The Main Street District celebrates 22 years of growth and development

For the 22^nd year, the organization hosted an annual meeting to share the success of the district with stakeholders and community partners.

 The Main Street District (MSD), also known as City Center Partnership, celebrated 22 years of the organization’s existence on Monday, November 13 at their Annual Meeting, hosted by Smoked. With their biggest crowd to date, the MSD touched on past accomplishments and future goals, presented the Chairman’s Awards, and announced a partnership with Peak Drift Brewing.

Accomplishments and Looking Forward

This year the MSD announced the expansion of clean and safe services to both sides of Elmwood Avenue, from Bull Street to Lincoln Street and is exploring more ways to expand their reach beyond district lines. They also added an Evening Outreach Ambassador to work specifically with the chronically unsheltered population. District connectivity has also been a large topic of discussion, focusing on ways to improve pedestrian access among neighboring districts and exploring more formal frameworks for working together.

The district has also put more emphasis on marketing and branding, noting that their social media following and engagement has increased consistently over the last couple of years. Over the next year, the community can also expect to see increased placemaking efforts with updated street pole banners, electrical boxes and trash wraps debuting a refreshed brand, created by local designer, Cait Maloney.

With more residential and hotel development on the horizon, there is more pedestrian activity in the district than ever before. The MSD acknowledged the need to look beyond Main Street at surrounding areas like Sumter Street, Assembly Street and side streets for development and placemaking, which will be critical to the district’s future success.

Click on the images below to get a better look:

 

Chairman’s Awards

Sharon Bryant, Regional Executive Vice President for First Citizens Bank and Board Chair for the Main Street District presented the first 2023 Chairman’s Award to Martha Fowler, property owner in the 1600 block, one of the founding board members of City Center Partnership and active committee member. The second 2023 Chairman’s Award was presented to the Columbia Museum of Art, one of the catalysts for growth in the district and one of the many assets that make the district a destination. Sharon expressed her gratitude to both award recipients for their dedication to the district and their role in the district’s forward momentum.

Partnership with Peak Drift Brewing

The Main Street District also unveiled a partnership with Peak Drift Brewing. For a limited time, restaurant patrons will be able to drink the Main Street District Winter IPA in 16 different restaurants within the MSD, including Bourbon, Lula Drake, Cantina 76, Takosushi and Good Life Café – just to name a few. The Main Street District Winter IPA includes an exclusive can wrap, designed by local designer, Cait Maloney, and is the first of many initiatives for the MSD to show off its refreshed branding.

About the Main Street District

The Main Street District encompasses the 36-block area bounded by Gervais, Elmwood, Assembly, and Marion Streets in Columbia, SC. The organization aids in public space management, economic development, marketing services and advocacy for the district. The non-profit seeks opportunities to fill vacancies in commercial properties by retaining existing downtown businesses and recruiting new ones, expanding the downtown residential base, and creating a safe, clean, and friendly downtown environment.

Website: https://mainstcolasc.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MainStColaSC

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mainstcolasc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mainstcolasc