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Historic Union Square or “downtown” is a collection of turn-of-the century storefront buildings and modern multi-national company headquarters. There are nightclubs, restaurants, antique shops, boutiques, galleries, florists and much more – all with parking usually just a few steps away. It’s also home to our restored Rialto movie theater - the oldest operating movie theater in Arkansas.
El Dorado's thriving downtown, centered around the Neo-classic 1928 Union County Courthouse, boasts architecturally significant churches and other impressive structures constructed in the 1920s and '30s, made possible by the new wealth of the oil boom.
A diverse mix of shops, a variety of dining establishments, and complementary landscaping and streetscape details have combined to make the area one of Arkansas's most attractive and popular downtowns. |
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The Main Street Program is a national program designed to restore the downtown area as a viable marketplace and the center of community activity. It is a program that builds on the downtown’s total image; therefore, the approach is an incremental one that utilizes four elements:
- Organization/Membership
- Design
- Promotion
- Economic Restructuring
Funding comes through our membership drive from local businesses, professionals, property owners, lending institutions, industry, concerned citizens and the City of El Dorado. Some grants are received to further sustain & grow the program. Main Street El Dorado hosts several annual events during the year which is used to showcase the downtown entertainment district as well as to generate revenue for the program. These events are made possible through corporate sponsorships/partnerships.
MSE is committed to keeping a vibrant downtown where people live, work and play and all revenue generated is put right back into downtown. In 2007 alone, Main Street EL Dorado completed numerous downtown improvement projects including the purchase and placement of new street lamps, street banners, sidewalk benches and matching ashtray urns. The restoration of the Garett Building on Elm Street was completed in 2007 and is now home to the beautiful Elm Street Bakery and Rascal's restaurant.
This is an ongoing program that is essentially the management of change over time. Main Street produces dramatic short-term improvements, particularly in appearance and promotions, while creating a strong organizational foundation that is critical to long-term revitalization success.
Four Point Approach
- Design: Involves improving the downtown image by enhancing its physical appearance.
- Organization: Building consensus and cooperation between groups that play roles in the downtown.
- Promotion: Involves marketing the downtown’s unique characteristics to shoppers, investors, new businesses, tourists and others.
- Economic Restructuring: Strengthening the existing economic base of the downtown while diversifying it. Helping existing downtown businesses expand, recruiting new businesses to provide a balanced mix, converting unused space into productive property and sharpening the competitiveness of downtown merchants.
For more information, please visit MainStreetElDorado.org.
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Downtown Business Association (DBA) |
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The Downtown Business Association is an association created, managed, and funded by a group of Downtown's merchants, restaurants, and other interested businesses. The DBA is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting commerce and events Downtown. Our goal is to raise recognition to the wide variety the area has to offer. Overall, we aim to market and support the historic downtown area and coordinate and plan festivals and holiday events by shaping downtown into one cohesive network. |
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