Main Street Van Wert fosters economic development and sustainability by preserving historic buildings, revitalizing downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts, and promoting cultural tourism.
The Main Street program is designed to improve all downtown or central business district aspects, producing tangible and intangible benefits. Improving economic management, strengthening public participation, honoring historic preservation and beautification, and making downtown a fun place to visit is critical to recruiting new businesses and residents. Building on downtown’s inherent assets — rich architecture, personal service, traditional values, and a sense of place — 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. And because it is a locally driven program, all initiative stems from local issues and concerns.