MAIN STREET NEWS

2022 NC Main Street Award: Design Best Outdoor Space Improvement Mount Airy Downtown, Inc. Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority City of Mount Airy Mount Airy Public Works Department Surrey Bank & Trust JEKS Watch The Award Video Andy Griffith was a North Carolina icon, actor, musician, writer, and a lifelong advocate for the arts. The Andy Griffith Plaza Project was led by Mount Airy Downtown, Incorporated, in partnership with the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authorit

2022 NC Main Street Award: Economic Vitality Best Adaptive Reuse Project American Bank of the Carolinas Steve Buxbaum Union County Entrepreneurs Town of Waxhaw Watch The Award Video Downtown Waxhaw is well known for its restaurants and entertainment but is often not the first thought for local shopping. Waxhaw’s Main Street Program has a list of more than forty businesses that wish to locate in downtown, but there has been limited available space. That changed when Mark He

2022 NC Main Street Award: Economic Vitality Best Infill Building Project InStep Properties, LLC Belmont Main Street Program City of Belmont Watch The Award Video The original Belmont train station was constructed in 1910 as a water stop for trains along the Norfolk Southern railway. The station is now a popular restaurant and bar, with a cycle shop in the rear. Realizing the need for additional retail and restaurant space in Downtown Belmont, the owners of the train stati

2022 NC Main Street Award: Economic Vitality Best Infill Building Project Karen & Bob Rowe Concept 8 Holdings, LLC Oak City Partners, LLC Williard Stewart Architect s Watch The Award Video The 15-unit Spring Townhomes new construction infill project was a catalyst for economic development in downtown Fuquay-Varina. The project, started in 2017 and completed in early 2021, met the demand for downtown housing. While igniting the downtown living trend in the Fuquay district, t

2022 NC Main Street Award: Economic Vitality Best Infill Building Project Town of Garner Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department Downtown Garner Association Watch The Award Video In August 2021, the transformational Garner Recreation Center opened in historic downtown Garner. Construction began in 2017 for the 40,000 square feet facility that has enticed, 200 member sign-ups and has drawn more than 75,000 visitors to Downtown Garner since its opening. The

2022 NC Main Street Award: Economic Vitality Best Infill Building Project Downtown Properties, LLC Bogle Firm Architecture Ritchie Engineering SE Collins Consulting Engineers Design Engineering Vertex Construction City of Salisbury Watch The Award Video This well-travelled corner in downtown Salisbury had previously included a former service station, two warehouses, and automobile buildings, all of which had been vacant for years. Downtown Properties, LLC, is comprised of m

2022 NC Main Street Award: Promotion Best Downtown Special Event or Event Series Belmont Main Street Program Downtown Belmont Development Association City of Belmont Belmont Tourism Development Authority Gaston County Tourism Elements of Empowerment Gaston County Arts Guild Watch The Award Video During three consecutive weekends in October and November 2021, Moonlight on Main took place in Downtown Belmont. This event series resulted from the partnership of numerous orga

2022 NC Main Street Award: Economic Vitality Best Adaptive Reuse Project Bob & Elizabeth Johnson Plus Architecture Focus Design Builders Philip Freeman Benchmark Bank Town of Wake Forest Economic Development Department Watch The Award Video In 2020, a need for collaborative workspace for entrepreneurs and remote workers was identified in Downtown Wake Forest. The Loading Dock, a coworking company, was recruited to the community and a former 1960s warehouse was transformed

2022 NC Main Street Award: Organization Best Volunteer Recruitment, Training, and Recognition Downtown Belmont Development Association Belmont Main Street Program Watch The Award Video Volunteers are essential to every Main Street organization. In the fall of 2021, the Downtown Belmont Economic Vitality Chairman and members of the Promotion Committee decided to set up shop in a downtown coffee shop at noon and 6:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month with the hope of at

2022 NC Main Street Award: Organization Best Economic Recovery Initiative City of Lenoir Main Street Program Lenoir Tourism Development Authority Watch The Award Video COVID-19’s shifting mandates and gathering restrictions made creating the 2021 Downtown Lenoir promotions schedule challenging. In response, the Promotions Team and City of Lenoir Main Street staff created its own “PPP” program consisting of the Leprechaun Chase Scavenger Hunt, Haunted Halloween Heist, and

2022 NC Small Town Main Street Award: Economic Vitality Town of Wilkesboro Wilkesboro Planning & Community Development Department Watch The Award Video Former Wilkesboro Mayor Pete Mann had an idea for a small downtown area plan back in the 1990s. That plan took on a new meaning in 2009 when Historic Downtown Wilkesboro became a designated Small Town Main Street Community, and in 2011, the Historic Downtown Wilkesboro Masterplan was finalized. In 2014, the Wilkesboro Town

202 South Sterling 2021 NC Main Street Award: Design Best Historic Rehabilitation Project Thornwell Properties, LLC Stout Studio Architectu

Transylvania Tomorrow 2021 NC Main Street Award: Organization Best Economic Recovery Initiative

Pfeiffer University Center for Health Sciences 2021 NC Main Street Award: Organization Best Public-Private Partnership in Downtown

Laurinburg DAC/Scotland County Economic Development Corporation Partnership 2021 NC Main Street Award: Organization Best Public-Private Par

112-114 E. Innes St. Project Barnhardt Jewelers & Lofts on Innes 2021 NC Main Street Award: Economic Vitality Best Adaptive Reuse Project

Oxford's Strong Arm Bakery 2021 NC Main Street Award: Economic Vitality Best Adaptive Reuse Project Thomas & Julia Blaine Belk Architecture

Electric Light Fantasy-A Holiday Laser & Music Extravaganza 2021 NC Main Street Award: Promotion Best Downtown Special Event or Event Serie

Heart of Salisbury 2021 NC Main Street Award: Organization Best Public-Private Partnership in Downtown Wellness & Arts Properties, LLC The

Warrenton Town Hall Rehabilitation 2021 Small Town Main Street Award: Design

2020 NC Main Street Award: Organization Best Economic Recovery Initiative City of Morganton Main Street Program Watch The Award Video The City of Morganton’s COVID-19 Small Business Recovery Strategy allows businesses to expand onto sidewalks, creates shared outdoor spaces as strEATERIES and parklets, and permits business operations to extend further into the street during designated times. The City allocated $14,000 to maximize outdoor space for businesses to provide safe

2020 NC Main Street Award: ORGANIZATION Best Economic Recovery Initiative Mount Airy Downtown, Inc. City of Mount Airy Committee of Friends and Family of Melva Houston Watch The Award Video Mount Airy Downtown, Incorporated, began planning the Market Street Arts and Entertainment District in May 2020 as an Economic Recovery and Community Culture Building Initiative. The goal was to grow an active neighborhood with additional space for citizens to use comfortably and safely.

2020 NC Main Street Award: ECONOMIC VITALITY Best Endangered Properties Rescue Effort Allison Gray David Maurer Breakfield Family Lenoir Business Advisory Board Lenoir Main Street Program Watch The Award Video The effort to save the Stine's Ice Cream Parlor Building, located at 818Harper Avenue, began when the City of Lenoir received complaints of mold, mildew, and water damage in neighboring properties due to the severely distressed condition of this corner building. The

2020 NC Main Street Award: Organization Best Economic Recovery Initiative City of Belmont Main Street Program Downtown Belmont Development Association Watch Video On March 12, 2020, Gaston County declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19. The City of Belmont Main Street Program and the Downtown Belmont Development Association created the “ Keep The Lights On ” campaign to encourage the community to support downtown businesses through the pandemic. A “Keep The Lights On”