When Main Street Delaware began in 1999, the occupancy of Sandusky Street was 47 percent. Today, the street is nearly full with an occupation rate of 96 percent.

As the private, non-profit organization grew so did Delaware’s downtown.

“The change has been slow, but sure,” said Frances Jo Hamilton, executive director of Main Street Delaware.

“When we first started, we did twice a month walking tours to reintegrate interest in downtown.”

The local organization, looking for ways to boost enthusiasm for downtown, reached back to resurrect a once popular event, First Fridays, which began in the early 2000s.  

“First Fridays were inspired by the days when grandmother and her friends would come downtown on Friday nights for an evening out," according to Main Street's website. 

Hamilton said, "Friday nights in downtown used to a big deal. So we started thinking, why not we recapture that.” 

This monthly community event in downtown Delaware is held on every first Friday of every month, where vendors put up sidewalk displays.

Main Street Delaware is a part of Main Street America, a 34-year-old national movement that advocates for revitalizing small downtown communities.

Hamilton said, “Being a Main Street community means that you’re a part of the national trust for historic preservation and the nationwide Main Street program.”

According to Main Street America’s website, “The phrase (Main Street) has been used to describe everything from our nostalgic past to our current economic woes, but when we talk about Main Street, we are thinking of real places doing real work to revitalize their communities and preserve their character.”

The program is heavily dependent on volunteers with only one paid position, which Hamilton currently holds.  

Main Street provides various incentives to encourage people to come downtown, including free children’s activities.

“We make sure that families can come downtown and not spend any money. I know that seems counterproductive to revitalization, but if you can provide experience to families in downtown, the side effect is that they do spend money,” said Hamilton.

“The goal is to get as many people on the sidewalk as possible.”

On First Fridays, Hamilton said, they make regular phone calls to restaurants to see what kind of wait time they are on, and it is never less than a 45 minute wait for any restaurant in downtown.

The defining feature, Hamilton said is, “downtown has been built and paid for over 200 years. Every bit of tax money that comes out of downtown is pure profit for city and county.”