Nova Scotia Main Streets Initiative
Support community champions and foster local business.
The experience of a Main Street is not just shaped by its built form, but also the social networks that calls it home.
Each community is home to shops, services, and community institutions that together build its identity.
Western REN "connector" event (Photo: Eric Bourque, Saltwire, March 19, 2019)
Change comes from within (your community).
Nobody knows your community better than those who live there. Every community has its challenges and opportunities;
some are apparent, but most tend to become visible over time.
Your neighbours have likely notices the same quirks around town and probably have some ideas about your community’s future,
why not start a conversation?
While the impacts of community groups and individuals should not be underestimated, partnering with the business community and local governance will build the buy-in and political will to address local challenges and take advantage of local opportunities.
Your champions are out there. Get talking and you’ll find them.
Focus energy on Main Street businesses.
Limit the proliferation of big box shopping areas.
Locally run shops and services have a special relationship with their community that develops over time. Together, local shops understand they have a vested interest in each other’s success. When one shop attracts business, it brings more foot traffic to the block, and potential customers for neighboring businesses.
Local shops tend to be specialized, and exist to compliment one another rather than compete. Mom-and-pop-shops understand the power of supporting each other to build a strong local economy, which in turn attracts more independent businesses to set up shop and serve the community.
Heritage District , Queen Street in Port Perry, Ontario (Photo: eastgwillimburywow.blogspot.com)
Local businesses in Kentville, Nova Scotia
Big box stores provide convenience at the expense of character. Their location on the fringes of communities tends to shift traffic away from local businesses on Main Streets.
Rather than competing with each other, local businesses tend to craft their own niches, each offering goods and services that compliment their neighbours. They may not offer everything under one roof, but you’ll be greeted by familiar faces offering wares and talents curated by your community that big box stores can’t offer.
Foster local organizations and entrepreneurship.
Groups to include when thinking about Main Streets can include business development groups, public health, historical societies, environmental and nature groups, community gardening groups, arts groups, youth groups, seniors groups, and even Parent-Teacher Associations. Participants can provide their time, expertise, or funding.
Work with RENs.
RENs are organizations in some areas of the province dedicated to a collaborative approach for economic development goals. They guide regional economic development while providing support to local businesses, operate as a connector among economic development partners, support business growth and retention, and provide regional leadership on economic priorities. In supporting business growth, RENs support everything from large enterprises to small retail businesses – all of which can be found on Main Street.
Pursue grants for beatification and façade improvements.
The province’s Beautification and Streetscaping Program contributes to project costs relating to signage, banners, benches, bike racks, waste receptacles, planters, trees, lighting, building facades, and tourist kiosks. These grants result in a unified and celebrated sense of character and heritage in communities.
Beautification and Streetscaping support for installation of chairs, plantings and directional signage in downtown Sydney.
Support community placemaking projects.
Programs to support placemaking can help make great ideas a reality.
Think about the critical mass of businesses on Main Street.
The concept of a Main Street or Downtown area requires a critical mass of businesses that bring customers to an area to shop and spend time there.
Support new business models and pop-up businesses.
Pop-up businesses can temporarily enliven vacant buildings or spaces. This gives new businesses an opportunity to test out new products or services in a lower risk environment, reducing barriers to starting a business and encouraging entrepreneurship.