Marshalltown Main Street

Call it downtown ... call it uptown ... it's the heartbeat of Marshalltown.

With the iconic Marshall County Courthouse at its center, this National Historic District draws thousands of people everyday to conduct business, shop, dine and play. As a Main Street Community, you can expect attention to detail, quality products and one-on-one personal service from Marshalltown's downtown businesses. You'll see great architecture and feel very much at home while shopping the many shops, eating at our various restaurants or attending any of our community-wide events.

Whether you are looking to stroll our downtown for the history, shop at our unique and eclectic businesses, dine at one of our various ethnic restaurants or browse the fine art - there is something for everyone in downtown Marshalltown. Bring a friend or the family for a day of discovering unique products in more than two dozens retail shops. All independently owned, or managed by people who really care about their customers, you'll find they are experts in their fields.

Each season brings new activity sponsored by the Marshalltown Central Business District. Follow our events calendar to be part of annual events such as the Garden Extravaganza, Art Walk and Holiday Stroll, which draw visitors from throughout central Iowa.

Our downtown is the very heart and soul of our community. Through the Main Street program, we gain historic preservation as well as invaluable resources and training opportunities that help us better partner with business owners and developers. This partnership helps Marshalltown become a distinctive destination, leading to better economic development, which ultimately benefits our entire community. It's a proven fact that communities need to grow from the centers out, otherwise the community becomes unbalanced and economically unstable.

"Revitalizing our town centers is one of the toughest challenges facing our communities today - and one of the most important things civic leaders can do to strengthen their community's economic foundation, boost civic pride and retain young talent." -Kennedy Smith

Having a viable downtown helps qualify of life, retention of employees, enticing investors and industry.

The mission of the Main Street Iowa Program is to improve the social and economic well-being of Iowa's communities by assisting selected communities to capitalize on the unique identity, assets and character of their historic commercial district. Main Street is economic development within the context of historic preservation.

In 2010, for every dollar appropriated to the Main Street Iowa program, there was a private investment of more than $73. Our Main Street program has made a commitment to the long term revitalization of our historic city centers. Using the Main Street Four Point Approach, our leaders have implemented practical downtown management strategies producing fundamental changes in downtown's economic base.

The Four Point approach primary purpose is to establish historic and commercial districts as economically viable centers of commerce through comprehensive, incremental and coordinated work in four key areas: Organization, Promotion, Design and Business Improvement.

• Organization - With coordination by a paid program director, organization brings together the public sector, private groups and individual citizens to work together more effectively in downtown.
• Business Improvement - Diversifies the downtown economy by identifying potential market niches, finding new uses for vacant or under used spaces and improving business practices.
• Design - Utilizes appropriate design and preservation concepts, to enhance the visual quality of the downtown (buildings, signs, window displays, landscaping and environment).
• Promotion - Encourages a community to focus on downtown as a source of community pride, social activity and economic development potential.

All Main Street Programs are founded on the goal of economic development within the context of historical preservation. Preservation should encourage the retention and use of the old, while allowing for new development that is compatible with existing elements of the past.

Through Main Street a community can re-establish itself using downtown's traditional and unique assets. These include:

• Personal service
• Significant architecture
• Local ownership
• A sense of community

The Main Street methodology involves these four components/committees each of which is critical to the overall success of the program. While all committees have their own goals and objectives, they coordinate efforts to create a positive, cohesive image for downtown.

Marshalltown's Vision Statement

"Marshalltown's central business district will be the heart of the city, the nucleus for civic, cultural, social, retail, history and heritage. A warm, welcoming, vibrant place to live, grow and prosper, with attractive and appealing businesses that are successful in fulfilling the needs of all segments of the community."

Marshalltown's Mission Statement:

"Through broad based representation and a strong public/private partnership, we will continuously enhance Marshalltown's central business district into THE destination for businesses, shoppers and traveler's alike."

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