Tools and resources

We are thrilled to share the Michigan Main Street Program at the MEDC edition of Reopen Main Street, live now at https://michigan.reopenmainstreet.com. The site’s content is tailored to assist Michigan Main Street directors, downtown development authority managers, small business owners and local stakeholders in navigating the complexities of re-opening their local business districts by providing a variety of recovery resources and tools compiled into one, easy-to-use website.

Downtown Professionals Network and Arnett Muldrow and Associates are proud to be part of this strategic alliance, and we are thankful for the opportunity to work with the Michigan Main Street team to advance the Reopen Main Street movement throughout Michigan and beyond.  #reopenmainstreet

From Arnett Muldrow & Associates, download this FREE design resources package, complete with editable files and fonts so you can customize the graphics for your community.

Kennedy Smith and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance are doing an incredible job compiling an ongoing list of federal, state and local grant and loan programs that can help small, locally owned businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Winter Strategies guide provides communities with ideas to give them a jumpstart on preparing for winter. This guide is an introduction to creative solutions, dialogue with community stakeholders and a foundation for embracing winter as a season of prosperity.

Get the inside take and insights from Leigh Young and Joe Frost on the new MEDC Michigan Main Street Winter Strategies Guide.

Take twelve minutes to check out this quick-strike Winter Strategies video guide produced by Ben Muldrow of Arnett Muldrow & Associates for Proud Places.

Check out this outstanding and highly illustrative guide produced by Bench Consulting, the outcome of a design challenge for winter placemaking that sought ideas and designs for innovative, quickly implementable, low cost interventions to drive visitors back to Main Streets to support area restaurants and small businesses.

Downtown New Jersey is providing a series of virtual opportunities for downtown managers, economic development professionals, and public officials to exchange ideas about best practices related to downtown economic development in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

The Main Thing is a collection of resources addressing reopening the economy compiled by Colorado Main Street to highlight innovations, give a thumbs-up to local practitioners, and encourage the spread of positive news. The How-To Guides, including the Adapting For Winter: How-To Guide,  are meant to provide a deeper dive into launching a few of these innovations in your community. These ideas highlight a positive and fun spin on the rules and boost a sense of community while maintaining a “safety first” perspective.

This article from Max Musicant, Founder and President of The Musicant Group, investigates placemaking and activation strategies to foster commercial and social activity in downtowns and main streets with northern climates during the winter months during the holidays and beyond.

Retailers can prepare by understanding how shopper behaviors have changed, and by following the latest Google Cloud guidance in this ebook.

Join the watch party as our friends Ben, Joe and Jeff, three guys who just love downtown – and love to talk – chat it up the first Thursday of each month at 5 PM EDT on Facebook. BYOB.