Downtown Camden Program Receives 2018 National Main Street Accreditation and Recognition

The City of Camden’s Main Street Program, publicly known as the Downtown Camden Program, has been designated as an accredited Main Street America™ program in 2018 for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. 

Each year, the National Main Street Center and its Coordinating Program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.

Earlier this year, the National Main Street Center took note of Downtown Camden’s “Business Spotlight” series, a blog and social media campaign that highlights the many faces that make up Downtown Camden. The blog highlights a different downtown business about once each month, most recently Pete’s Shoe Services. The series was shared publicly by the National Main Street Center on its social media networks in February. 

In addition, the Downtown Camden Program’s 2017 project to beautify and activate the alley connecting Broad Street to the Town Green has been featured in AARP’s 2018 edition of Where We Live: Communities for All Ages — 100+ Inspiring Examples from America's Local Leaders. The City of Camden received a grant funding from AARP’s Livable Communities Initiative to complete the alley project. This publication from AARP highlights inspiring ideas and solutions from America's local leaders to improve their communities, respond to pressing issues, and build partnerships. A photo taken of the alley is one of four featured on the back cover of the publication.

In 2017 alone, Main Street America programs overall generated $4.48 billion in local reinvestment, helped open 6,211 net new businesses, generated 30,294 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 8,737 historic buildings, and clocked 2.7 million volunteer hours. 

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. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $74.73 billion in new public and private investment, generated 614,716 net new jobs and 138,303 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 276,790 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.