Laramie Main Street Prepares for Transformation in 2019

New Year’s Resolutions aren’t just for individuals. As part of its ongoing work to revitalize downtown Laramie, Laramie Main Street is seeking feedback from the public on what they want downtown to be like in the future.

“We all have things we love about downtown and things we wish were different. This process is a great opportunity for our community, business owners, consumers, partners and volunteers to document their thoughts in a way that will influence our strategies moving forward” said Laramie Main Street Director, Trey Sherwood.

As part of a refresh to the Main Street 4-point approach, economic vitality, design, organization and promotion, downtown Laramie will adopt “Transformation Strategies” with assistance from National Main Street and Wyoming Main Street.

Based on broad community input, Main Street will be adopting measurable strategies that over the course of several years will bring about positive, intentional change in downtown’s economy. The strategies will focus on expanding a specific type of business or meeting the needs of certain types of customers.

The short survey, asking things like, “What are the top issues facing downtown” and “what business types would you like to see downtown” will be open January 7 – 17 via www.laramiemainstreet.org. It can also be accessed directly through this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KPBN3KX

Survey results will be reviewed by the Laramie Main Street board at 5 pm on January 22 at 115 Ivinson Avenue during a visit with National Main Street staff. For more information about the “Transformation Strategy” process or to get involved, email downtownlaramie@gmail.com.

What a Year: 2018's Top Ten Moments!

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What a year! 
Here are our Top 10 Moments from 2018.
 

#1. This fall, National Main Street picked Laramie as one of five featured communitiesmodeling the success of the Main Street model. It was an absolute honor to be chosen and a joy to brag about the community we love! 

#2. We opened the doors to the all-new Big Hollow Food Co-Op thanks to the shared vision and support of our partners at the Wyoming Business Council and The City of Laramie!

#3. We exceeded our Giving Tuesday goal and raised over $2,500 in one day thanks to all of you!

#4. We kicked off 2018 by merging with the Downtown Laramie Business Association, adopting a full-calendar of your favorite events and allowing us to cheer for Laramie with more resources, volunteers and opportunities to connect on the streets!

#5. Working with the Laramie Public Art Coalition (LPAC), we completed Gill Street, the collaborative fish mural seen from 1st Street including unique fish from 20+ local artists! 

#6. We added two new high-capacity bike racks to the streets of downtown. Spot these beauties, designed by local artist Meg Thompson and installed by our friends at The City of Laramie, in front of Coal Creek Coffee and Pedal House!

#7. We moved! The LMSA offices moved from Grand Ave. to our new location at 115 Ivinson Ave. We are nestled between The Chocolate Cellar and Sweet Pickles, and are loving all the new sites and sounds of this block; the oldest part of the commercial district. 

#8. You may have noticed something new at The Wyo Theater. We changed the sign! Have an idea of what you'd like the marquee to say for the new year? Send us your ideas!

#9. Speaking of moving and all-new, we expanded the Downtown Laramie Farmer's Market! Moving the location allowed us to welcome all-new vendors, activate the adjacent green space and plug in new placemaking and community projects like The Toy Library and the Story Booth!

#10. In 2018 we set our sights on supporting you. We continued hosting Coffee + Conversations, a peer-to-peer gathering for business and property owners to expand and grow their businesses, and continued to work to create opportunities for coaching and support that helps your business thrive!

[Bonus #11: Main Street staff celebrated big in 2018, from dancing on the streets to sharing our success stories among our economic development peers throughout Laramie, across Wyoming and beyond. WEDA took us to Evanston and Main Street America to Kansas City. Our Small Business Saturday caught the attention of the Business Council and Livability said we were one of the Top 100 places to live. Nothing feels better than representing our organization and the community we love!]


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 A big thank you to the businesses, property owners, volunteers, donors and downtown lovers for making our 2018 one for the books!

Interested in supporting Laramie Main Street in the new year?
Learn how you can lend Laramie Main Street a hand!


Thank you to our
2018 Laramie Main Street Champions:


Business Donations:

  • Ivinson Memorial Hospital

  • Anong’s Thai Cuisine

  • The Mortgage Source

  • The Chocolate Cellar

  • Big Dipper Ice Cream

  • Cowboy Glass

  • Works of Wyoming

  • Spic and Span Laundromat

  • Dodd’s Shoe Co.

  • Laramie Basecamp

  • Poppy’s

  • CPA Group of Laramie

  • Herb House

  • Behavior Science Investigations

  • Mountain Valley Bridal

  • Sensuous She

  • Bent and Rusty

  • Gallery West/Frame Plant

  • Atmosphere Mountain Works

  • Albany County Tourism

  • Mountain Valley Property

  • Bart’s Flea Market

  • 504 Partnership

  • Back of the Wagon Antiques

  • Corthell and King

  • Coal Creek Coffee

  • Coal Creek TAP

  • Steam Vapour

  • Quilt Essentials

  • Ruby’s on Grand

  • Altitude Chophouse and Brewery

  • Speedgoat

  • Relative Theatrics

  • Sweet Melissa’s Vegetarian Café

  • Travel Inn

  • Star Awards and Promos

  • The Local Crowd

Individual Donors:

  • Lars Kotthoff

  • Rick Fisher

  • Carly Ann Carruthers

  • Kim Vincent

  • Rebecca Raybould

  • Ann Accuf

  • Ray Olson

  • Margaret Brown

  • Jessica Brauer

  • Jon Weibe

  • Bonnie Miller

  • Nathan Potter

  • Trey Sherwood

  • Shantel Anderson

  • Effie Bader

  • Julie Obert

  • Claudia Woods

  • Dianne Bruner

  • Favian Hernandez

  • Susan Moldenhauer

  • Andrea Graham

  • Rine Kaschow

  • Anne Alexander

  • Meghan Lockwood

  • Jacqueline Grimes

  • Jill Ottman

  • KC Vernon

  • Kathleen Bertoncelj

  • Christy Smith

  • Fred Schmechel

  • Maggie Bourque

  • Diane Wolverton

  • Glenda Earl

  • Stephanie Gies

  • Erin Rose

  • Jerry Schmidt

Laramie Celebrates 150th Birthday

Laramie Wyoming 150th

May 5, 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of the Union Pacific “rolling into town,” thus establishing Laramie as an “end of tracks” town. With the establishment of law and order, the commercial core district, local government, the Wyoming Territorial Prison and University of Wyoming, the town began to flourish.


To celebrate 150 years in the “Gem City,” Laramie’s 150th anniversary committee, made up of museums, historic sites, libraries and archives, the Albany County Tourism Board, Laramie Main Street, the Laramie Boomerang and the City of Laramie, invites the community to be part of this yearlong celebrations.  


From a kick off weekend with events at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site and Laramie Railroad Depot May 4 - 6 to mark the 150th anniversary to new exhibits at local museums, a fall lecture series at the American Heritage Center, historic walking tours downtown, family friendly activities, and custom memorabilia, we are excited to celebrate 150 years of history on “The Gem City of the Plains”. 


To host a successful series of events and produce 150th themed merchandise, the anniversary committee has identified the need to raise $30,000 from individuals, businesses, foundations and grants. We are currently one-third of the way to our fundraising goal and are inviting the community to contribute. We are challenging 150 individuals to give $150 dollars by visiting
http://visitlaramie.org/laramie150 or taking a check made to “Albany County Tourism Board” with “150” in the memo line to First Interstate Bank. 


Businesses wishing to sponsor should contact the fundraising committee for more information about donor levels and opportunities for recognition: 


Devin Stalder, 307-399-0967, djstalder@cityoflaramie.org  
Todd Feezer, 307-721-5260, tfeezer@cityoflaramie.org  
Trey Sherwood, 307-760-3355, downtownlaramie@gmail.com   
Mike Gray, 307-745-4195, admin@visitlaramie.org  


For more information about events scheduled for the 150th anniversary, visit: http:/visitlaramie.org/laramie150  

Laramie Main Street joins global #GivingTuesday movement

Giving Tuesday Laramie Wyoming

LARAMIE, WY–Laramie Main Street Alliance (LMSA) has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.

Occurring this year on November 28, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the widely-recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.

“I give because a vibrant downtown means a healthy community, and a unique, fun and profound place to make a life,” LMSA Organization Committee member Maggie Bourque said. “Every time I share something like the Laramie Mural Project or the Farm Walls with someone—local or visitor—the sense of pride and excitement reminds me of how much I benefit from the strength and creativity of our community, and how lucky I am to be even a small part of helping it thrive.”

LMSA will celebrate volunteers, partners and donors who have given their time or money to the organization by featuring testimonials on the Downtown Laramie social media pages.

“Our volunteers, partners and donors are the heart and soul of Main Street,” LMSA Communications Coordinator Director Jessica Brauer said. “Many hands make light work, and we are fortunate to have the hands, talent and passion of many building a thriving downtown with us.”

“The generosity and enthusiasm of our community allows us to execute projects that make downtown thrive and ensure our economic development, historic preservation, design, outreach and marketing services remain free to business and property owners within the district.”

Those who are interested in joining Main Street’s #GivingTuesday initiative can apply to volunteer or make a tax-deductible donation.

For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website, Facebook page or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on social media.

Laramie rallies behind local businesses for 2017’s Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday Laramie Wyoming

Nov. 25—Laramie will celebrate the seventh annual Small Business Saturday. Over 60 local businesses will participate, offering in-house specials and promotions. The downtown historic district is expected to thrive on the government-recognized holiday.

According to the American Chamber of Commerce, local businesses are 250% more likely to donate to the community than large corporations. Since American Express launched Small Business Saturday in 2010, the event has continually raised over $15 billion nationwide to local businesses and communities.

"Small Business Saturday is my favorite holiday! I love seeing the community come out with smiles to support the local businesses!” Laramie Main Street Alliance executive director Trey Sherwood said. “The Shop Small movement helps residents connect to entrepreneurs as neighbors and friends. When you know the face behind the name, you're less likely to spend your hard-earned money online or in another community.”

For every $1 spent shopping in downtown Laramie, $2 is reinvested in the community, thanks to of local businesses, Sherwood said. The Laramie Main Street Alliance encourages community members to participate in a day that is beneficial to the growth of the Laramie community.

“For Laramie, shopping local is critical to maintain our streets, parks, fire and police services as the city’s budget is dependent on the sales tax that is generated by local purchases,” she said.

For more information about Small Business Saturday and the local deals that Laramie businesses will be offering, visit shopsmalllaramie.com.