Montana Main Street Program

The Four Point Approach™

Communities across the country are using the Main Street approach to revitalize their traditional business districts, whether they have officially designated Main Street programs or just incorporate Main Street into existing economic development, historic preservation, city management, or community planning programs. It's a technical assistance program that concentrates on four major areas: Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring.

It can be structured in different ways, but most Main Street programs are freestanding, nonprofit organizations with a board of directors. Each local Main Street program consists of business and property owners, residents, city officials, financial institutions, schools, civic groups, preservationists, media, etc. Most of the work of the Main Street program is done by volunteers, often with the direction of a paid executive director.

The four major areas of the Main Street program are:

1) Organization
 How do you get everyone in the community working toward the goal of revitalizing your Main Street? In general, organizational duties consist of raising money for projects and administration, recruiting volunteers, managing staff and volunteers, and managing the finances.

2) Promotion
How do you attract potential shoppers, investors, and entrepreneurs? By marketing each commercial district's unique characteristics, Main Street programs have launched promotional strategies that create a positive image through advertising, special events, retail promotions, and marketing campaigns, which are carried out by local volunteers.

3) Design
 How do you get Main Street back into top-notch physical shape? Main Street communities have discovered that capitalizing on their best assets such as historic buildings and traditional downtown layout is just part of the story. An inviting atmosphere created through window displays, parking areas, signs, sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping conveys a visual impression of Main Street: what it is and what it has to offer.

4) Economic Restructuring
How do you find a new niche for Main Street and its businesses? By helping existing businesses and by recruiting new ones to respond to today's market, Main Street programs help convert unused space into productive property and sharpen the competitiveness of merchants and other business owners.