Main Street

Jamie Wilson, Economic Development Director

56 Broad Street
PO BOX 120
Hawkinsville, GA 31036
478-892-3240 Ext: 6

The Main Street program is designed to improve all aspects of the downtown or central business district, producing both tangible and intangible benefits. Improving economic management, strengthening public participation, and making downtown a fun place to visit are as critical to Main Street’s future as recruiting new businesses, rehabilitating buildings, and expanding parking. The Main Street approach has rekindled entrepreneurship, downtown cooperation and civic concern. It has earned national recognition as a practical strategy appropriately scaled to a community’s local resources and conditions.

The Mission of the Main Street Program – To create, implement, and evaluate a systematic plan of work specifically designed to stimulate and sustain downtown economic growth and viability, protect and preserve our historic resources and downtown character, and enhance the overall quality of life for the citizens of Hawkinsville-Pulaski.

The 4 Point Approach to Downtown Preservation and Economic Revitalization

Design

Design enhances the attractiveness of the business district. Historic building rehabilitation, street and alley clean-up, colorful banners, landscaping and lighting all improve the physical image of the downtown as a quality place to shop, work, walk, invest and in alive. Design improvements result in a reinvestment of public and private dollars to downtown.

Organization

Organization involves building a Main Street framework that is well represented by business and property owners, bankers, citizens, public officials, chambers of commerce and other local economic development organizations. Everyone must work together to maintain a long-term effort.

Promotion

Promotion creates excitement downtown. Street festivals, parades, retail events and image development campaigns are some of the ways Main Street encourages customer traffic. Promotion involves marketing an enticing image to shoppers, investors and visitors and also positioning the downtown in the market place.

Economic Restructuring

Economic Restructuring involves analyzing current market forces to develop long-term solutions. Recruiting new businesses, creatively converting unused space for new uses and sharpening the competitiveness of Main Street’s traditional merchants are examples of economic restructuring activities.