Downtown Wytheville has maintained Virginia Main Street accreditation since 2016. What does this mean for the community? Virginia Main Street is part of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development. Our participation in this program and close partnership with DHCD makes us eligible for state grants, awards, and services we would not otherwise receive.
GRANTS
Streetscape Project
In 2015, as a prospective VMS designee, Downtown Wytheville and the Town of Wytheville were awarded the Community Development Block Grant that launched the massive Streetscape improvement initiative. This project was completed in 2018 and encompassed numerous sidewalk and pedestrian amenity improvements, enhancing the quality and aesthetics of our downtown business district. This in turn ensured that shoppers and visitors had a memorable experience and wanted to return, and attracted many new businesses to the district. The Town of Wytheville leveraged the $700,000 grant with an additional $3.5 million to complete the project. The private investment in addition to meals and lodging tax money generated as a result of these improvements far outweighed the cost. In 2017, private investment in the district totaled $3.5 million and meals tax generated $1.5 million. In 2018, these figures rose even more with a private investment figure of $5.7 million.
Evolution Wytheville
In 2017, Downtown Wytheville won a Community Business Launch grant of $60,000. This was leveraged with $20,000 in local sponsorship and in-kind dollars to fund a prize pot of more than $70,000 for Evolution Wytheville. In partnership with the Wythe County Joint Industrial Development Authority and the Wytheville-Wythe-Bland Chamber of Commerce, we hosted a 6-week series of business classes that were free and open to the public. We received many great business plans, and the process of narrowing down the award winners was a tough one. Ultimately, four businesses received funding, including 7 Dogs Brewpub, Châu’s Corner Bakery, Seven Sisters Brewery, and a pottery studio expansion for Rose Cottage School of Art. These businesses have already improved the downtown business mix and expanded our range of offerings for locals and visitors alike. Collectively, they are projected to generate more than $4 million annually in private investment and meals tax revenue.
Millwald Feasibility Study
In the 2017-18 fiscal year, we used DHCD feasibility study grant funds to determine whether the historic Millwald Theatre could reasonably be owned, rehabilitated, and operated. The Millwald served as an anchor of the downtown district from the 1930s onward, hosting Vaudeville shows, community events, debates, and more in addition to cinema. Its revival, slated for completion within the next five years, will reestablish the space as the cultural and social center of downtown.
Artisan Archway
We received DHCD Downtown Improvement Grant funds of $5,000 which will be used to develop an artisan archway as the entrance to the Heritage Walk. The Heritage Walk is the beautiful, new pedestrian trail linking Withers Park with Elizabeth Brown Park. It runs right through the heart of downtown and provides easy foot traffic access to the Wytheville Farmers Market. The archway will welcome visitors to the district while drawing attention to both the Heritage Walk and the new informational kiosk, part of the Wytheville Wayfinding system.
AWARDS
Volunteer of the Year
At the 2018 Virginia Main Street Intersections award ceremony, Mark Bloomfield was awarded 2017 Volunteer of the Year. Mr. Bloomfield has been part of Downtown Wytheville since its inception, serving first as the board Treasurer and later, board President. He has been the driving force behind many of our most ambitious projects and has logged countless volunteer hours. Mr. Bloomfield left the board in 2018 to pursue a seat on the Wytheville Town Council, where he continues to be a staunch advocate for downtown growth and progress.
Best Downtown Public Improvement Project
The Downtown Wytheville Streetscape Project won the award for 2018’s Best Downtown Public Improvement Project. This recognition was payoff for countless hours of hard work and sacrifice, not only by Downtown Wytheville and the Town of Wytheville, but all the district business owners who bore with the project through months of construction. Mayor Beth Taylor, Council member Mark Bloomfield, and Downtown Wytheville Executive Director Todd Wolford accepted the award at the 2019 Virginia Main Street Intersections ceremony.
At the national level, Downtown Wytheville has maintained Main Street America accreditation since 2016. Executive Director Todd Wolford has written guest publications for Main Street America’s “Spotlight Series” and has served as a guest speaker at the National Main Street NOW Conference in both 2018 and 2019. Downtown Wytheville continues to be in the national spotlight and works closely with the Main Street America team as often as possible. As Wolford notes, “Our goal for the organization is to receive the prestigious GAMSA (Great American Main Street Award), recognizing Wytheville as having one of the best Main Street districts in the nation.”
National Press Links
Main Street Roots Run Deep in Downtown Wytheville, Main Street America, May 2018
Main Spotlight: Life of a Main Street Manager, Main Street America, March 2019
How a Rural Virginia Town is Using Entrepreneurship to Boost Its Local Economy, Brookings, August 2019
