Updated: Avoca Mainstreet Recognized for Milestone in Community Investment

(Avoca) Last week, Mainstreet Iowa hosted the annual Mainstreet Iowa Development Awards celebration. Mainstreet Avoca was one of ten communities recognized for reaching the $3 million mark in private investment in its commercial district during the event.

Amber Mohr, Executive Director of Avoca Mainstreet, says they have had ten new business openings since its’ last benchmark of $2 million was reached two years ago. Six of those openings were led by women opening small businesses in Avoca.

Mainstreet Avoca has taken an aggressive approach to Spruce up its Mainstreet. In 2019, Mainstreet Avoca conducted a top prospect survey utilizing Mainstreet Iowa services. Ran a ready-to-recruit program with a downtown expert to gauge what their customers are most interested in and target those businesses.

Mohr says an active and vibrant downtown is an excellent recruiting tool.

Mohr credits the solid program with the City of Avoca and several large donors in the downtown business district. She says they have also donated 13,000 hours of volunteer time to the program since it became a Mainstreet in 2014.

In 1985, the Iowa legislature adopted Main Street America’s Four Point Program Approach to district revitalization by establishing Main Street Iowa within the agency that is now the IEDA. Since then, the Main Street Iowa program has significantly impacted Iowa’s economy, including more than $2.6 billion in private investment, more than 3.7 million volunteer hours, more than 5,300 new businesses, and more than 16,000 jobs.