Mission | What is Main Street? | 4-Point Approach

ogersville Main Street

The Mission of the Rogersville Main Street Program is to revitalize the central business district by concentrating efforts on the development of Rogersville as a tourism, retail, and cultural center.

Our Vision for historic downtown Rogersville is to create a thriving, unique, retail and cultural center which will preserve and enhance the historic charm and integrity of our community.

hat is Main Street?

The Main Street Approach is a community-driven, comprehensive methodology used to revitalize older, traditional business districts throughout the United States. It is a common-sense way to address the variety of issues and problems that face traditional business districts. The underlying premise of the Main Street approach is to encourage economic development within the context of historic preservation in ways appropriate to today's marketplace. The Main Street Approach advocates a return to community self-reliance, local empowerment, and the rebuilding of traditional commercial districts based upon their unique assets: distinctive architecture, a pedestrian-friendly environment, personal service, local ownership, and a sense of community.

he Four Point Approach

The Main Street Four-Point Approach is a comprehensive strategy tailored to meet local needs and opportunities. It encompasses work in four distinct areas -- Design, Economic Restructuring, Promotion, and Organization -- that are combined to address all of the commercial district's needs. The philosophy behind this methodology makes it an effective tool for community-based, grassroots revitalization efforts. The Main Street approach has been successful in communities of all sizes, both rural and urban.

The Main Street approach is incremental; it is not designed to produce immediate change. Because they often fail to address the underlying causes of commercial district decline, expensive improvements, such as pedestrian malls or sports arenas do not always generate the desired economic results. In order to succeed, a long-term revitalization effort requires careful attention to every aspect of the downtown -- a process that takes time and requires leadership and a local capacity building.

Rogersville Main Street's Committees