Picayune Main Street wins award
Published 7:00 am Tuesday, August 25, 2020
- Award: From left, business owner Evelyn Edwards, Picayune Main Street Director Reba Beebe, business owner Bill Edwards and Main Street Board of Directors President Norman Howell stand in front of Glass Porch, one of five revamped facades on West Canal Street. Cathy Cook | Picayune Item
Picayune Main Street was recognized with the Mississippi Main Street 2020 Design Award for its downtown façade project.
The project, entitled “Making Downtown More Loveable,” was completed with the support of Mississippi Power, C&M Marine Ventures and Picayune Main Street Inc.
Five downtown businesses had their facades updated: Gibson House Antiques, Bella Skin, Glamour Girl Boutique, Beauty Box and Glass Porch. The updates included pressure washing, new paint and new awnings.
Picayune Main Street offers two façade updates per year, said Picayune Main Street Director Reba Beebe, but because of the grants from the partnering organizations, five businesses were able to update their storefronts in 2020 and received more funding than would be available in a typical year.
Main Street pays for half of the cost of the updates, while the business owner funds the other half.
Normally Main Street offers businesses $500 to help them complete a $1,000 project, but this year businesses were offered $1,500 to help them complete a $3,000 project thanks to the additional grant funding.
Main Street is looking forward to future projects in 2021, said Beebe, including façade updates for businesses on Highway 11 and making downtown alleys more inviting, potentially with murals that connect to local history.
