we are
MAIN STREET
about downtown mount airy
Historic Downtown Mount Airy is nestled at the doorstep of the Blue Ridge Mountains where our urban living is enhanced by arts, entertainment, local wine, and our traditional music roots. Fostering a diverse variety of small businesses, flavored with authentic dining experiences, Mount Airy is a true Southern Town with all the charm of Mayberry.
Photos courtesy of Surry County Historical Society
mount airy downtown, inc.
Mount Airy Downtown, Inc. (MAD Inc.) is a North Carolina Main Street organization committed to historic preservation-based community revitalization.
MISSION
The mission of MAD, Inc. is to manage and lead Downtown Mount Airy's redevelopment and progress as the vibrant center for community and connection in Mount Airy.
VISION
Downtown Mount Airy is the vibrant center to experience arts, entertainment, and community in Surry County, and is a hub for connection for visitors and residents alike.
MAIN STREET PROGRAM
North Carolina Main Street Rural Planning Center
The NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center is North Carolina's state coordinating program for Main Street America. The NC Main Street staff are charged by the NC Department of Commerce to facilitate downtown economic development, using the Main Street America Four Point Approach, in designated communities. The Main Street Approach™ is centered around economic development strategies that will transform downtown. These strategies articulate a focused path to revitalizing or strengthening a downtown economy. Designated NC Main Street community's work is organized around the Four Point Approach: Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and Organization.
The selection process is competitive. The NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center's Downtown Associate Community is the first step towards the NC Main Street Designation. Communities are selected every other year via a competitive application process. North Carolina municipalities, with an identifiable traditional downtown business district and a certified population under 50,000 are eligible to apply to the Center for services under the Downtown Associate Community program. Selected communities will receive three years of downtown revitalization technical assistance services from the NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center and may have the opportunity to move up to Main Street designation upon successful completion of the program.
Learn More: NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center
The National Main Street Program | Main Street America™
Main Street America™ has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation o Main Street America™ is a movement. Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 40 years. It is the leading voice for
preservation-based economic development and community revitalization across the country. Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, Main Street America represents the broad diversity that makes this country so unique. Working together, the programs that make up the Main Street America network help to breathe new life into the places people call home.
Main Street America is a mark of distinction. It is a seal, recognizing that participating programs, organizations, and communities are part of a national movement with a proven track record for celebrating community character, preserving local history, and generating impressive economic returns. Since 1980, over 2,000 communities have been part of Main Street, bringing renewed energy and activity to America’s downtowns and commercial districts, securing $61 billion in new investment creating more than 525,000 net new jobs and rehabilitating 251,000 buildings.
Main Street America is a time-tested strategy. Main Street America communities are encouraged to make use of a time-tested approach, known as the Main Street Approach. The Main Street Approach is rooted in a commitment to broad-based community engagement, a holistic understanding of the factors that impact the quality of life in a community, and strategic focus on the core principles of downtown and neighborhood revitalization: Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and Organization.
Learn More: Main Street America
NC MAIN STREET AWARDS
our leadership
Staff
Board of Directors
Mount Airy Downtown, Inc. is governed by a Board of Directors, which is comprised of five (5) voting Directors representing property owners, merchants and business people within the boundaries of the Municipal Service District and five (5) voting Directors representing residents, representatives of the financial, real estate, architectural, legal and non-profit service organizations within the boundaries of the Municipal Service District. Ex-officio Directors include the Past President and two (2) representatives appointed by The City of Mount Airy.
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The Board of Directors meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 5:30 PM at Thirsty Souls.
Andi Schnuck | Board Member |
Annamaria Kriska | Vice President |
Bryan Grote | President |
Chad Hutchens | City Commissioner, Ex-Officio |
Cynthia Taylor | Board Member |
Darren Lewis | City Manager, Ex-Officio |
Gene Rees | Board Member |
Julie Fletcher | Board Member |
Lenise Lynch | Treasurer, TDA Representative |
Nina Whitley | Board Member |
Samuel Holder | Secretary |
Ted Ashby | Board Member |