This year has been a learning experience for everyone to say the least. But amid all the changes and struggles we are thankful for what we were able to accomplish in 2020. Because of the hard work of our dedicated volunteers, board members, local businesses and staff, Laramie Main Street Alliance is grateful for these projects we were able to achieve during our 15 year anniversary:
1. Covid resources: When the pandemic reached Wyoming, we transitioned our website and e-news to include helpful Covid related resources for both consumers and businesses. These ranged from fun activities to do at home, safe ways to support businesses, links to health guidelines, free trainings and grant opportunities for businesses.
2. Gift Card Challenge: Early in the spring, when we were first experiencing restrictions due to Covid, we launched a gift card challenge! Gift cards are an easy way to support businesses that were not able to operate as usual - so we challenged the community to purchase gift cards to local businesses to be entered to win Downtown gift certificates!
3. Virtual guides: This year we have developed and published 2 virtual shopping guides - these list out ways you can shop with local businesses and restaurants online! A one stop place for your online shopping needs! We did a spring edition and Holiday edition!
4. Laramie Marketplace: With the help of Hits 106 we assisted in the launch of Laramie Marketplace - it’s a central location to purchase gift cards online, view menus, or see available jobs for local laramie businesses.
5. Hollyhock Commons: In partnership with the City of Laramie and Laramie Public Art we assisted with the creation of Hollyhock Commons. This innovative outdoor dining area provided additional eating opportunities for the community to enjoy local restaurants. Eight picnic tables with umbrellas were set up by the Hollyhock mural for Laramie residents and visitors to enjoy takeout food and alcoholic beverages (with the approval of an open container district for the summer)! Planters and signs created by local artists made the area cozy and bright! A true collaborative effort to support downtown restaurants, breweries, and bars!
6. Shop Safe Shop Smart: this summer we collaborated with Wyoming Main Street, Wyoming State Chamber of Commerce, and Wyoming Economic Development Association for a statewide campaign. “Shop Smart” refers to the importance of shopping locally and supporting your local economy. “Shop Safe” focuses on shopping with new safety standards in mind – which include social distancing, increased sanitation, customer limits, alternative ways to shop, and more. Across the state communities used materials to showcase safety measures and remind communities to shop local!
7. Temporary mural at the Wyo Theater with LPAC: Earlier this fall, LMSA partnered with Laramie Public Art and a University of Wyoming printmaking class to install an evolving and ever changing mural at the Wyo Theater. Students working in groups created a mural by adding to and responding to elements installed by the team before them. The result was a dynamic and engaging mural reflective of the challenges of 2020.
8. Creating Covid safe events such as the Farmers Market, Ghostchase, and Pop up Art Walk. This year we’ve had to rethink our usual line up of events! Even though we couldn't have all our events we had many that were able to be altered to be Covid Safe. The summer farmers market was adapted this year to include safety standards for vendors and patrons and a new larger area for the market! In September LMSA helped facilitate 20 artists set up a pop-up shop at a variety of downtown businesses - turning downtown into an art gallery for an entire week! This Halloween we partnered to put on a community wide Ghost hunt - a fun and safe scavenger hunt!
9. The Power of 5 with United Way: Laramie Main Street and United Way of Albany County worked together to bring the Power of $5! We challenged the community to shop and dine downtown in at least 5 participating Power of 5 stores or restaurants - each of which had a special $5 promotions.
10. Improvements to the Wyo: The Wyo theater, built in 1925 as the Crown Theater, remodeled in 1950 with streamline modern details, was donated to Laramie Main Street in the fall of 2019. This year we were able to fix the leaky roof at the Wyo Theater, as well as developing a plan to restore the facade and having the building systems (plumbing, electrical and HVAC) inspected, all big steps in getting the building in working repair! This work would not have been possible without grants from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund and LISC.
11. Crowdfunding Campaign: To celebrate our 15 year anniversary (and recoup funds lost from the cancelation of Brewfest) we launched a crowdfunding campaign to support LMSA. We were overjoyed with the number of incentive/reward donations we received from local businesses along with generous cash match donations! And together we raised $19,000 to ensure our services remain free to the 290 businesses located downtown.
12. Cowboy Cash program with UW: Released on October 30th, UW’s “Cowboy Cash” program gave $50 in gift certificates to UW students living on campus with a meal plan. The goal - to provide students with additional dining and shopping options and help offset financial losses experienced by local businesses. As of Dec. X, businesses in the Laramie community had received $X, thanks to “Cowboy Cash” student purchases.
13. Train Lighting: This year we wanted the holidays to be extra special - so we decided to light up the train in depot park! Thanks to the generosity of the community who donated lights and with the help of the City of Laramie Parks and Rec departments and the Historic Train Depot board members, we were able to light up 4 train cars! And we had a special guest visit when we lit up the train cars - check out the video here.
14. Brookings Institute study: In late 2019, Laramie Main Street began a partnership with Main Street America and The Brookings Institution to develop a case study for hyper-local, place based community development. The data collected was compiled into case studies exploring why Main Street programs are a key driver of economic recovery in rural America, why rural businesses need local solutions to survive, and how rural resilience depends on flexibility, accessible, built environments and where work is still needed to bridge social divides. Read the full series here.
15. Restaurant Payroll Grant - Because Locally owned brick and mortar restaurants, and their employees, were struggling from the effects of Covid 19, Laramie Main Street has partnered with United Way of Albany County, Blue Federal Credit Union, Toyota of Laramie, Premier Bone and Joint, Trihydro Corporation, and UniWyo Federal Credit Union to create a “Downtown Restaurant Payroll Grant”. This grant offered up to $1,500 in payroll assistance to businesses. We are proud of the partnerships and how quickly everyone was able to pull this together to support our community at the end of 2020. In under two weeks, we have provided $30,000 in grant funds to 21 businesses which support 90 FT and 287 PT jobs.