Knowlen & Yates (McCook, Nebraska)

If Mike Ford has his way, there will have been a member of his family in business in the downtown of this southwest Nebraska community for at least 50 years. Ford, whose parents operated a jewelry store downtown for 34-years, says he hopes to run his unique home and kitchen store, Knowlen and Yates, for at least 16-years. Ford gave up a corporate job to move back to his hometown and open shop on the brick streets of Norris Avenue in the heart of downtown. He and his wife Laura, who runs Country Floral and Gifts across the street, also set the pace for retail in McCook with innovative window and store displays. Their remodeling inside both buildings has drawn approval from customers and praise from retail and design professionals. Mike Ford said he has discovered that nearly half of his customers come to McCook from adjacent states. That, he says, has given him insights into how to market and how fortunate McCook is to be such a retail draw.

Roller Hardware Facade Rehab (Alliance, Nebraska)

Ever wonder what a simple change in the way a retail building looks could do for business? Stop in at Roller Hardware in downtown Alliance and find out. Harold Roller, the building’s owner, decided that a more historic look to match other storefronts in the Panhandle community was in order. The white tin and bold red plastic letters and backlighted signs smacked of the 1970’s. Besides, cracks in the signs had allowed them to attract bugs and dirt and shine less brightly than when they were new. Removal of the tin revealed two empty spaces above the door pediments in the building which once housed the Eagles Lodge upstairs. The lodge had moved elsewhere, but when club members saw how good the building looked, they returned the stained glass pieces which said “FOE” on them to their original space above the doors. The building owner had a local artist paint a new sign for the building using lettering similar to that in the name block atop the second story of the façade. For less than $1,600, the building owner gained a more appropriate look to the building, more closely matching the fabric of surrounding buildings. Partial funding for the project came from a façade incentive grant provided by the Alliance Main Street program. Nationally, retail experts agree that a new façade, sometimes as simple as new paint or awnings or signage, can mean as much as a 10 percent increase in retail traffic for a business.

Downtown Construction So What! (Ogallala, Nebraska)

If the world gives you lemons, make lemonade. Just ask business owners in this western Nebraska community who survived a massive downtown construction project which gave the community new infrastructure, curbs, gutters and sidewalk, but also left access to the front doors of businesses virtually impossible for several months. The Ogallala Main Street program developed a theme, “Downtown Construction Ahead – So What!” sponsored contests and retail promotions, and walked away with a video production which is now used by the state Department of Roads to prepare other communities facing similar projects. It started with a massive advertising program and encouraging local businesses to promote the use of their back doors, said Ogallala Main Street Manager Kathy Zeller. In addition, the Main Street program helped develop games and promote the awarding of customer discounts if the shopper was wearing a hard hat or a flannel or denim shirt. Prizes were awarded to customers who found their way through a maze of detours and construction barricades or walked a long distance to shop. It worked. One businesswoman who offered tea and cookies to customers who used the back door, said her retail sales during the one month (June) her business had only back-door access were the highest of any June in the 10-years she had been in business.

Downtown Improvement Project (Bassett, Nebraska)

Visitors to this Sandhills community are reminded of the past when they see Main Street. Historic reproduction ornamental lighting, new infrastructure, landscaping and benches create a very pedestrian-friendly environment. Funding for the project was made possible largely because of the community’s affiliation with the Nebraska Main Street Program, said Mayor Mike Skulavik.The improvements are the latest in a plan to attract an anticipated influx of tourists from the Cowboy Trail which runs adjacent to the north edge of the downtown. Through the cooperation of the city administration and the Bassett Main Street program, the old Bassett Creamery building near the trail has been preserved and now houses public restrooms and showers for the use of hikers and bikers. The trail, built on the abandoned roadbed of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad across northern Nebraska, will be the longest in the United States. In addition to the creamery, a picnic shelter with tables was built next to the trail. Behind the rehabbed Rock County Oil Company building is a park featuring a boardwalk of antique western storefronts which depict Bassett of yesteryear.Because Bassett is already developed as a trade center in the area, visitors are expected to shop for the essentials they’ll need as they venture into more sparsely populated areas of the trail.Skulavik credits the Bassett Main Street program and a lot of volunteer commitment to making the community thriving and attractive.

Plattsmouth State Bank (Plattsmouth, Nebraska)

The Plattsmouth State Bank was slowly outgrowing its building which has been a key anchor in the downtown of this river community for years. Plans to tear down the building a replace it with a bigger one had to be reviewed by the state Historic Preservation Office through Section 106 Review because of the bank’s FDIC affiliation. The bank owners wanted to tear down two adjacent buildings to make their dreams of a bigger building become a reality. The bank had already expanded into one of the buildings with a very unique façade. Members of the Plattsmouth Main Street program, the Nebraska Main Street program and the State Historic Preservation Office worked together to come up with an acceptable plan. The groups helped the bankers to understand that the facades of the two buildings should be preserved to allow the block to retain its proper building size perspective. That way the bank could then build its new building behind the facades, giving the bank the room it needed and preservationists the historic scale they wanted. After much negotiation, all parties arrived at a win-win solution that worked. An unforeseen benefit to downtown Plattsmouth came when the bank moved to quarters in three unoccupied buildings across the street. The buildings were remodeled to accommodate the bank’s temporary needs. After the bank moved to its new facility, the temporary buildings were more attractive to prospective tenants and rented almost immediately. “We are proud to be a vital part of the downtown economy in Plattsmouth and plan to make a commitment to staying downtown,” said Plattsmouth State Bank President Lori Schneider.

Sehnert's Bakery & Bieroc Cafe (McCook, Nebraska)

Matt and Shelly Sehnert decided to return to the comfortable life of a small Nebraska community to raise their children. Matt gave up a promising career in corporate America to go home and run the family bakery and café. He and Shelley also had visions that a vacant building next to the bakery could provide seating space for the people who buy the rolls and pastry they produce daily. They also had a dream about fixing the place up to reflect the historic nature of the building. After months of work, the building was gutted of its lowered ceiling and floor coverings and some plaster. What’s left is the wood floors, exposed brick walls and hanging pendant lights that give many a historic building a unique niche flavor. The bakery and café also serves as the location for the popular “Live at the Bieroc” performance venue where traveling troubadours can share their talent as they cross the United States. Each show starts with social time and then dinner. The show is opened by a local artist who can sing, play the guitar or piano, or share their talent in some other way. This is followed by the headlining act performing 2 sets with dessert at intermission. “Live at the Bieroc” has attracted nationally recognized acts and draws people from as far away as Kearney and Lincoln. With assistance from the McCook Main Street program and Nebraska Main Street, the Sehnert’s have been continually improving the building and the events held therein. They even benefited from several visits by a retail and design professional from the National Main Street Center. Sehnert says his business and others up and down the street have benefited from the exposure to the Main Street program. “Main Street has really been the vehicle for a number of us to think outside the box and receive so many benefits for our businesses.”

Valentine's Day Caramel Apple Fundraiser (Fremont, Nebraska)

If it’s Valentine’s Day, it must be time for caramel apples in downtown Fremont. Main Street of Fremont Inc. has turned this traditional Halloween treat into a much-anticipated staple of the February holiday which is all about sweetness. In three years, the size of the promotion has doubled. The first year, Fremont businesswoman and Main Street board member Margaret Stahl got a group of volunteers together at a board member’s house and the group dipped 500 apples in caramel, rolling a few in nuts and drizzling them all with chocolate. They sell out at $8 each. Last year, they gathered in the back room of a local business where the dippers and drizzlers created 1,000 apples. Again, a sell-out. “It’s a bring your own crock pot event,” said Main Street Manager Leslie Carter. “We expect it’ll take two days to dip and decorate the apples and wrap them in cellophane with a ribbon and a tag that says specially made for you by Main Street volunteers.” She expects 25 volunteers will help out. Each apple also has a numbered plastic ring attached to it. Recipients can take their rings to either downtown Fremont jewelry store to see if it is the winning number for a $300 diamond ring. “That gets people downtown and gets the excitement building,” Ms. Carter said. And, this year, there’s also a dinner for two at a downtown restaurant being given away to a lucky apple purchaser. The apples are sold in advance. “We deliver the larger orders to the banks or other businesses that buy a quantity,” she said. Others just stop by a previously determined location to pick theirs up. They have never had leftovers.

April Showers (Alliance, Nebraska)

When the Alliance Main Street program sponsors a clean-up day, they get really serious. Members of the Alliance Volunteer Fire Department, Main Street and Keep Alliance Beautiful joined forces for “April Showers,” a project to clean the dirt and grime of winter off of downtown buildings, sidewalks and landscape. The idea came from another Main Street community which shared the project with other communities at National Town Meeting on Main Street in 1995. Firefighters use a low water pressure to hose down the buildings. Sidewalks are also washed and the dirt is swept into the gutters which are also washed down. The event provides a training opportunity for firefighters, a fresh face for buildings and an opportunity for the public to celebrate. School organizations such as Future Farmers, Explorers, and Girls Are Powerful to youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts provided the backbone of the volunteer base. Special sales, contests and prize give-aways brought people downtown. The boost in sales is welcomed in what is a typically slower time for retailers. The event has drawn national attention to the community. April Showers was featured on CBS Sunday Morning which brought queries from other parts of the country and positive publicity as well. “It’s a win-win situation for retailers and shoppers alike,” said Alliance Main Street Manager Carrie Katen. “It sets the tone for the Spring and we start out with a clean downtown to attract business.”

Spruce Street Station Visitors Center (Ogallala, Nebraska)

The red brick building with the canopy over the gas pumps opened in 1920 as one of four Standard Oil Company gasoline stations in this western Nebraska community. Today, the building and a detached “service” garage are known as the Spruce Street Station Visitor’s Center. They stand at the north entrance to the downtown business district, kitty-corner from the U.S. Post Office which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Thanks to the efforts of the Ogallala Main Street board and committees and the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office, the former filling station is also on the National Register of Historic Places. After coats of white paint and years of sitting vacant, the property was restored and dedicated in 2003 as part of ceremonies for the 90th Anniversary of “America’s Original Main Street,” the Lincoln Highway. A group of drivers and more than 40 antique cars participating in a coast-to-coast tour of the highway more popularly known as Highway 30, was on hand. The building is significant because it represents the age of petroleum marketing which was the most significant period of growth for the Standard Oil Company as it ambitiously expanded its retail operations through a building program of company-owned and company-operated filling stations. Starting with 24 locations in 1919, by 1930 the company had stations in about 130 Nebraska communities. Local newspaper reports referred to the building as “a nifty brick filling station” in a location that was “a good one and it makes the business section of the town look much bigger.” Funding for the project was provided by Transportation Enhancement and National Scenic Byways grants, the city and local fund-raising efforts.

Since 1994, the Nebraska Main Street program has made a difference in the lives of countless Nebraska residents by providing communities the opportunity to revitalize their traditional downtown commercial business districts through economic development and historic preservation.

Main Street business owners, building owners, and local government officials have learned how to promote their downtown business districts, how to retain and enhance the authentic character of their existing historic commercial buildings, how to market their wares, how to attract new customers and better serve the ones they have. The people, the projects, the history and the fun create the energy and success found on Nebraska’s Main Streets.

Developed by the National Trust’s Main Street Center, the Main Street Four Point Approach® (Organization, Design, Economic Restructuring and Promotion) and Eight Principles (comprehensive, incremental, self-initiated, partnerships, asset enhancement, quality, change, implementation oriented) guide downtown revitalization. The Main Street program uses a community-driven, comprehensive methodology to revitalize older, traditional business districts and is meant to encourage economic development within the context of historic preservation. Main Street advocates a return to community self-reliance, local empowerment and the rebuilding of traditional commercial districts based on their unique assets.

The National Trust’s Main Street program offers an approach to downtown revitalization that has been successful in more than two-thousand towns and cities throughout the country. The four points and eight guiding principles are the keys to the success and that set Main Street apart from other revitalization strategies.

The following stories illustrate noteworthy successful projects and businesses from Nebraska’s Main Street communities past and present.