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Recent media coverage, in part by the local news, has helped
introduce Renaissance Main Street to the Glasgow community. The program has
received extensive coverage of meetings, public forums, and programs. Even with
the coverage the program has received, as program director I am asked on almost
a daily basis, "Just what is Renaissance Main Street all about? Since part of
my job it to keep the community informed, at the same time, I have also been
wondering what would be the best way to get the word out about downtown events,
Renaissance Main Street programs and new businesses in the downtown
area.
As a result, I would like to present the first installment the
Renaissance Main Street Report to the Community. I hope to use this forum to
welcome new businesses to the downtown area, highlight renovation/restoration
projects and discuss other Renaissance Main Street activities. The purpose of
this installment is to introduce the community to the idea behind the
Renaissance Main Street program.
Before getting into the nuts and bolts
of Renaissance Main Street, let's first take a look at the typical downtown as
it exists today. Downtown neighborhood businesses have a lot of competition
these days. Downtown business districts are no longer the primary provider of
goods and services in the community. Shopping malls, convenience stores, and
other suburban creations have changed our shopping and business patterns. The
result often is a complicated cycle of disinvestment from the downtown;
businesses come and go, rental rates drop and property owners are less willing
to invest in their buildings resulting in many storefronts with rundown,
uncared-for appearance thus making it even more difficult to attract
business.
There are, however, wonderful assets and qualities of downtown
that cannot be replicated elsewhere. For example, downtown commercial districts
typify personal attention, name recognition and quality service. More and more
citizens enjoy the quaint atmosphere and doing business among small
storefronts, historic buildings, community events, concerts and leisurely
environment that the downtown business area has to offer. A great number of
people call downtown home, by living within a short walking distance of the
central business district. Downtown also represents a substantial share of the
economy, jobs, tax base and municipal investment in the
community.
Downtown Glasgow is an important community crossroad in many
aspects. It is a place in our hearts and minds that evokes strong feelings and
childhood memories; more importantly it helps define our community. The Square
and the blocks that surround it serve as the government center, home to many
services such as lawyers, banks, the post office, accountants, and other
professionals as well as specialty retail shops and restaurants. Many of the
buildings and houses on the Square and in the surrounding area are just as they
were over 100 years ago. There is a sense of history and heritage that cannot
be replicated anywhere else.
The good news is downtown Glasgow is a
great place live and do business and many revitalization efforts are already
apparent. To but it simply, we are headed in the right direction, full steam
ahead! In fact, downtown Glasgow is experiencing a true renaissance. Just in
the past two years, Glasgow has had many new businesses relocating or opening
in the downtown. Gracehall's Specialty Foods and Catering, Vittles on Broadway,
The Little Black Dress, Nellie Bee's Antiques, Shelter Insurance, The Country
Basket, Chele's Weddings and More, The Record Rack, and Big Moose BBQ
Smokehouse to name a few are new to the downtown. Many other businesses such as
Commonwealth Broadcasting, John Rogers Law Office, Prevention Counseling
Services, Basil Law Offices and others have relocated into newly renovated
office spaces in the downtown area with other renovations currently
underway.
Renaissance Main Street wants to encourage everyone to
consider the benefits of shopping and doing business in the downtown. For
example, The Record Rack just recently relocated downtown to 104 East Wayne
Street after 15 years at another location. According to Kevin "Chip" Kingrey,
owner of The Record Rack, his motivation for making the move is in part related
to the revitalization that downtown is experiencing and the benefits it has to
offer.
"Most of the locations and developments out on and/or near the
bypass don't seem to be geared toward small, locally owned businesses like
ours; but rather larger, national chains that can stand to pay higher rent.
Downtown locations are more affordable. Since I grew up during a time when
everyone went downtown for practically everything from clothing to hardware to
five and dime items, and most often bought from local merchants, I thought
moving downtown would be somewhat nostalgic if nothing else. Couple that with
the Renaissance program and other folks from my age group taking steps to
rejuvenate downtown and it just seemed like a natural location for a small "mom
and pop" style business like ours. I look at it as doing my part to help the
renaissance effort and make downtown Glasgow a happening, thriving area like it
once was and a means to have a much nicer environment in which to conduct
business."
So what does Renaissance Main Street have to do with all of
this? The answer is quite simple. The National Trust on Historic Preservation's
Main Street Program and Renaissance Kentucky, a state program created by
Governor Paul Patton, are working together to help Kentucky communities with
revitalization efforts by offering funding, training and technical assistance.
Fortunately Glasgow has met the qualifications to participate in both of these
programs and thus Renaissance Main Street Glasgow was
created.
Revitalization is of course not a new idea to Glasgow. In the
past, many approaches to downtown revitalization have focused on short-term,
quick fix approaches rather than dealing with the larger scale, interrelated
issues that affect the downtown. The goal of Renaissance Main Street is to
promote the positive assets of the downtown by working with business and
property owners in the area for systematic, gradual improvements. Renaissance
Main Street is not just a program - it's a way of thinking. It offers a
multi-stage approach to revitalization that has been successful in cities and
towns, large and small, across the country. The principles include:
1)
Organization - getting everyone working toward the same goal and
building consensus on what the community wants the downtown to be;
2)
Promotion - selling the image and promise of Renaissance Main Street to
all prospects by marketing the district's unique characteristics to shoppers,
investors, new businesses, and visitors; sponsoring events that showcase the
downtown, its merchants and draw people in to shop, eat, and be
entertained.
3) Design - getting the Renaissance Main Street area in
the best physical shape possible by preserving the town's heritage through
restoration, renovation and reuse of existing buildings and capitalizing on its
greatest assets such as historic buildings, appealing facades, convenient
parking, centralized services, etc. By creating a clean, safe, inviting
atmosphere with attractive window displays and streetscapes, the idea of doing
business in the downtown becomes more appealing.
4) Economic
Restructuring - finding a new purpose for the Renaissance Main Street
enterprises by helping new businesses expand and by recruiting new ones to meet
the needs of the downtown market; conversion of unused space, such as upper
stories, into productive property including residential and retail
spaces.
A group of dedicated volunteers have been working for the past 2
years to create a long-range vision for the Glasgow downtown. Committees and
subcommittees meet monthly to implement the goals and objectives that have been
formulated in public forums and meetings, market studies and surveys. Projects,
such as the Liberty Street School Campus renovation, are underway to aid in
downtown restoration and revitalization. Year-round downtown events such as The
Louisville/Nashville Concert Series, the Arts and Crafts Fair, and many other
events sponsored by local community groups help spotlight the downtown while
new festivals, such as the Global Fest in the Barrens (scheduled for September
22), are in the planning stages.
Most importantly, the Renaissance Main
Street Glasgow Program includes much more than just Main Street. As program
director, I want the community to be excited about where downtown Glasgow is
going; I also want to encourage everyone in the community to enjoy what
downtown Glasgow has to offer - specialty retail shops, great restaurants,
convenient shopping, a local government center, special events, entertainment
and so much more. For information about how to get involved with the
Renaissance Main Street Program, receive information about the Exterior
Improvement Program, nominate a business to spotlight or suggest ideas for the
next article, contact the Renaissance Main Street Office at 659-2183, email
renaissance@glasgow-ky.com or
visit the website at www.cityofglasgow.org/renaissance.htm. |
