Creative Placemaking

CREATIVE PLACEMAKING

happens when partners from public, private, non-profit, and community sectors strategically shape the physical and social character of a neighborhood, town, city, or region around arts and cultural activities.

what is creative placemaking?

If you are a planner or designer, it is about physical redevelopment.

If you are an economic developer, it is about the new economic opportunities.

If you are a social worker, it is about healthy living and social justice.

If you are a marketing specialist, it is about branding.

If you are community organizer, it is about visioning and consensus about the future.

If you are an artist, it is about connecting with people in a profound and soulful way, bring new audiences to the arts.

If you are a citizen, it is about a better community in which to live.

If you are a civic leader, it is about bringing your town to a new secure future.

Main Street… it begins with our name and logo

Our name and approach: Main Street Agency was created with the purpose of our name highlighting that we are geared towards community, that in many places Main Street USA represents the heart of a community, the gathering place and the pride. Many Main Streets, or similar areas of a town are in the process of revitalization and redeveloping. All have the same goal – to connect people to places.  Creative Placemaking is our method to our work. It is the HOW and the WHY of what we do.. We understand that it takes many layers to create sustainability. We understand government, zoning and local politics and that navigating these nuances contributes to the sustainable success. Our team are community outreach experts by nature, passion and experience. Our clients are the heartbeats of their communities in business, government and organizations. it begins with a conversation, then examination of history, resources, funding and realistic goals – achieved by critical and creative thinking, sensible planning, outreach and input, proven methods and professional project management 

 
Our logo: In 2020, mid-pandemic, we rebranded our logo to use the phoenix . A phoenix symbolizes birth, death, and rebirth, as well as eternity, strength, and renewal. The whole idea that this mythical bird is reborn from the ashes of the flames of death signifies a journey through fire or adversity. It’s a great way to express a transformation or survival of a challenge – which applies directly to our clientele whether that lies in challenges within the community, business or personal goals, and also to how the pandemic has impacted you, negatively or positively.  We want the symbol of our logo to be inspirational and encouraging, but also remind people of the power of working together. The color palette of  turquoise – aqua represents open communication and clarity of thought, balancing pros and cons, right and wrong, identifying the way forward to success. The silver represents reflection and illumination – opening new doors and lighting the way to the future. 

Planning & Project Management

We know we do a lot of different things, but with everything we do, people are at the heart of it. Our business is people driven, working to support business and community in multiple ways. We love projects that focus on bringing people together.  From a local fundraiser to community development  and engagement to a festival drawing tens of thousands to intense development projects working with local government, zoning and permitting, we excel at organizing and managing projects and all supportive services. We support creating a sense of place and belonging.  

We are Listening. We are Thinking and We are Doing. 

We begin by talking with you about your goals and needs, then after thorough research we present you with ideas and solutions. We offer marketing and community outreach implemented in strategic planning, resource management and project execution. When we produce an event, or manage a project, we dig into the community to engage and activate people on all levels. 
Our reputation is that we get things done.

We are Unique and You Benefit. 

The approach of creative placemaking – ensures we  look at your goals and objectives through the different needs of all key participants. We think about how people walk and move, how they are motivated and what they like, we analyze local resources and stakeholders and we study historical context and culture. We build long term relationships while we keep our eye on sustainable results and bottom lines. Through our strategic relationships with top professionals, we offer competitive services and opportunities that allow our clients to leverage lower costs, increase exposure and maximum sustainability.  Our team is constantly researching digital marketing trends and consumer behavior.  You’ve put all your energy into your project and your mission, we want to make sure people can find you. 

We don’t work in a vacuum – not only do we have an awesome and friendly staff,
we also have a network of top-notch experts in many disciplines to consult with.
A small boutique agency with top notch personal attention and expertise available to you.

MAIN STREET AGENCY & ASSOCIATES, LLC

Winterfest Experience, 2017 – Behind the scenes of the Winery Tour

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-Written By Sarah Colichio,  Photos by Alex Quiros   ©2017 Main Street Agency

 

Our Winterfest Wine tour began at The Hotel Indigo where participants met and waited for the bus, we stopped briefly at The Hyatt Hotel to pick up a few more passangers as we settled in our seats on the bus you could feel the relaxation process beginning, Kristen briefly told us the agenda for the day and we were on our way. Our first stop on the tour was The Pellegrini Vineyard’s, a beautiful 14,000 square foot venue that makes some of the tastiest wine! We were greeted at the entrance by friendly staff members then ushered inside where we were given a complementary glass of wine with the option of a 2015 Rose or a 2015 Chardonnay.

Through out the two floors of the building our guests were seated and able to enjoy the relaxing melodies of the Jack Morelli Music band, playing some jazz, hits from the Beatles and much more. During the intermission we were able to talk with band members as well as go explore the grounds. It was an exceptionally warm day in February and most attendees walked through the vineyard acres, some cozied up in the gazebo that was just a few feet into the rows of vines. Others found nice spots in the sun to relax, sip their wine and have a little snack! The wine cellar was a particularly cool spot (literally). Barrels were lined neatly along the walls of the cellar waiting to be bottled and enjoyed, it was quite an amazing site to see the finished/unfinished product and how it is stored. The couples enjoyed the break by talking and getting to know unfamiliar faces. Once the band started up again we headed back into the room to listen.

 

 

At three the group met at the bus eager to see what the next vineyard had in store for us, the atmosphere of the bus changed on the way to stop number two Martha Clara Vineyard. Everyone was a bit chattier this time around being that they had time to get to know each other and have some wine in the mean time! When we pulled up to Martha Clara everyone was eager to get off the bus and see what makes Martha Clara so wonderful. We got to walk through the small market they have on sight and the recently opened dining room, to the back patio where family’s, friend, couples, and even some dogs were hanging out enjoying the beautiful Saturday. We made our way to a separate room for a private wine tasting with the winemaker himself, Juan Micieli-Martinez. We all took our seats at the tables and admired the small sample of wine pre-poured for us. Juan started off by giving some background on the vineyard and himself then we dove into the wine tasting experience, The first wine we tried was a 2016 Sauvignon Blanc that was straight from the barrel also known as “raw” wine.

 

 

Juan explained the difference of bottled and raw wine then let us sip the sample and mingle. The next two we tasted were the same wines just prepared differently, first we tried a 2014 Chardonnay that was fermented in a stainless steel tank and the next was prepared in an oak barrel. There was actually a noticeable difference in the two; the stainless steel bottle had a softer taste to it while the oak bottle had a strong taste that it adapted while aging in the oak barrel. Juan explained the difference between both wines and why the barrel prepared bottle had that strong taste then he opened the floor up to any questions we had. After a little break we moved on to the reds, the first bottle we tried was a 2013 Merlot, then a 2013 Northville Red. While sampling the last of the reds, Juan showed us the proper way to evaluate a glass of wine from the swirling of the glass to “getting your nose right in there” and then told us about 14 different types of grapes they use to make their wine. After the tasting was over we were able to go out to the balcony that overlooked the vineyard and stables.

We had a little time before going to Dark Horse for dinner so Kristen asked the bus if they would like to stop at LI Vodka for a quick drink and then out the door to dinner, with a roaring yes we were off. At LiV there was an awesome band playing classics like Sweet Caroline and Winterfest attendees were able to let loose dance and having a drink. The entire atmosphere of the bus from the beginning of the day to the ride to dinner completely changed, it started of a bus of strangers to a bus of friends singing “Party in the USA” as we pulled up to Dark Horse. We got VIP treatment while being escorted to our private dining room, the party began the minute Kristen plugged her phone into the AUX cord, everyone danced and mingled while waiting for the first course to be served and continued that in between courses. The hardest part of the evening was picking one of the several delicious options for the main course, and then trying to finish the mouthwatering inside out apple pie for dessert.

Unfortunately the day had to come to an end at some point as we dropped off the few couples at The Hyatt and then returning to Hotel Indigo where the few remaining joined Kristen downstairs to enjoy the rest of the Bakithik Kumalo concert.