Mainstreet Unscripted Episode 4: Collaboration

What's Up Downtown?

A collection of events for the month of May were discussed. For a list of those events visit https://www.cgmainstreet.com/index.php/event

Who's Collaborating with us?

For this episode we brought in Emmi Rakoci, the Artistic Director for the Black Box Foundation, a local community theater in Downtown Casa Grande. Emmi and Blackbox Foundation are community partners with Casa Grande Main Street that work directly with us to participate, enhance, and entertain at our community events. We dive into how and why Blackbox is not just a Main Street partner but an entity that really looks for how to leverage the opportunities created by Main Street to promote their foundation while providing fun and interesting entertainment for us.

We dive a little bit into some of the negatives of not collaborating and why and how it hurts the Down Town community as a whole.

Then we talk about some potential solutions and why all of us do what we do.

Music: Summer Holiday Dance Pop

License Code: ASLC-48BEF0AF-211994EEAE

Main Street Unscripted Episode.3 - Holly and Matt talk about Main Street America's 2026 Eight Trends for Small Businesses and how they may impact the Casa Grande Downtown District. The show outline is as follows:

Main Street America's 2026 Business Predictions

- K-shaped economy will push consumers to seek a good value

- Shifts in social media will push consumers to want in-person connections, and shopping experiences

- Increased opportunities and desires for small business manufactoring - Millenials and Gen Z will take the lead on spending trends

- New and increased opportunities for business ownership structures, specifically co-ops

- E-commerce will move back to brick-and-mortars, specifically direct to consumers businesses

- Less alcohol consumption among Millenials and Gen Z will push for new socializing opportunities not centered around alcohol

- The retail sector will take on the closed-loop system, emphasizing consumers' value of sustainability

If you haven't been to the downtown area of Casa Grande, a lot has changed in the last couple of years. Amazing new shopping oppportunities, restaraunts, and experiences are popping up all over the district. Casa Grande Main Street has been the tip of the spear for beaufication, events, and programs that enable and enhance the primary goal of econimic vitality. In this episode we talk about many of the experiences Downtown has to offer and how we are encouraging the revitalization of the area.

- - Economic Vitality - -

- Basic introductions of ourselves for new listeners

- Basic introduction of Mainstreet as an organization for new listeners

• Mainstreet Approach = ECONOMIC VITALITY overtime

- How Mainstreet has/does address Economic Vitality

• Beautification & projects

• Events!

• Advertising (AZ Drive Guide, Pinal Central, Chamber books, Visit Arizona, ABC15, etc.)

- It's a slow process, but it's working!

• New businesses in the past two years: RoseLuv, Lew's, Buhr's, Feed Right, AZ Native, The Shoppe, The Spott, Eco Nomad, Dolce Salon, Cass Collective, Pour Therapy

- Pour Therapy and Casa Palomino will be great game changers!

• Night life: BeDillons, Casa Collective, Pour Therapy, Casa Palomino, The Spott

~ BlackBox, Art Museum

Music: Summer Holiday Dance Pop

License Code: ASLC-48BEF0AF-211994EEAE