The Main Street program is designed to improve all aspects of the downtown or central business district, producing both tangible and intangible benefits. Improving economic management, strengthening public participation, and making downtown a fun place to visit are as critical to Main Street’s future as recruiting new businesses, rehabilitating buildings, and expanding parking. The Main Street approach has rekindled entrepreneurship, downtown cooperation and civic concern. It has earned national recognition as a practical strategy appropriately scaled to a community’s local resources and conditions.

1. Design enhances the attractiveness of the business district. Historic building rehabilitation, street and alley clean-up, colorful banners, landscaping and lighting all improve the physical image of the downtown as a quality place to shop, work, walk, invest and in alive. Design improvements result in a reinvestment of public and private dollars to downtown.

2. Organization involves building a Main Street framework that is well represented by business and property owners, bankers, citizens, public officials, chambers of commerce and other local economic development organizations. Everyone must work together to maintain a long-term effort.

3. Promotion creates excitement downtown. Street festivals, parades, retail events and image development campaigns are some of the ways Main Street encourages customer traffic. Promotion involves marketing an enticing image to shoppers, investors and visitors and also positioning the downtown in the market place.

4. Economic Restructuring involves analyzing current market forces to develop long-term solutions. Recruiting new businesses, creatively converting unused space for new uses and sharpening the competitiveness of Main Street’s traditional merchants are examples of economic restructuring activities.

The Mission of the Main Street Program is to create, implement and evaluate a systematic plan of work specifically designed to stimulate and sustain downtown economic growth and viability, protect and preserve our historic resources and downtown character, and enhance the overall quality of life for the citizens of Lavonia.

Lavonia is a thriving community utilizing a unique combination of historical preservation and change as positive forces for determining our future. We will preserve our safe, small town atmosphere, our natural surroundings and our past. We strive for excellent schools, recreation, cleanliness and the relaxed pace of life where businesses and neighbors know your name and whereby the economy is diverse enough to satisfy everyday needs locally. We will protect these treasures, even while we envision changes that will enhance our quality of life.