The first step in the process is to determine if we want to move forward with the program. The questions we need to answer are:
Is your commercial district a traditional business district?
Do you have a decent concentration of businesses remaining in your commercial district?
Are you committed to addressing Main Street's revitalization in a comprehensive and incremental way?
Do you have a broad base of support for a local Main Street program?
Can participants agree?
Do you have adequate human and financial resources to implement a successful Main Street program?
Does your community value historic preservation?
If Yes ~ You're likely to have great success with the Main Street Approach and you should proceed with creating your own local program
If No ~ Continue your education and organizing efforts until you can answer
"yes" to each question. The other option is to incorporate Main Street
however you can into your revitalization efforts. You can borrow
pieces of the Main Street Approach even if your community isn't ready
to do a comprehensive Main Street program.