Main Street Radford

Established in 1989, Main Street Radford strives to unify, strengthen and promote Radford's commercial business district. Preservation and strengthening of heritage and character are a paramount focus of the non-profit organization, as downtown Radford received both Federal and State historic district status in 2002. The objective of the Main Street program is to create a strong heart that becomes the pulse of the city, interconnecting the downtown with the city's cultural and recreational opportunities.

Main Street Radford operates using four main principles as an approach to revitalizing downtown: design, promotion, organization, and economic restructuring. This comprehensive approach aims to give back to the community a sense of place, a boasted economy, and an active and integrated Main Street lifeline.

Organization
The strength of a downtown is found in its people. Main Street Radford corners on building an active community--a network of community members, organizations and businesses to work towards the common vision.

Design
The Main Street approach to design is to focus on the enhancement of visual and social (people friendly) quality of the downtown. Design efforts include beautification projects, assistance in designs for property improvements, advertising discounts with select media, and access to facade and business loans.

Promotion
Main Street Radford works to create and market a positive and progressive image for the downtown area based on the distinctive attributes of the downtown and the attributes of the City as a whole.

Economic Restructuring
Economic growth of the Main Street area revolves around strengthening existing economic assets, identifying potential markets, and fulfilling the identified market potential.