by Carmen Hilton | Jun 22, 2021 | Main Street Blog
New Board Members Bring Fresh Talent to Brunswick Main Street
Please welcome:
Tyson Anderson
Tyson is new to Brunswick but embraced our downtown charm from the beginning, purchasing one of the most historic homes in town. His professional background gives him ample experience in research, analysis, and strategic planning in addition to small business ownership. All invaluable skills for tackling downtown revitalization. He is especially passionate about capitalizing on people’s appetite for community as we emerge from Covid restrictions and making sure downtown has the infrastructure to meet it.
Erin Caines
Erin is one half of the David T. Caines, CPA partnership that purchased the practice of Charles H. Thornton, CPA in 2019. Currently located in the former Citizens building, the Caines look forward to breaking ground on a new building at the corner of East Potomac and First Avenue as soon as permitting allows. As a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with over 10 years professional experience, Erin brings a strong financial and strategic planning background to Main Street to help us meet our goals. We also love her commitment to incorporating sustainability into her work for Brunswick.
Chris Lucas
Raised in the Brunswick area, Chris has decades of local experience under his belt. He relocated his business, Chris Lucas State Farm Insurance, from Frederick to East Potomac Street in 2020. We are thrilled to have Chris’ fresh insight into what businesses look for before opening a location and the experience of bringing a business to Brunswick. He is ready to throw himself into what he sees as downtown Brunswick’s biggest challenge: getting a stockpile of affordable, turn-key commercial space.
As a reminder, our Board meets monthly on the first Wednesdays at 6:30pm. Meetings are open to the public. If you are interested in attending to learn more about our organization or to update us on outside initiatives, please email brunswickms@gmail.com to arrange to be added to the agenda.
by Carmen Hilton | Jun 22, 2021 | Emerging Projects
TRIPP Grant Award Boosts Main Street Efforts to Position Brunswick as Outdoor Recreation Destination
June 21, 2021
Brunswick Main Street (BMS) is thrilled to announce it has been awarded a grant in the amount of $7,000.00 from the Tourism Reinvestment in Promotion and Product (TRIPP) Program administered by the Tourism Council of Frederick County. Through this competitive program, a portion of the hotel tax revenue received by the Tourism Council is allocated to provide tourism product development grants for Frederick County non-profit organizations.
Early in June, BMS used its own funds to hire a production crew from local network WDVM to create a professional video. This video highlights Brunswick’s outdoor recreation amenities, including cycling on the Towpath and the River’s Edge trail network, kayaking, fishing, and our beautiful campground, as well as the downtown businesses ready to welcome visitors. The TRIPP grant allows BMS to distribute this video to a wider audience, taking advantage of internet and digital TV advertising to appeal to day-trippers and overnighters in a targeted radius.
“BMS has zeroed in on a few key areas when it comes to our economic strengths,” explains Carmen Hilton, BMS Manager. “I am ecstatic to see our efforts in the area of outdoor recreation beginning to yield results!”
Look for the video to debut on the BMS website in July!
by Carmen Hilton | May 24, 2021 | Emerging Projects
Money Will Help Main Street Celebrate C&O Canal NHP 50th Anniversary in Style
Brunswick Main Street (BMS) is thrilled to announce it has been awarded a grant in the amount of $892.38 from the C&O Canal Endowment Fund for Frederick County and The Community Foundation of Frederick County. The fund was created “to support projects and activities relating to the preservation and heritage of The C&O Canal National Historical Park, with preference given to those portions of the Canal located in Frederick County.”
Promotions Committee member Alyssa Theodore found it hard to contain her excitement. “I can’t wait for the big reveal. This funding allows Main Street to do something that celebrates our Canal heritage in a really fun, hands-on, and family-friendly way.”
BMS will be celebrating the Anniversary along with the City and other community groups on July 3, 2021 from 10am-5pm throughout downtown. Come and visit the Main Street booth to see how we used our grant award! Tricksy Hint: It features something that encourages kids to “play well.”
by Carmen Hilton | May 12, 2021 | Main Street Blog
“Buy Local, Buy Brunswick!” Gift Card Offer Sends Tens of Thousands of Dollars Downtown
On May 3, 2021, Brunswick Main Street launched its “Buy Local, Buy Brunswick!” gift card program with a fantastic offer: for a limited time, gift card purchases would be matched 100% up to $125. Matching funds were provided by a MD-SERI grant award, applied for and won by Main Street Board President Julie Martorana. $20,000 in matching funds were distributed in five days!
This is wonderful news for our downtown. That means that we’ve committed $40,000 in support to our beloved small businesses.
Gift cards continue to be available for sale and can be purchased online by going to https://app.yiftee.com/gift-card/brunswick. Gift cards are accepted at 14 different downtown locations: 3 Points Cycles, Antiques ‘n Ole Stuff, Beans in the Belfry, Boxcar Burgers, Brunswick Heritage Museum, Brunswick Sports & Apparel, Chrysalis Body & Massage, Corner Store, Five Dances Wellness, King’s Pizza, Potomac Street Grill, Public Spectacle, Roots & River Yoga, and Smoketown Brewing Station. They’re the perfect “one-size-fits-all” gift choice for birthdays, graduations, new home purchases, and all other occasions.
by Carmen Hilton | Nov 18, 2020 | Main Street Blog
November 13, 2020
Brunswick History Mural Restoration
In 1998 the Brunswick History Mural was painted on a brick building in downtown Brunswick. It was a project supported by city residents, the city government, and the Frederick Arts Council. Last month the mural artist, Philip Aldinger of Randallstown, Maryland, returned to renew the paint and brighten this landmark artwork.
The mural is a collage of images that symbolize Brunswick history, including trains and depots, the roundhouse, canal, hills, churches, schools and baseball. The 16 x 40 ft. mural faces Square Corner Park at the junction of Maple Avenue and Potomac Street in the heart of downtown Brunswick.
The mural repainting is a joint project of Brunswick Main Street and the City of Brunswick. The aim of the project is to improve the park experience for residents and visitors and to encourage people to explore Brunswick’s historic downtown.