100 Friends of Downtown Three Rivers will help boost downtown

Building relationships. Communication. Education and Awareness. Those three goals of the DDA/Mainstreet Program in Three Rivers will be the focus of the "100 Friends of Downtown Three Rivers" when it launches in February.

The campaign will raise funds that will go towards flowers and flower pots, holiday decorations, special events, and other various DDA/Main Street programs.

The fundraising effort also will help Three Rivers continue the work it has been doing to revitalize the downtown. In the past 12 months, downtown Three Rivers was officially designated as a "Select Level" Michigan Main Street community in February 2014 and has undertaken the work that comes with that designation. Three Rivers DDA/Main Street hired a full-time program director in June.

"We’re extremely thankful and very fortunate to have received the support that we have from our current group of partners," says Brian Persky, Three Rivers DDA/Main Street Executive Director. "Without these initial commitments, the Main Street program wouldn’t be where it is today. In order to sustain the momentum that we’ve been building, it’s crucial for us to build on that and continue to expand our reach into the community."

Board development work, adoption of a Vision and Mission Statement are among the steps taken so far. The program also has recorded nearly 1,000 volunteer service hours, adopted a new downtown image, expanded holiday and winter decorations, coordinated Christmas Around Town, created an internship program, and has grown its presence on social media by more than 300 percent.

All new members of the "100 Friends of Downtown Three Rivers" campaign will receive an inside look to the Main Street program, recognition on the DDA’s website, and a complimentary T-shirt. Donation levels range from $15 for Friends, $25 for Bronze donors, $50 for Silver donors, an $100 for Gold donors.

In related news, the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street Design Committee recently awarded two grants for signage improvements to both PinUp Salon and Northside Beverage.

The grants were made possible through the DDA’s rebate program. The program awards rebates to property owners and business owners who improve signage, awnings, and/or painting. The rebates cover up to 25 percent of costs, with maximum amounts of $200 per sign, $300 per awning, and $750 for painting – to the extent that funds are available.Northside Beverage was awarded a $200 grant.

PinUp Salon was awarded a grant of $259.16, which covered approximately 25 percent of signage and painting costs.

"It’s so great that there are programs out there to help small businesses like mine," said PinUp Salon owner Danielle Hinman. "We can’t wait to continue with building renovations in the future."

Source: Brian Persky, DDA/Main Street Three Rivers