Main Street Wooster touts successful 2022, plans for new year at annual meeting

Bryce Buyakie, The Daily Record
3 min read
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WOOSTER − Main Street Wooster had a year of success in 2022, and numbers tell the story.

It hosted 93 events — a record number in one year — that attracted over 20,000 people who spent nearly $552,000 in the downtown area during events or at local businesses.

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Main Street Wooster past Chair Pat Neyhart welcomes guests to the annual meeting and presents some of the year's highlights.
Main Street Wooster past Chair Pat Neyhart welcomes guests to the annual meeting and presents some of the year's highlights.

Main Street Wooster Trustee Pat Neyhart outlined these figures at the 2022 annual meeting Wednesday evening at the Rea and Associates office building to a crowd of area officials and business leaders.

"The harder it is to find a parking space, the better the downtown area is doing," Neyhart said. "That's how I measure the success of Main Street Wooster."

Growing Main Street Wooster

Main Street Executive Director Shannon Waller gives a report on the year's activities.
Main Street Executive Director Shannon Waller gives a report on the year's activities.

The annual event drew dozens of people to show how the downtown and business-oriented organization grew in the last year.

Executive Director Shannon Waller said she hired two new staff members at the start of 2022.

Kerri Manley-Still became the project coordinator who created new events, adding to the record number of Main Street happenings across downtown.

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Guinevere Steensen, the program manager, expanded the weekly farmers market. Waller said this resulted in increased attendance and higher revenue for vendors.

Other notable events include the Airstream Rally, more Main Street Music nights and round table discussions with businesses and city leaders to address "challenges that face downtown," she said.

Five new businesses joined the downtown Main Street family while the number of people who received newsletters increased to 9,821.

And with the holiday-themed events coming up, these numbers will likely increase, she said.

Design awards

The Shanlians accept the Main Street design award for interior/exterior work for Primary Residential Mortgage.
The Shanlians accept the Main Street design award for interior/exterior work for Primary Residential Mortgage.

Earlier in the year, Waller partnered with the city to fund the $50,000 Facade Grant Program, which allowed businesses to renovate, maintain and repair the street-facing sides of their businesses.

Main Street Wooster gave awards to eight businesses Wednesday evening that renovated a portion of their stores in the downtown area, making it an attractive spot for visitors.

E&H Ace Hardware was the first honoree, with businessmen Christopher Buehler, Rich Fishburn and Chad Boreman accepting the award for the hardware store that opened in March.

JK Gift Shop, Meraki Artistry Permanent Cosmetics, Primary Residential Mortgage, Renfrow Realty, Spoon Market & Deli and the Venue also received awards.

Wayne County Commissioners Ron Amstutz, Sue Smail and Becky Foster accept the Main Street design award for exterior work at the renovated county offices and courthouse 117 West Liberty St.
Wayne County Commissioners Ron Amstutz, Sue Smail and Becky Foster accept the Main Street design award for exterior work at the renovated county offices and courthouse 117 West Liberty St.

Wayne County Commissioners Ron Amstutz, Sue Smail and Becky Foster and the recently re-elected Rep. Scott Wiggam (R-Wayne County) capped off the ceremony by accepting their award for the renovated county offices and courthouse at 117 West Liberty St.

"This project has its roots since before we were here," Amstutz said. "That's why there's more than just three of us up here. This project was years in the making."

2023 strategic plan

New Main Street Chair Chris Pycraft.
New Main Street Chair Chris Pycraft.

With two dozen events scheduled for 2023 and more to come, Waller has high hopes for next year.

While promoting the downtown area remains Waller's top priority, she wants to launch marketing and social media training programs for their partners while doing more community outreach.

"We hope to partner with the Wayne County Library and the Wayne County Historical Society to present a series of downtown walking tours," she said.

To add a pop of color, Waller will look into artistic options to cover utility boxes.

To learn more about Main Street Wooster and upcoming events, visit www.mainstreetwooster.org/.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: main-street-wooster-touts-2022-success-hosts-record-number-of-events

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