Main Street Wooster begins partner drive
Main Street Wooster is reaching out to area businesses and asking them to get more involved with its mission to keep Wooster’s historic downtown thriving.
“The downtown Wooster we know and love didn’t happen by accident,” said Shannon Waller, the nonprofit’s executive director. “It took decades of dedicated effort and investment to revitalize the historic heart of our community. Because of the pandemic, our work needs to accelerate.”
Economic development is one of the core goals of Main Street Wooster, along with historic preservation, community partnerships and attracting visitors. COVID-19 forced the nonprofit to cancel or redesign its entire 2020 calendar of events including Kids’ Day, the Cruise-Ins and Window Wonderland, which normally bring tens of thousands of visitors to Wooster annually.
“Each person attending an event spends an average of $26.58 in our community,” Waller said. “Without the ability to have gatherings, we knew we’d have to scramble to help make up that economic activity. So we facilitated close to $50,000 in grants, added shopping and dining incentives like Christmas in July and Wooster Strong, and worked to bring the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area to the downtown.”
Partnership committee chair Sue Williams said, “This past year has taught us how important it is for all of the Wooster businesses to stick together and support each other.”
Main Street Wooster’s revenue comes from annual contributions from partner organizations, bed-tax proceeds and event sponsorships.
“All Wooster businesses benefit from our work,” Waller said. “Downtown merchants get additional foot traffic and publicity, but manufacturers like Schaeffler USA and Wooster Brush get a better work force. Our efforts to make downtown Wooster more appealing means that overall quality of life is better here, employers are able to recruit and retain more high-caliber personnel, and staff morale is higher.
“With additional partners, we can grow the number and quality of the attractions in our community. While I hope businesses are willing to join Main Street Wooster because they support our mission, we do offer benefits to our partners.”
Benefits include grant opportunities, social-media publicity, free access to conferences and training, and eligibility to accept Downtown Dollars, a new gift-card program.
For more information visit www.MainStreetWooster.org or call 330-262-6222.