Main Street
Economic Impact Statement
Downtown Clawson builds upon and markets its strong ‘restauraunt-centric’ and unique destination retail base while attracting new businesses that will complement the needs and demands of the downtown and community.
The Clawson DDA is proud to be an accredited member of the National Main Street Center (NMSC) and one of the 30 traditional downtowns that belong to, and receive the support of, Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) – the nations only county-wide Main Street program.
The National Main Street Center (NMSC), a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Founded in 1980, the NMSC’s “Four Point Approach” of Organization, Design, Promotion, and Economic Vitality has been successfully utilized in over 1,600 downtowns in 40 states since 1980.
Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) is an economic development program specifically targeted to provide technical assistance to the traditional downtowns in the County. These historic commercial districts each have a unique sense of place which, as part of a national trend, are becoming increasingly popular as places to do business, shop, dine, live and experience family activities.
Clawson project committees utilize the four points to create actionable goals. This years project committees included:
- Downtown Clock Repair; Collaboration with Clawson High School volunteers, the Clawson Community Foundation and City Council to facilitate the internal repair of our downtown centerpeice. Next in the plan is the painting & repair of the clock post.
- 14 Mile Alley Committee; Transform a utilitarian alley into a welcoming gathering space with brick pavers, string lighting, colorful seating and public art to invite customers to the downtown and promote the social district.
- Landscape Committee; Improve the visual appeal of the downtown planting beds along the walkways and in the pedestrian islands with the assistance of Oakland County Planning and a the award of a Sustainability Grant.
- Dine Clawson; A restaurant/pub owner collective to create promotions & marketing that improve downtown business growth and that of the Downtown Neighbor business members.
- Downtown Neighbors; A membership program aimed to include residents and business neighbors in the benefits of downtown participation.