35 Years Strong
2020 has proven to be a challenging year. That’s why it has taken us this long to begin to celebrate our 35th anniversary. We were the first community selected in 1985 when Florida began the Main Street program. Nationally, Main Street America is celebrating 40 years.
The Main Street Approach ® to Commercial District Revitalization is a volunteer driven, preservation based approached to economic development. The best way to save a building is to have a good business in it. The 4-Point Approach® has helped DeLand grow from near 50% occupancy in Downtown to virtually 100% occupancy.
By focusing on Organization, Design, Promotion, and Economic Vitality we’ve been able to develop great partnerships, become an attractive downtown, produce fun special events to bring a variety of audiences to downtown, creating an environment for small business to succeed and becoming the heart of the community. Our mission is to support and enhance the continuing economic development of downtown DeLand while protecting and promoting its historic heritage.
Having a revitalized downtown helps attract new businesses, new employers, to DeLand. Winning awards like the Great American Main Street Award in 1997 and America’s Best Main Street in 2017 present DeLand in a good way and shows the pride we have in our community.
Like you, we’ve had to make many adjustments this year. Among other things, we’ve had to cancel or postpone events like the Craft Show, the Veterans Day Parade, Haunted Hollow, and Monsters on Main Street. As mentioned earlier, there’s a lot more to Main Street than events.
Currently, we are working to help our downtown businesses adapt to today’s marketplace. We are also finding new ways to promote DeLand and to work through the social and economic issues that push us to evolve as an organization and a community.
To help us celebrate our 35th Anniversary, we invite you to participate in our “35 for 35” campaign. Visit our website, www.MainStreetDeLand.org, and click on the Anniversary logo to make your donation and to find out more about MainStreet. Be sure to watch the video by our President, Ben Collins.
Help us celebrate! See you Downtown!
Wayne Carter
Executive Director