Puyallup Main Street is a coordinated strategy to renew our downtown and rejuvenate our community spirit and pride. Our “Main Street” approach draws from the experience of thousands of towns across the United States, towns like ours that are striving to revitalize the heart of their community. Developed under the auspices of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the “Main Street” approach is incremental, taking the time needed to attack the underlying causes of economic deterioration in the central business district while rebuilding a positive, coordinated image of the downtown. It is a community-based program, drawing on the talent, passion, and resources of the local businesses, residents, and municipal government to restructure and nurture a vibrant downtown that draws people to do business, shop, dine and recreate.
We involve volunteers from throughout the community and represent the voice of the downtown Puyallup business community to City Hall. We work with residents, businesses and government at all levels to bring renewed activity, vitality and pride to downtown Puyallup. With help from citizens, property owners, business owners and the City of Puyallup, the Puyallup Main Street Association is the focal point for the downtown Puyallup revitalization effort.
Like Main Street programs all over the U.S., Puyallup Main Street committees concentrate on four areas simultaneously:
Organization Committee
The Main Street Approach is a management process. Success requires an adequately funded organization, a full-time professional main street manager, a committed board of directors, and an organized squadron of action committees. Working together within the Puyallup Main Street Association, all with a stake in a vibrant downtown can come together and work for downtown that truly is the heart of the community.
Chair: Kent Hojem -- Puyallup Fair & Events Center
Goal: “To create and provide effective leadership and increase involvement in the program.”
Objectives:
1. Improve all channels of communication
2. Establish and maintain stable funding
Promotions Committee:
The Main Street approach adopts many of the proven strategies of modern shopping mall management. These include professional management, unified branding, and coordinated marketing programs. The Promotions Committee also stages public events that celebrate the history, culture and character of the community, such as the Puyallup Farmer’s Market and Meeker Days.
Chair: Barb Pemberton -- Horatio's
Goal: “To promote the downtown as the social, cultural, economic, and historic center of the community.”
Objectives:
1. Position Puyallup as a business meeting and heritage tourism destination.
2. Create and implement a market profile plan
3. Market to target markets, promoting the variety of businesses in the district.
4. Market a positive image of downtown Puyallup
5. Produce comprehensive annual schedule of events to bring visitors/shoppers Downtown.
Design Committee:
Our appearance is critical to downtown Puyallup’s future. A well maintained, attractive downtown draws customers and investors while a poorly maintained downtown drives them away. Main Street design programs begin with preservation of the historic character of the downtown. Quality elements of the infrastructure which have survived from the past are identified and projected as a strong, positive image we can carry into our future.
Chair: John Hopkins -- Diamond Electric
Goal: “To encourage visual improvements through good design compatible with historic features.”
Objectives:
1. Encourage preservation and renovation of buildings.
2. Champion on-going clean-up and maintenance efforts.
3. Increase awareness of architecture, history, and heritage of downtown.
4. Enhance and maintain public amenities.
5. Expand on seasonal decorations
Economic Restructuring Committee:
Most small downtowns will never regain their prominence as primary retail centers; that has been irretrievably lost to the regional malls. But small downtowns, including Puyallup’s, can regain their vitality by attracting specialty retailers, office users and new downtown residents. When vacancies occur, the Puyallup Main Street Association targets businesses needed in the downtown and actively recruits them, while also helping existing businesses to adapt to their market and to define a niche in which they can be successful. This requires sound market research and business education programs for our downtown businesses.
Chair: To be named.
Goal: “To encourage, strengthen, and broaden downtown’s economic base.”
Objectives:
1. Develop a business retention and education plan.
2. Develop & maintain an inventory of building vacancies.
3. Develop incentives to strengthen downtown’s business mix.
For a complete description of our 2008 workplan that outlines the activities for each objective, please click here.
