The Ardmore Main Street Authority was recognized this week for the millions in reinvestment that has taken place in downtown Ardmore.
During Main Street Day at the Capitol, the Oklahoma Main Street Center recognized Ardmore Main Street Authority for $65 million in local private reinvestment. AMSA Executive Director Allison Meredith said Ardmore had reached the $60 million milestone in 2023.
“People are reinvesting in downtown,” she said. “You look at East Main and East Main is at 100% occupancy rate. There is not a building for sale at East Main anymore.”
Meredith said other properties are being purchased on West Main Street. That side of Main Street will also be bolstered with the addition of a new parking lot.
“Once we get some more streetscape on this end, I think people will start reinvesting more in West Main,” Meredith said.
During Main Street Day at the Capitol, AMSA set up in the rotunda with other state organizations.
“We speak to legislators and represent the community and the reinvestment that we have done in downtown and tell them a little bit about what we are doing in Ardmore,” Meredith said.
They also talked about Bill 2407, which provides funding for Main Street programs throughout the state.
“It is not a large amount of funding, but anything helps,” she said. “It would allow us to do more things without having to fundraise all the time.”
The Oklahoma Main Street Center is a division of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. The center leads Main Street Day at the Capitol to draw attention to the revitalization of local downtown districts.
“It was a fantastic day that gave local Main Street programs from all over the state the opportunity to highlight their upcoming events and share the progress of their local economic revitalization efforts,” Buffy Skee, Oklahoma State Main Street Director, said. “The Main Street program is driven by passionate volunteers—local individuals committed to transforming their urban neighborhoods and historic commercial districts. We are grateful for their dedication to their communities and incredibly proud of the hard work they put in to help these programs flourish and grow.”
Upcoming events
The AMSA will host Mothers on Main Saturday. Tickets are presold at $30 with some still available for the event. Moms will go to each of the participating businesses and receive a flower, building up a bouquet.
Meredith said some stores will have special event for the moms and the cost is mainly to offset the cost of the flowers.
On June 14, there will be an Art Walk up and down West Main Street with vendors and art activities. There will also be passports for kids, in which they will visit businesses to get their passports stamped.
