Mannington Main Street is a nonprofit organization that seeks to stimulate downtown revitalization through the proven model of the Main Street Four-Point Approach®, organization (encouraging cooperation and building leadership in the business community); promotion (creating a positive image for downtown by promoting it as an exciting place to live, shop and invest); design (improving downtown’s appearance); and economic vitality (receiving, administering and distributing funds supporting these purposes).
Mannington Main Street maintains the city of Mannington’s Main Street designation by following the 4-Point Approach for Revitalization and striving to adhere to the 10 Standards for Accreditation defined by Main Street America. Part of these standards include an active and working Main Street board that develops and implements an annual work plan that results in community transformation. The Mannington Main Street board provides business owners and downtown enthusiasts with the opportunity to serve in a leadership role in downtown development. These board members invest sweat equity into downtown development and lead Mannington’s promotional and placemaking* efforts.
* Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design, and management of public spaces. Placemaking capitalizes on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that improve urban vitality and promote people's health, happiness, and well-being. Placemaking is both a process and a philosophy that makes use of urban design principles. It can be either official and government-led, or community-driven grassroots efforts such as extending sidewalks with chalk, paint, and planters, or open street events. Good placemaking makes use of underutilized space to enhance the urban experience at the pedestrian scale to build the habits of locals.
Mannington Main Street and Main Street West Virginia use a proven model that has produced impressive results in many other states, the Main Street Four-Point Approach®:
This method helps revitalize districts by leveraging local assets—from cultural or architectural heritage to local enterprises and community pride. The four points work together to build a sustainable and complete community revitalization effort.
Organization establishes consensus and cooperation by building partnerships among the various groups that have a stake in our commercial district. By getting everyone working toward the same goal, Mannington Main Street can provide effective, ongoing management and advocacy for our downtown. Through volunteer recruitment and collaboration with partners representing a broad cross-section of the community, our program can incorporate a wide range of perspectives into its efforts.
A governing board of directors and standing committees make up the fundamental organizational structure of volunteer-driven revitalization programs. Volunteers are coordinated and supported by a program director. This structure not only divides the workload and clearly delineates responsibilities, but also builds consensus and cooperation among stakeholders.
Promotion takes many forms, but the goal is to create a positive image that will rekindle community pride and improve consumer and investor confidence in our commercial district.
Advertising, retail promotions, special events, and marketing campaigns help sell the image and promise of Main Street to the community and surrounding region. Promotions communicate downtown Mannington’s unique characteristics, businesses, and activities to shoppers, investors, potential business and property owners, and visitors.
Design means getting Main Street into top physical shape and creating a safe, inviting environment for shoppers, workers, and visitors. It takes advantage of the visual opportunities inherent in a commercial district by directing attention to all of its physical elements: public and private buildings, storefronts, signs, public spaces, parking areas, street furniture, public art, landscaping, merchandising, window displays, and promotional materials. An appealing atmosphere, created through attention to these visual elements, conveys a positive message about our commercial district and what it has to offer.
Design activities also include instilling good maintenance practices in the commercial district, enhancing the district's physical appearance through the rehabilitation of historic buildings, encouraging appropriate new construction, developing sensitive design management systems, educating business and property owners about design quality, and long-term planning.
Economic vitality strengthens our community's existing economic assets while diversifying its economic base, by retaining and expanding successful businesses to provide a balanced commercial mix, sharpening the competitiveness and merchandising skills of business owners, and attracting new businesses that our market can support.
Converting unused or underused commercial space into economically productive property also helps boost the profitability of the district. The goal is to build a district that responds to the needs of today's consumers.
