Main Street prepares plan
The Holly Springs Main Street strategic plan got a refresher recently when a small group of members got together at The Apothecary to consider goals and events it may want to implement.
Jennifer Prather, local liaison with Mississippi Main Street, and Randy Wilson, of Community Design Solutions, facilitated the meeting to determine what events members think will work in Holly Springs.
The planning meeting would hone in on what the leadership thinks is important to focus upon.
“I would rather focus on 12 things than 20 things that dilute your efforts,” said Wilson, the consultant who helped conduct the charrette for Holly Springs in November 2008. “The value of a good plan is to tell you what not to do.”
He kicked off the discussions by saying, “When I’m here, it definitely feels like home.” Both he and his wife are from Mississippi.
Promotional events are to help manage change in downtown over time.
“It’s a process,” Wilson said. “Change can happen to you or you can manage change yourself.” Core values – history, sense of place – is what Holly Springs is about, he said. Consistency and familiarity help shape the sense of place.
Main Street operates through four committees.
The design committee helps make the downtown look good. If downtown is not attractive, people will not want to come to visit or live.
The organization committee fuses private and public partnerships that work together to get things accomplished.
The promotions committee selects activities and events to help improve retail sales and attract people to downtown.
The economic vitality committee helps determine the retail mix in downtown that complements the big box stores.
“As all four points function together, you will have a vital downtown,” Wilson said.
Events Some events the group wants to keep include Bike Night, Christmas Open House, July 4 Fireworks, Farmers Market, Ball Drop at New Year’s Eve and Ribbon Cuttings. Other events, including some new ones, the Main Street Chamber could get more involved in and help expand include the MLK Day of Service, Rust College Founders Day, Blues Festival, a Garden Tour and Hummingbird Fest, Holly Springs National Park/Sardis/Chewalla Lake activities, a Community Garden, Ida B. Wells Festival, antique car shows, formation of a Blues Alley District, and a Behind The Big House Festival.
Design “Anything you can see is a design issue,” Wilson said. “People form judgments on your town in seconds.” Existing design interests include blues, street design, flowers and plants, green space, and water works. Those requiring zoning compliance would be Flowers, Art (on walls), fancy street signs, lighting, vacant building window art murals, wall murals, building, and sidewalk art. Design could include directional information on streets and painting on streets (crosswalks).
Organization This committee would address organization of Main Street committees and the Main Street Board of Directors. The committee functions to write and review and adhere to by-laws that align with the charter. It could involve fund-raising to boost organizational activities, memberships and support. Recruiting and deploying volunteers to put on festivals is a high priority and can be supported by an annual awards banquet. Activities can include meetings, regular meetings, and meetings with businesses. Age or topic oriented meetings, such as town hall meetings with business leaders, help unify Main Street. One big annual fund-raiser was suggested. A promotional campaign could help.
Economic vitality committee roles This committee could find new uses for old historic buildings. Narrow and deep buildings can be used for micro-retail where a number of small businesses share the same building.
There are several of these micro-retail businesses already downtown.
The community can seek help in understanding the local market with a market assessment through MSU Extension.
Recruiting of retail comes from knowing the local market. Look for clues about what is missing in the community. Think about what people leave town for and try to fill that market.
“It’s always easier to keep a local business rather than recruit a new one,” Wilson said. “The single most important incentive is to have a group ready to help a new or old business walk through the startup requirements.
“Foster Holly Springs as business friendly and create a business startup guide. Create a building and business inventory. Know what available space the city has and have financial incentives to offer.”
Some suggestions included recruiting more retail and micro-retail and pop-up retail. Streamline new business incentives and create an incentive packet.
New ideas included creating college-friendly businesses. Increase retail on the square and have less government offices in downtown.
Create downtown apartments. Add a business incubator to encourage micro-entrepreneurships.
Wilson said the next session would be to create an action plan and decide who would spearhead the recommendations - the Marshall County Industrial Deve - lopment Authority or a business that came to Holly Springs and made it.
Interviewing a few people who have just opened a business would help determine what is missing.
Create a folder that points out existing space and incentives.
And last, develop a fresh new business development packet. Decide where to place the business packets, for example in the chamber of commerce office, in city hall or in local banks.
The immediate need of virtually every Main Street community in the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area is to update its work plan for 2021, taking into account the unprecedented socioeconomic changes across America due to the COVID-19 pandemic.