanks again for your support.
May 6, 2010
Destination Main Streets has joined Facebook. You can now share links to your favorite Main Streets simply by clicking the Facebook share button on the top of each page. So, use Facebook to share your favorite Main Street with your friends. You can also join us on Facebook and get all of our news and updates added to your stream. Please drop us a line on our Contact Us page and let us know what you think. Don't forget, you can also post comments on the bottom of each Main Street page. Have fun!
February 24, 2010
You may have noticed some new links on the site. You now have the ability to post comments on the Main Streets listed on this site. Just register for an account by going to the Register link. Once you have an account, you can Login and post comments. Please feel free to post anything you want about the Main Street, including information and reviews about specific shops, restaurants, attractions, events, and amenities. However, we do ask that you be respectful to others when posting. Your opinions will help provide others with relevant information about the Main Streets featured here. Thanks and have fun!
December 11, 2009
It's been a while but we've been busy. We updated our look and changed our name to Destination Main Streets. We also added several Main Streets from Central Florida. But we haven't forgotten the north east. West Chester, Pennsylvania has joined our list of Pennsylvania Main Streets. Also, you will find expanded and updated directories for all of the Main Streets listed on this site. Enjoy!!!
October 24, 2008
The new Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center recently celebrated its grand opening. Check out Gettysburg's updated review for more information.
July 15, 2008
We've added an automated form for sending us emails. Go to our Contact Us page to see it and to drop us a line. Thanks for your support!
June 14, 2008
Check out the updated reviews for Hampden and Manayunk.
April 26, 2008
SITE LAUNCHED!!! Thanks for checking out our website. We've just launched Shopping Trips, etc... The website is still growing and we will continue to add to it. Please check this page often for a list of updates to the site.
Thanks again for visiting!