Laird Gann of Melbourne Main Street

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In 1985, the National Trust for Historic Preservation formed the National Main Street Center and introduced the “Main Street Four-Point Approach” as a community-driven comprehensive methodology for revitalizing older, traditional business districts throughout the Country.

Those four points? Organization, by building cooperation and consensus among many groups and individuals, or “stakeholders;” Design: By working with property owners and the City to enhance the physical appearance of the commercial district; Economic Restructuring: Strengthening the existing economic base and retail mix of the downtown district; and Promotion: Marketing the district’s assets to potential investors, new businesses and residents, as well as shoppers and visitors.

It’s a commonsense way to address the variety of issues and problems that face traditional business districts. Today, the National Trust Main Street Center leads a coast-to-coast network of more than 1,200 state, regional and local programs, powerfully linked together through a preservation-based strategy for rebuilding the places and enterprises that make sustainable, vibrant and unique communities.

In 2003, after many months of planning and meetings with downtown stakeholders working closely with the City of Melbourne, the Melbourne-Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and local business owners, Melbourne Main Street was certified as an official Florida Main Street program and joined over 50 other Main Street programs throughout the state. The Main Street Approach is a unique development tool for achieving economic revitalization that has helped communities across the country bring their downtown shopping and residential districts back to life through the work of four standing committees of dedicated volunteers who work diligently to create a desirable and safe downtown environment to live, work and play.

We spoke with Melbourne Main Street’s very busy Executive Director, Laird Gann, who manages all aspects of the successful program from A to Z.

How did you first come to be involved with Melbourne Main Street?

I was born and raised in Florida, mostly in Clearwater, and earned an advertising degree from UF. My career took me to North Carolina, where I spent 20 years in the “corporate world,” working in public relations, event marketing and brand management. From there I moved on to a PR firm in St. Louis, a promotion agency in Chicago, and then a consulting business, which I brought with me when I returned to Florida. I got involved with the Florida Main Street program by managing a program in Palm Harbor, north of Clearwater, and then learned about this position in Melbourne in 2003. The rest is history. When I came for my interview, I fell in love with the area — the laid-back lifestyle compared to the Tampa Bay Area and the incredible beaches. I actually felt like I was stepping back in time 30 years into the “old Florida.” I’ve been here just over five years.

Where do you get inspiration from to organize events each month?

Events are really a small part of our efforts, though they are significant in two ways: they enable us to shape and build a positive, lively image for our downtown area, and it’s a primary fundraising source. The Florida Main Street program is also a wonderful networking resource, and we do all share information with each other throughout the year.

What other kinds of services is Melbourne Main Street involved with, apart from the events themselves?

It’s a wide variety of functions and services, from working to get all “stakeholders” on the same page regarding issues like events, to downtown parking and infrastructure improvements. Our organization works closely with downtown merchants and residents in our efforts to make Historic Downtown Melbourne a great, lively and safe place to live, work and play.

Are you also involved in organizing the seasonal street parties and art festivals?

I am involved with everything that MMS organizes, schedules and conducts: Friday Family Fests, the Main Street “Masters of Art” festival (which is held October 3-4), the popular Candlelight Shopping events on Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and various other events throughout the year. We’re also somewhat involved with other organizations that schedule such events, communicating to merchants the dates of the activities, street closure details, estimated attendance, and other critical information.

In what ways has downtown Melbourne changed since the inception of the Main Street program?

The downtown merchant organization and the City actually led the effort to visually improve and revitalize the downtown retail district long before Melbourne Main Street was formed. The benefit of the Main Street certification was that it provided a successful “blueprint,” or business plan, to guide future efforts. The National Main Street program was formed in 1985 in an effort to revitalize older downtown shopping areas that began deteriorating with the arrival of large suburban shopping centers and malls. What we see today is the result of a lot of hard work by downtown stakeholders and the City for some 20-plus years.

In what ways have these events changed since you first began?

I was fortunate in that when I arrived, the growth and interest in downtown was already building momentum. It’s not something that happens overnight. The interest in returning to an “urban lifestyle” is a national phenomenon, and we’re certainly seeing it here as well. Especially in a tight economy like we have today, people want, and really enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to gather with others from all walks of life and share a relatively inexpensive evening.

How much does it cost the City to host these Friday Family Fests and other events? Does money come strictly from the City, the local businesses, or both?

That’s why we call our events “fundraisers.” Using Friday Fest as the example, our costs average something in the neighborhood of $3,500, covering the band and services such as police, street cleaning, porta-johns and beer and wine. Our income sources are vendors, beer/wine sales and sponsors. Our crowds average somewhere in the 2,500 to 3,000 range — depending a great deal on the weather — and on a good night we’ll clear maybe $1,500. A lot of work for a pretty small return, which is why we say our activities, and events, are, again, “a labor of love.”

How do you choose the various street vendors for these events? Is it open to everyone from anywhere in Brevard?

We try our best to select vendors that do not compete with our downtown merchants or our existing vendors. We’ve had as many as 60 vendors, and you’d be surprised that they come from as far away as Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, and many cities in between. That’s also a good indicator that the word is spreading and more and more vendors want to be part of the success.

What percentage of attendees aren’t from the area?

More “non-locals” are coming downtown as the word spreads about all the new shops and restaurants now open for business. Based on all kinds of indicators, I now refer to Historic Downtown Melbourne as “the shopping, dining and nightlife capital” of Brevard and northern Indian River Counties.

What advice would you give to other communities who’d like to implement similar events of their own?

All of our activities, especially labor-intensive events, rely heavily on volunteers. If an organization doesn’t have a large group of reliable volunteers, as well as support from throughout the community, then I’d suggest that community follow another course, because this work really is a “labor of love.” It takes a large group of dedicated stakeholders to all come together and share a common goal of building a stronger community. Individual merchants, residents and individuals cannot accomplish as much if they don’t work together. The Main Street program provides a workbook and a work plan on how to organize, how to break up key responsibilities, how to recruit the right businesses and the right board members and volunteers, etc. It’s a well organized and proven program for achieving success. It’s a lengthy process, so do not expect results overnight.

What are some of the obstacles you’ve had to face in organizing them?

Actually, the biggest obstacle we have here in Melbourne is scheduling events that do not conflict, either by date or nature of the events, with other organizations or events in the Space Coast. Brevard County is fortunate in that it offers an incredible variety and number of events and activities throughout the year. It’s really a good problem to have for residents, visitors and business owners.

What is the most difficult part of the planning process?

Now that’s quite a question! It’s simply organizing and managing everything from city permits and entertainment to street cleaning, police presence, street barricades, vendors (food, beverage, art, craft, and business), and volunteers, to porta-johns.

What have you learned since you began working within the program?

Actually, I learned this many years ago, and it certainly holds true in this position, and it’s an old saying that applies to all aspects of life: You’ll never please ALL of the people ALL of the time!

What are some of the busiest months for you?

Believe me, all months are busy in my position, as various administrative tasks and other responsibilities continue throughout the year: attending City Council meetings twice a month, attending eight MMS committee meetings a month, serving on the Board of Directors of the Melbourne-Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and the Henegar Center for the Arts, attending quarterly Florida Main Street meetings and submitting quarterly reports, and working on special projects with the City of Melbourne as requested.

Where are some of the best places for people to find parking for Melbourne’s First Fridays? Which part of the downtown area is routinely closed off?

Parking is available along East New Haven Avenue and on side streets, as well as in several Public Parking lots downtown. Parking will improve tremendously during the holidays when the new multi-level parking deck opens on the site of the old City Hall on Strawbridge Avenue, adding over 400 new spots to our downtown parking inventory. Street closures for Friday Fest are on East New Haven between the railroad tracks and Waverly Place, and on portions of Municipal Lane and Vernon Place. For art festivals, closures extend from US 1 to Livingston Avenue along East New Haven. Interestingly, the Main Street folks feel that parking problems are a very good indicator that your retail district is growing and thriving.

What kinds of Melbourne Main Street events can people look forward to in the coming months?

Our monthly Friday Family Fests are the second Friday of each month (except December); those are our primary ongoing events. The summer months are somewhat more difficult to plan due the heat and uncertain weather conditions. In July 10, the Friday Fest will feature Dub City Tribe; on August 14th the Steve Thorpe Blues Orchestra will perform; and on September 11th, the John Quinlivan Band will take the stage. Events which are being considered (but not in the planning stage yet) include car and bike shows, craft shows to complement our art festivals, boat and watercraft shows, multi-cultural and holiday events, and an upscale beer and wine festival.

As a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, Melbourne Main Street relies on memberships, sponsorships, events and other fund-raising programs to fund its various activities. All meetings, all committees and Board membership are open to anyone interested in helping shape the look, feel and future success of Historic Downtown Melbourne. For more information on upcoming events and participating businesses, call (321) 724-1741, or visit www.downtownmelbourne.com.

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