(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser presented a certificate to Eastern Market Main Street, designating the area as a full member of the DC Main Streets program. Each DC Main Streets program is organized and led by local volunteers and community development professionals who lead sustainable, community-driven efforts to promote economic development, strengthen their neighborhoods, and improve the quality of life for residents. The Eastern Market Main Street program will focus on the 200 and 300 blocks of 7th Street SE, the 600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, and the 600 and 700 blocks of C Street, SE.
“Great neighborhoods contribute to the strength and vibrancy of our city,” said Mayor Bowser. “For more than a decade, DC Main Streets has helped neighborhoods throughout DC reach their full potential. We have witnessed so many small businesses thrive because of Main Streets, and we must continue investing in our neighborhood businesses because they, in turn, invest in our residents.”
DC Main Streets, a program of the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD), serves as the citywide coordinating program that provides services and funding for the twelve Main Streets programs in Washington, DC. The mission of these twelve programs is to enhance communities by retaining and recruiting businesses, improving commercial properties and streetscapes, and attracting consumers.
“We are thrilled to welcome the newest addition to our DC Main Streets family. The contributions Main Streets programs make to the continued economic growth and prosperity of our city is invaluable. They have generated more than 2,000 jobs in the last two years,” said DSLBD Director Ana Harvey.
DC Main Streets is a nationally recognized program, and three of its programs - Barracks Row, H Street NE, and Shaw – have received the distinguished Great American Main Street Award. Washington, DC is the only city in the country with three Great American Main Street Awards. Additionally, in 2016, Shaw Main Street won an Innovation Award from the National Main Street Center for their Art All Night event.
Since January 2015, the DC Main Streets program has created over 2,300 new jobs and 98 new businesses.