Laramie Main Street Alliance has been nominated for the 2022 Great American Main Street Award Semifinals! Laramie’s Main Street Alliance (LMSA) has been created in 2005 in an initiative to bring businesses in downtown Laramie together to revitalize the community, and preserve our historic downtown. Since then, they have created projects such as the Laramie Mural Project, Downtown Farmer’s Market, Laramie Brewfest, the downtown bike racks and Cowboy Cash. LMSA partners with the University of Wyoming, the City of Laramie and downtown businesses to create a dynamic space where students and residents can enjoy downtown Laramie in all of its beauty. Most importantly, LMSA is there to provide leadership and direction to the group of businesses participating. LMSA is responsible not only for encouraging local businesses to work together to provide a shopping, dining and cultural experience to Laramie’s residents, but also to help business owners. Some of the services they offer are part of incentive programs, like loans, grants, technical and design assistance. They also help educate businesses with different development classes and training. All of their resources are free to business or building owners.
LMSA is now the fourth Wyoming Main Street Community recognized by GAMSA. With all the things they have done, it is no surprise that they have impressed the juries at the GAMSA semi-finals. Some of the criteria for winning include commitment to historic preservation, spurring community transformation, community outreach, commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, spurring community transformation, innovative programming, implementation of cross-sector partnerships, and stakeholder engagement.
This nomination also speaks to how resilient Laramie’s business community is. After all of COVID and hardships that came from it, we have managed to come back strong and changed from it. Many events are planned for 2022, so stay tuned to all the fun happening downtown on LMSA’s website.
The 2022 GAMSA winners will be announced on May 16, 2022, at the Main Street Now Conference in Richmond, VA.