The holidays are a magical time in Downtown Frederick! Lights fill trees overhead, storefronts are decorated to the nines, familiar holiday tunes waft through open doorways and shoppers line the streets. And with more than 250 small businesses located in Downtown Frederick’s 40-block historic district, it’s not hard to imagine why people come from miles around to experience our city and soak in the sights and sounds of the season.
However, what many people may not consider as they fill their shopping bags and check items off their list, is the economic impact that they’re having on their community. Downtown Frederick is part of a national network of over 1,000 Main Street America programs, which collectively reached a ten-year high for community reinvestment in 2016.
In the past year, Main Street communities reinvested $4.65 billion from public and private sources, created 5,616 new businesses, 27,462 jobs and rehabilitated 8,042 buildings. Since 1980, Main Streets have generated over $70 billion in reinvestment, 132,000 net new businesses, 584,000 net new jobs, and 268,000 building rehabilitations. So remember – anytime you step up to the cash register at a business in Downtown Frederick, you’re helping this movement grow even stronger!
Of course there are many benefits to shopping locally during the holidays. Jeremy Scholtes, a lawyer with the downtown firm Miles & Stockbridge, says he loves shopping in Downtown Frederick because all of the shops offer unique gifts, “not stuff you’re going to find in big box stores or online.” Becky Kaler, Business Development Specialist with the City of Frederick’s Department of Economic Development, notes that “in person you get the most personalized experience,” and Visit Frederick’s Executive Director, John Fieseler agrees, saying “there’s such a great mix of unique shops [and] on top of that, you usually get to talk to the owner of the store to find out why they like the items they’re offering.”
It’s a hand-crafted kind of experience – shopping in Downtown Frederick. Each store offers something different from the one next to it and “you can always find unusual gifts supporting your friends and family… plus you run into friends and family all the time!” says Bravura Arts & Framing’s Mardelle Poffenberger, with a huge smile on her face.
If you need an extra dose of inspiration before hitting the sidewalk, check out our Holiday Shopping Guide for Downtown Frederick. We’ll tell you where to go for everyone one your list – from the adventurer to the beauty queen (and even the person who has everything), you can find it downtown!
This season, shop small and support your local businesses. Your actions will have an incredible impact on the entire community – so as you hand out gifts, proudly say “I did my holiday shopping in Downtown Frederick!”
Downtown Frederick Partnership works to enhance, promote and preserve the vitality and livability of Downtown Frederick, a national Main Street community.