Who we are

The Blairsville Downtown Group is a volunteer driven, member supported Pennsylvania Main Street Program.  We are committed to improving the economic health and quality of life in Downtown Blairsville, and are funded in part by a grant from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, fundraising initiatives, donations, and annual memberships.

Annual Membership

Mission Statement

Blairsville Downtown Group Vision  --  “Blairsville -- a vibrant, sustainable community that combines housing, shopping, working, dining, and other functions in a pedestrian-friendly setting, which attracts a mix of age groups and incomes.”

Blairsville Downtown Group Mission -- “To preserve and enhance the quality of life in the Blairsville community while maintaining our traditional family values.”

How the Main Street Program works…

The Blairsville Improvement Group (BIG) serves as the catalyst for ideas, energy, and resources that stimulate economic growth, preserve, protect, and promote historical and scenic assets, and improve the quality of life in the Blairsville area to make it a community that residents are proud to call home and tourists are eager to visit.

Through a grass roots effort initiated by the Blairsville Improvement Group (BIG), business and property owners, civic and community leaders, and other local volunteers band together to revitalize Market Street and the other area business districts to ensure the long-term well being of the community.  Many BIG members also work to bring quality development to the surrounding areas that complement our core downtown district.  We assist in community revitalization and enhancement efforts as well, such as sustaining and increasing our recreation possibilities and improving the safety of our streets and quality of life in our neighborhoods.

Please join with us today and consider adding your skills to one of the following committees (our four point approach) as outlined by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center:

Main Street Program

Main Street is a comprehensive, community-based revitalization approach, developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980. Communities across the U.S. apply its four key components with great success:

Design means getting Main Street into top physical shape. Capitalizing on its best assets such as historic buildings and the traditional downtown layout is just part of the story. An inviting atmosphere can be created through window displays, parking areas, signs, sidewalks, street lights, and landscaping; good design conveys a visual message about what Main Street is and what it has to offer.

Promotion means selling the image and promise of Main Street to all prospects. By marketing the district's unique characteristics through advertising, retail promotional activities, special events, and marketing campaigns an effective promotion strategy forges a positive image to shoppers, investors, new businesses and visitors.

Organization means getting everyone working towards common goals. The common-sense formula of a volunteer-driven program and an organizational structure of board and committees assisting professional management can ease the difficult work of building consensus and cooperation among the varied groups that have a stake in the district.

Economic Restructuring means finding new or better purposes for Main Street enterprises. Helping existing downtown businesses expand and recruiting new ones, a successful Main Street converts unused space into productive property and sharpens the competitiveness of its businesses.

A Matrix for Action Planning to share with others in your community!

The Pennsylvania Main Street Program is one piece of the dynamic community and economic development strategies of Governor Tom Ridge and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). The success of the program over the last twenty years has helped keep downtown revitalization as a priority for the department in their efforts to support and build the Commonwealth's diverse communities.

The five-year program encourages revitalization by leveraging private dollars and requiring ongoing, local support evidenced by the establishment of an organization and documented financial commitment from the community. Program guidelines are available by calling the DCED regional contact (click here for listing) or PDC at 717-233-4675. The Single Application for Assistance can be accessed on the DCED website.