About Us

Main Street Greenville promotes historic preservation and economic development, resulting in a cultural downtown district that attracts and retains businesses and entrepreneurs, making downtown a desirable destination.

The Main Street approach to downtown revitalization was developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Trust saw an ever-escalating loss of historic commercial architecture and community sense of history. To stop this trend, the Trust began in 1977 to develop a model for downtown historic preservation — a four-point approach addressing organization, design, marketing, and business enhancement.

Main Street Greenville is a downtown affiliate member of Heritage Ohio. We work through a 15-member volunteer Board of Directors, and much of our work is accomplished through volunteer committees.

Why is our downtown important?

• A vital downtown retains and creates jobs, which also means a stronger tax base. Long-term revitalization establishes capable businesses that use public services and provide tax revenues for the community.

• Downtown is a good incubator of new businesses — the building blocks of a healthy economy. Strip centers and malls are often too expensive for new entrepreneurs.

• A healthy downtown can increase and protect property values in surrounding residential neighborhoods.

• The traditional commercial district is an ideal location for independent businesses, which in turn keep profit in town, support local families and community projects, and provide a stable economic foundation.

• A revitalized downtown increases the community’s options for goods and services — food, clothing, professional services, housing, and entertainment.

• Downtown provides an important civic forum where members of the community can congregate. Special events and celebrations reinforce an intangible sense of community.

• Downtown becomes a tourist attraction by virtue of the character of its buildings, its location, and its selection of unique businesses and events.