Dallas Main Street has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
“We are very proud to acknowledge this year’s 862 Accredited Main Street America programs, and their steadfast dedication to nurture economically and culturally vibrant downtown districts,” said Hannah White, Interim President & CEO of Main Street America. “The increase in the size and impact of our network speaks volumes to the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of local communities and drive innovative solutions.”
In 2022, Main Street America programs generated $6.2 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 7,657 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 29,174 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,688 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,528,535 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $24.07 of new investment back into their downtown communities.
Collectively, 2 million people live or work within the boundaries of designated Main Street America districts. An estimated workforce of 1.1 million people contribute their skills and expertise to advancing the missions of these historic downtowns and commercial corridors.
Dallas Main Street’s performance is annually evaluated by Georgia Main Street, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet rigorous national performance standards. To quality for Accreditation status, communities must meet a set of rigorous standards that include commitments to building grassroots revitalization programs, fostering strong public-private partnerships, nurturing economic opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.
Within the last year, Dallas Main Street has introduced two new events to Downtown Dallas which led to record sales days for multiple businesses in our Main Street District. The local program also introduced its own gift certificate program, Downtown Dollars, which can be purchased in the Business Development Office (200 Main Street) and can be spent at 16 participating businesses who are located in Downtown and the immediate surrounding Downtown Development Authority (DDA) District.
“We currently have unique, small businesses on Main Street. A few buildings are currently being renovated to welcome new businesses to Downtown Dallas,” says Main Street Manager Shannon Gordon. “The city has really invested in the downtown with the creation of my role as Main Street Manager, renovation of Joe Parker Park in that created additional parking spaces, and installing a grease trap as an incentive for restaurants to open in downtown. I can’t wait to see downtown become more vibrant over the next few years.”
