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2025 NC Main Street Conference
March 11-13 | Mooresville, NC​
- THURSDAY SCHEDULE -
8:00am - 9:15am | Mooresville Walking Tours
Charles Mack Citizen Center | 215 North Main Street
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1 | Love What You Do | Makers Tour
This tour will showcase Downtown Mooresville businesses that create products inside their doors while offering a fantastic selection of retail options. When you love what you do, you deliver it with a smile and small-town charm!
2 | Building with Heart | Mack on Main Mooresville Arts Tour
Join us for a tour of a 1925 building that has served the Mooresville community as a hotel and theater. Now fully renovated, both floors are used for office space rentals, retail, and restaurant space. On our second stop we will tour the home of Mooresville Arts where classes, receptions, and lectures come to life. You will see firsthand how what once felt
like a space filled with ghosts is now home to lots of art to love!
3 | Livable & Fun | Liberty Park and Mill One Tour
When you can renovate a park and connect it to your downtown core, you do it right! Join us for a tour of Liberty Park, a project that took a blank and dreary piece of property and brought life, color, and fun to the heart of Downtown Mooresville. After the park tour, we will visit a 90,000-square-foot, mixed-use development project spurred by the Liberty Park investment.
4 | Legends & Lore | NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame and Welcome Home Veterans Museum Tour
Join us for this tour to see how Mooresville honors its NASCAR legends and local veterans. Mooresville is home to many NASCAR teams and drivers and is recognized as “Race City USA.” The NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame connects and celebrates the many aspects of the sport downtown. After we stroll the streets, we will tour the Welcome Home Veterans Museum, commonly known as Richard’s Coffee Shop. Once inside, you will enjoy an extensive collection of memorabilia. Before you leave, you will probably see community members hanging out at the legendary “Liar’s Table.”
5 | Legends & Lore | Award-Winning Ghost Signs & 124-Year-Old D E Turner & Co. Hardware Tour
Join us as we walk around downtown to tour Mooresville's award-winning ghost signs that have received national attention from the National Main Street Center, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and other history enthusiasts. The restoration of these works of art resurrected a time when signage and artistry were commonplace, and they will now live on forever. We will finish our tour by visiting D E Turner & Co. Hardware. Serving the community as a combination of a living history museum and retailer for over 125 years, this is a store you will not want to miss!
6 | Livable & Lovable Spaces | Broad Street Place and Allman's Residential Unit Tour
Join us to tour a former 1920s ice cream manufacturing facility renovated into seven retail spots and eight upper-floor apartments, all with a historic cool factor! Then we will tour another renovation project, which includes additional residential living with a memorable rooftop terrace, a business expansion, and a business creation within the renovated
basement's footprint.
7 | Creating Beautiful Spaces to Love | Bridgetree and Dulcet & Delish Tour
A historic tax credit project gem awaits you! Join us to tour a building built between 1908 and 1914. This Renaissance Revival-style building is home to an international data company and a local cafe where everything is made from scratch. The tour will also highlight an initiative launched by turning an underutilized pocket park beside the cafe into an outdoor space for customers and a gathering space for the community.
9:15am - 9:30am | Break
Charles Mack Citizen Center | 215 North Main Street
9:30am - 10:45am | Break-Out Sessions
#16
Does Quirky Get Your Community Noticed?
Location:: TBD
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In the world of downtown revitalization, leveraging unique local assets is a key component of success. The Main Street program emphasizes the importance of aligning promotional activities with a community’s authentic characteristics. But what happens when the "assets" are a little more… unconventional? Festivals like The Alien Festival or The Bigfoot Festival might seem quirky, but do they help a community stand out—or is it just the legends and lore driving the buzz? This session will explore how quirky, unconventional events can bring attention to your community. Are these festivals truly based on the region’s authentic assets, or are they merely tapping into the folklore that surrounds them? We’ll examine the balance between embracing local culture and using playful myths to spark interest and discuss the potential benefits and challenges that come with these offbeat attractions. Promotion
Stephanie Saintsing-Nasset, Executive Director, NC Association of Festivals & Events
Freddie Killough, Executive Director, Marion Business Association
Theresa Mathis, Director, NC Whirligig Festival
Julie Beck, President, Mount Olive Chamber of Commerce
Deborah Malenfant, Executive Director, Elizabeth City Downtown. Inc.
#17
Planning for a Main Street Project: Collaboration, Design, and Flexibility
Location:: TBD
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Streetscape improvements and downtown planning projects require a careful balance of vision, stakeholder engagement, and long-term planning to enhance the urban environment. This session will explore the essential elements and best practices of planning and executing a successful downtown and main street streetscape transformation, with a particular focus on building partnerships with both public and private sector stakeholders, integrating a community’s unique assets, and creating a flexible, adaptive design. From promoting accessibility and inclusivity to planning for seasonal events and activities, attendees will gain practical tools and strategies for creating streetscapes that reflect the community’s identity while accommodating growth and change. Using case studies from communities such as Concord and Mooresville, participants will see real-world examples of how thoughtful design can transform a community space, increase accessibility, and encourage vibrancy. Design
Kaylee Caton, RA, AICP, Design Manager, Planning & Neighborhood Development Department, City of Concord
Paige Grochoske, Downtown Development Manager, City of Concord
David Cole, AICP. Senior Planner, Town of Mooresville
Dylan McNight, Senior Urban Designer, Bolton & Menk
#18
The 15-Minute Economy in Rural Downtowns: Can You Access What You Need Within 15 Minutes?
Location:: TBD
In rural communities, the concept of a "15-Minute Economy" is gaining traction as a way to assess how well local infrastructure and services meet residents' daily needs. This session will explore whether rural downtown areas can provide easy access to essential goods and services—such as food, healthcare, prescriptions, recreation, a library, and more—within a 15-minute radius and how that improves the quality of life in rural areas. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the critical role that access to essential services plays in the sustainability of rural downtowns, case studies from three small communities that are implementing aspects of a 15-minute economy, and tangible takeaways and practical tools for advancing these concepts in their own communities. Economic Vitality
Connie Kincaid, Business Development Manager, Alexander County Economic Development Corporation
Sharon Smith, Community Economic Development Planner – Northeast Region, NC Main Street & Rural Planning Center
Tyler Wise, Small Town Main Street Director, Town of Roseboro
Robert Davie, Town Manager, Town of Warrenton
Jenni Rogan, Director of Operations, Working Landscapes
Greg Zephir, Town Manager, Town of Troy
#19
City Parks with Big Impact: Transforming Urban Spaces for Health, Sustainability, and Community
Location:: TBD
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City parks are not just recreational spaces—they are powerful drivers of economic, social, and environmental change. This session will provide attendees with the knowledge, strategies, and case studies they need to understand and capitalize on the potential of parks to transform urban areas and downtown businesses. Whether you're a business owner, city planner, or community leader, you’ll leave this session with practical tools to help make your city greener, more sustainable, and economically vibrant. Design
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Kim Atkins, Executive Director, Mooresville Downtown Commission
Ashley Nowell, Business Development Director, Town of Waxhaw
Dena Sabinske, Parks and Recreation Director, Town of Waxhaw
#20
Empowering Small Businesses with Knowledge: Unlocking Tools for Success
Location:: TBD
Small business owners are the backbone of our economy, but they don’t always have access to the same resources or skill sets as larger corporations. Whether they are just starting out or looking to grow, many small business owners face barriers to success due to a lack of critical knowledge in areas like technology, finance, and marketing. This session aims to level the playing field by introducing community leaders to the tools and resources that can help transform the operations of their small businesses. With solutions from industry leaders like Google, Microsoft, and Intuit, attendees will learn how to harness technology to streamline processes, manage finances, and expand their digital presence. Economic Vitality
Talib Graves-Mann, Executive Director, Knox St. Studios
Richard Brown, Director, Knox St. Studios
10:15am - 11:00am | Champion Registration
Charles Mack Citizen Center | 215 North Main Street
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10:30am - 11:15am | Coffee with the Champions
Charles Mack Citizen Center | 215 North Main Street
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11:15am - 12:45pm
NC Main Street Champions Recognition Ceremony
Charles Mack Citizen Center | 215 North Main Street
NO TICKET REQUIRED​
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12:45pm - 1:00pm | Closing
Liz Parham
Charles Mack Citizen Center | 215 North Main Street
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