By Breanne Durham, Washington Main Street Program Director

Communities large and small across Washington State have already made significant investments in their built environment, infrastructure, spaces for entrepreneurs, and places where people naturally want to gather—these are our historic downtown and neighborhood districts. Our work is in caring for and enhancing those investments. 

In Washington State, the Main Street movement is fueled by the Washington State Main Street Program, a statewide program of the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation that has been managed by the Washington Trust since 2010. This program helps to build capacity and connection to resources in 77 towns and neighborhoods across the state—ranging from Vancouver to Colville, Dayton to Bellingham. These local Main Street organizations work tirelessly to support small businesses, leverage partnerships, and bring their communities together. 

“We’re a proud mill town with a history of hard work, innovation, education, and being part of something bigger than ourselves,” said Carrie Schulstad, executive director of the Downtown Camas Association. “Washington Main Street helped us grow to who we are today—a downtown with strong economic and social prosperity. They also cultivate a culture of peer camaraderie, sharing, and professionalism that helps all of us do our jobs better.”

In 2024 alone, our then-38 designated Main Street Communities catalyzed significant economic impacts in their districts, including 445 new businesses and 105 business expansions; 1,271.5 new jobs; and more than $137 million in public and private investment into their historic downtown districts. Additionally, 363 buildings were rehabilitated in the last year—up from 347 the previous year.  

And because community engagement is such a significant aspect of the Main Street model, we also recorded 57,551 volunteer hours, which is a time investment valued at more than $2,300,000. There are very few movements these days that can inspire such robust volunteer energy.

The Washington State Main Street Program has the unique opportunity to help a large, growing network of communities across the state through capacity-building services. We believe that local impact is amplified when there is a strong statewide program to connect the dots through training, technical assistance, and network development. The growth of the program over the years proves that Main Street works for Washington communities, yet it also puts a strain on the program’s limited resources. There is currently no mechanism in place to increase state funding to meet the needs of this growing network.

“Downtown Anacortes has accomplished a lot in the last three years,” said Jordan Hay, executive director of the Downtown Anacortes Alliance, a newly designated Main Street Community. “Anacortes has attempted revitalization several times, but this time we have traction, in large part because of the support of the Washington State Main Street Program. They gave us a playbook for getting started and built a deep connection between Anacortes and other towns in Washington so we can learn from others’ experiences.”

Main Street in Washington State has already proven itself to be a wise investment of state dollars as well as a reliable contributor to more resilient local economies. Because of Main Street’s track record of adapting to various social and economic needs and its deep network of trusted local community organizations, Washington Main Street is poised to make even more significant contributions to strengthening communities across our state.

Photo above: People explore downtown Everett during the annual Sorticulture event. Photo courtesy of Jake Campbell.