Main Street Program

Downtown Carrollton has been an accredited Georgia Main Street Community since 1985. The Main Street program focuses on the core principles of downtown revitalization, implemented through comprehensive work in four areas known as the Four Points. These Four Points are Design, Organization, Promotion, and Economic Restructuring.

The Program’s vision is to affirm and maintain downtown Carrollton as the heart of a thriving community full of engaged citizens who focus on creating a diverse business district, a family friendly environment, and a tourism destination. Our mission to promote vitality and culture downtown through civic partnerships, community events, entrepreneurship, and historic preservation.

The Downtown Carrollton Advisory Board meets monthly to discuss downtown-related ideas, issues, upcoming events, review grant applications and more. Our board is a dedicated group that is passionate about Carrollton’s downtown.

As a unique economic development tool, the Main Street Four-Point Approach® is the foundation for local initiatives to revitalize their districts by leveraging local assets-from cultural or architectural heritage to local enterprises and community pride. The four points of the Main Street approach work together to build a sustainable and complete community revitalization effort.

Organization involves getting everyone working toward the same goal and assembling the appropriate human and financial resources to implement a Main Street revitalization program. A governing board and standing committees make up the fundamental organizational structure of the volunteer-driven program. Volunteers are coordinated and supported by a paid program director as well. This structure not only divides the workload and clearly delineates responsibilities, but also builds consensus and cooperation among the various stakeholders.

Promotion sells a positive image of the commercial district and encourages consumers and investors to live, work, shop, play and invest in the Main Street district. By marketing a district’s unique characteristics to residents, investors, business owners, and visitors, an effective promotional strategy forges a positive image through advertising, retail promotional activity, special events, and marketing campaigns carried out by local volunteers. These activities improve consumer and investor confidence in the district and encourage commercial activity and investment in the area.

Design means getting Main Street into top physical shape. Capitalizing on its best assets – such as historic buildings and pedestrian-oriented streets – is just part of the story. An inviting atmosphere, created through attractive window displays, parking areas, building improvements, street furniture, signs, sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping, conveys a positive visual message about the commercial district and what it has to offer. Design activities also include instilling good maintenance practices in the commercial district, enhancing the physical appearance of the commercial district by rehabilitating historic buildings, encouraging appropriate new construction, developing sensitive design management systems, and long-term planning.

Economic Restructuring strengthens a community’s existing economic assets while expanding and diversifying its economic base. The Main Street program helps sharpen the competitiveness of existing business owners and recruits compatible new businesses and new economic uses to build a commercial district that responds to today’s consumers’ needs. Converting unused or underused commercial space into economically productive property also helps boost the profitability of the district.

Coincidentally, the four points of the Main Street approach correspond with the four forces of real estate value, which are social, political, physical, and economic.

To learn more information about the Main Street Program please visit The National Trust for Historic Preservation website at http://www.preservationnation.org/main-street/about-main-street/

455 Bradley St.
770-832-6901
downtown@carrollton-ga.gov

Downtown Advisory Board
Kelsie Burge: Gallery Row Coffee
Carla Cosper: Atlanta West Jewelry
Mallory Evans: Brown Dog Eatery
Kelly Houck: Main Street Boutique
Erika Smith: Spa 3:16
Tony Tritt: Tritt Realty
Stephanie Weaver: City Tavern