Tennessee Main Street Program
Building Thriving, Sustainable Downtowns Across Tennessee
The Tennessee Main Street Program is a statewide initiative helping communities strengthen their downtown economies, preserve historic character, and build sustainable leadership structures. Administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), the program follows the nationally recognized Four Points of the Main Street Approach® to revitalization.
Is Your Community Ready?
You're Likely Ready If...
- You have strong municipal and private sector support
- You can hire a paid executive director
- You have a defined historic commercial district
- You have participated in TN Downtowns or Certified TN Downtowns program
You Will Need...
- A nonprofit governing structure
- A sustainable local budget
- Demonstrated downtown market understanding
A Proven Framework for Downtown Success
The Tennessee Main Street Program is a statewide initiative helping communities strengthen their downtown economies, preserve historic character, and build sustainable leadership structures. Administered by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), the program follows the nationally recognized Four Points of the Main Street Approach® to revitalization.
2025 Statewide Impact at a Glance
92K Community Hours Contributed
$247M Total Public and Private Investment
570 Buildings Rehabilitated
233 New Businesses and 1,064 New Jobs Created
The Four Points of Revitalization
The Tennessee Main Street Program is based on Main Street's Four Point Approach to downtown revitalization, designed to strengthen communities through a balanced and strategic framework. This comprehensive model focuses on four key pillars: Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion and Organization.
Design enhances the physical environment by preserving historic character, improving infrastructure and creating inviting, walkable spaces that reflect each community’s unique identity.
Promotion positions downtown as the heart of the community through strategic marketing, events and branding efforts that celebrate local culture and drive foot traffic.
Economic Vitality strengthens local economies by cultivating entrepreneurship, supporting existing businesses, attracting new investment and diversifying the district’s economic base.
Organization builds strong partnerships and leadership capacity, aligning public and private stakeholders around a shared vision for sustainable growth.
Together, these four pillars provide a holistic roadmap for revitalization—empowering Tennessee communities to create vibrant, resilient downtown districts that honor their heritage while embracing future opportunity.
TN Main Street Program Services
Tennessee Main Street offers a great network and environment for learning and applying proven revitalization tools. The state program provides many services to assist designated communities. These services range from working with newly designated programs on developing core competencies to helping mature programs maintain focus and effectiveness. The Tennessee Main Street program provides the following services to the designated local Main Street organization:
- Training Opportunities
- Guidance and Resources
- Recognition as a Tennessee Main Street Community
- Technical Service Provision
- Data Review via the Annual Designation Report
- Onsite Visits for Technical and Other Assistance
- Promotion via Local, State and Regional Main Street Programs
TN Main Street Highlights
Expand the accordions below to learn more
The Telephone Building at 116 Commerce Street in downtown Kingsport stands as a historic landmark reimagined for modern use. Originally opened in 1929 as the home of the Inter-Mountain Telephone Company, the building once served as a vital communications hub for the region. Following its renovation in 2020, the property now features a mix of residential and commercial uses, including eight loft apartments and ground-floor businesses such as Inspire Wine Bar, BluLis Boutique and Astral Maiden Boutique Tattoo Studio.
Owned by Chip and Angie Millican, the project reflects a successful blend of historic preservation and downtown revitalization (photos courtesy of the Millicans).
Cookeville’s Downtown Improvement Grant initiative led to façade improvements across multiple businesses. Coordinated efforts paired with private investment not only improve building exteriors, signage, and pedestrian appeal but also contribute to increased foot traffic, strengthen retail returns, and reinforce the downtown area as a vibrant and economically active destination.
The achievements from this grant opportunity reflect the collaborative effort of state and local officials, property owners, and business leaders dedicated to preserving and enhancing Cleveland’s unique downtown character, and would not have been possible without the strong partnership between the City and MainStreet Cleveland.
C. Seth Sumner, Assistant to the City Manager, Cleveland
Because of Main Street Murfreesboro's partnership, our Murfreesboro Puckett's had the most growth of ANY of our eight Puckett's restaurants! I know, without a doubt, it was the Main Street Murfreesboro team's willingness to partner with us, to guide us on how to leverage the marketing tools you offer, and to expose us to the right events and people in town that allowed us to be so successful.
Kerry Cicero, A Marshall Hospitality
Six Tennessee Main Street and downtown communities have been selected to receive Levitt AMP Music Series Grants, supporting three years of free outdoor concerts.
The program, administered by the Levitt Foundation, helps communities activate public spaces and bring people together through live music. Each community will host a series of free concerts in their downtown, creating opportunities for residents and visitors to gather, experience live performances and support local businesses.
Current Levitt AMP Grant Recipients:
Proof
This partnership strengthens food and beverage entrepreneurship across Tennessee by equipping Main Street communities with practical tools, training and expert support.
Downtown Improvement Grants
TNECD is offering competitive grants to eligible Tennessee Main Street and Tennessee Downtowns communities to support impactful downtown improvements.
Kim Parks, MSARP
Tennessee Main Street - Director
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
312 Rosa Parks Ave., 27 Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Kim.Parks@tn.gov
615.339.1506
Frank Clark
Tennessee Main Street - Assistant Director
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
312 Rosa Parks Ave., 27 Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Frank.Clark@tn.gov
615.866.7719