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Small Massachusetts Town Wins National Main Street Title

Furniture World News Desk on 12/20/2021


Independent We Stand recognizes Hudson, Mass. as the $25,000 winner of the 2021 America’s Main Streets “Road to Recovery” contest. More than 1 million total votes were cast by the public nationwide in the sixth annual contest. The Hudson Downtown Business Improvement District rallied its vast network of 85 property owners, partners at the Hudson Business Association and the Assabet Valley Chamber of Commerce, and their community to vote in support of its entry. The organization plans to utilize the prize money to enhance culture and the arts.  

 

“We have worked for several years to revitalize Downtown Hudson, so winning this contest is a wonderful opportunity to continue these efforts,” said Richard A. Braga, Jr., Hudson Downtown Business Improvement District administrator. “Our intent from the beginning was to expand our cultural and art footprint downtown and we plan to use our cash prize to attract more general retail, with a creative focus.”

 

Planned initiatives earmarked for the cash prize include:

  • Continuing to provide accounting and financial advice for the district’s businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Assisting in funding the purchase and renovation of a vacant Armory on a riverfront to a regional arts and performance center.
  • Expanding a culture and arts program that offers incentives to new businesses that meet specific criteria.

 

“The overwhelming support garnered by Downtown Hudson demonstrates the major impact small businesses can have on their communities,” said Bill Brunelle, co-founder of Independent We Stand. “After several years of economic turmoil, we are excited to see how Downtown Hudson will utilize these funds to enhance their community.”

 

With humble beginnings as a small farming community that once served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, Hudson grew to become a quiet industrial town that has since been actively revitalizing its historic downtown. Following a fire in 1894, 40 buildings were destroyed and rebuilt using predominately brick structures that reflect architectural trends of the late nineteenth century that remain today. Over the next century, Downtown Hudson experienced many transitions, but since the mid-2010s, the town has enjoyed an economic boom, thanks largely to the establishment of a formal Business Improvement District. As a result, Hudson is now a foodie and hot spot destination — home to many restaurants, a micro creamery, a speakeasy, a brewery, and unique retail shops.

 

As part of its ongoing mission to promote small businesses, Independent We Stand created the “America’s Main Streets” contest to promote the critical role main streets play in building economic success for their communities.

 

The 2021 top 10 semifinalists in alphabetical order are:

           

 

Additional contest prizes include:

 

  •  STIHL Equipment Certificate for $1,000 worth of STIHL equipment good at any STIHL Dealer in the U.S.
  • Do it Best Corp. $500 shopping spree.
  • tmbr Flooring $500 shopping spree.
  • Nationwide Marketing Group $500 shopping spree.
  • Public relations and social media recognition.
  • A special plaque for the winner to proudly display.

 

 

Presenting Contest Sponsor:

STIHL Inc., America’s number-one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment*, is the founding sponsor of Independent We Stand and the presenting sponsor of America’s Main Streets contest. The company follows a unique distribution strategy in the handheld outdoor power equipment industry, choosing never to sell products at big box stores, but instead remaining loyal to its more than 10,000 authorized local STIHL Dealers nationwide.

 

Supporting Contest Sponsors:

·      Do it Best Corp.

·      Nationwide Marketing Group

·      North American Hardware and Paint Association

·      tmbr Flooring

 

About Independent We Stand

Independent We Stand is a nationwide movement of independent small business owners whose mission is to inspire other small business owners to better understand and celebrate their locally owned status while educating consumers about the importance and strong economic benefits of supporting them. The Independent We Stand movement is sponsored by STIHL Inc. STIHL products are sold through more than 10,000 authorized local STIHL Dealers from coast to coast – not big box stores. Associate sponsors include North American Hardware and Paint Association, Nationwide Marketing Group, Do it Best Corp. and tmbr Flooring.

 

*"Number one selling brand" is based on syndicated Irwin Broh Research as well as independent consumer research of 2009-2020 U.S. sales and market share data for the gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment category combined sales to consumers and commercial landscapers.