Main Street Texarkana has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of Accredited programs to recognize their exceptional commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach™.
“We are extremely proud to recognize this year’s 863 nationally Accredited Main Street America programs that have worked tirelessly to advance economic vitality and quality of life in their downtowns and commercial districts,” said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of Main Street America. “During another incredibly challenging year, these programs demonstrated the power of the Main Street movement to respond to the needs of their communities. I am inspired by their steadfast leadership and innovative solutions to drive essential local recovery efforts, support small businesses, and nurture vibrant downtown districts.”
In 2021, Main Street America programs generated $5.76 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,601 net new businesses, generated 30,402 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 10,595 historic buildings, and leveraged 1,427,729 volunteer hours. On average, for every dollar that a Main Street program spent to support their operations, it generated $19.34 of new investment back into Main Street communities.
Main Street Texarkana’s performance is annually evaluated by Main Street Texas and Main Street Arkansas, which works in partnership with Main Street America to identify the local programs that meet rigorous national performance standards. Texarkana is one of two Main Street communities that operates under two State coordination programs and the only Main Street program to continuously operate under two State level programs. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building meaningful and sustainable revitalization programs and include standards such as, fostering strong public-private partnerships, supporting small and locally owned businesses, and actively preserving historic places, spaces, and cultural assets.
We are excited to once again fulfill the requirements by both State programs and being recommended for the National recognition. Having recently attended the National Main Street Conference in Richmond, VA, it was wonderful to see Texarkana announced as a recipient of this honor with Main Street Texas and Main Street Arkansas communities. Main Street communities from across the nation, attend the annual meeting to learn and see successes with economic development through historic preservation. Main Street Texarkana recently awarded over $22,500 in grants to downtown Texarkana, AR. It also awarded similar grants to businesses and building owners in Texarkana, TX with the support of the local Patterson Troike Foundation. This Foundation has been instrumental in allowing us to provide important funding to the Texas side downtown community. We work to provide the same or similar opportunities for building owners and businesses in our two cities to be successful in our historic downtown community. Main Street Texarkana is a 501c3 non-profit organization with a local board of 11 members. It is supported through individual and business member Investorships. For more information on how to support the organization, visit mainstreettexarkana.org. A listing of properties available for lease or sale within the Main Street district may be found at downtowntx.org.
