News in 2012......
Downtown Old Fashioned Days and Window Display Contest!
Join us downtown for our Old Fashioned Days, as we kick off Findlay's Bicentennial events! Area businesses will be offering promotions and specials in conjunction with our window display contest, so be sure to take a walk around downtown and vote on your favorite Bicentennial window displays! Voters will be entered into a drawing for a downtown gift basket. Their name, along with the winning displays, will be announced during the Great Race event in downtown Findlay, June 30th, near the courthouse.
Participating Window Locations: (voting locations italicized)
| AR Marketing | Great Scot Supermarket (W. Main Cross |
| Bindel's Appliances | Mother Hubbard's Learning Cupboard |
| Bryant's Shoes | Niswander's Jewelers |
| Dietsch's Brothers (W. Main Cross) | Rieck's Gallery |
| Doranne's Gifts and Gourmet | Trends on Main |
| First Federal Bank (Main St.) | We Cell Verizon Wireless - voting only,
at their new location, 112 S. Main Street |
2nd Annual Downtown Business Fair
On April 19, 2012 the FDAA had the annual Downtown Business Fair at the Findlay Inn and Conference Center in downtown Findlay, featuring a half-day program with breakout sessions targeted at starting or running your own small business, and a second track for the IT minds, involving learning the cloud and cloud computing . In addition, over 35 businesses and local organizations displayed a showcase of their products and services in the hotel's main entry. A light reception, followed by a keynote speech by our Mayor, Lydia Mihalik, who talked about current initiatives in the mayor's offices, helped bring home the event. The evening ended with a panel discussion, comprised of members of some of our local organizational groups who are working to bring these initiatives to life. Stay tuned for information on next year's events as those details become available!
Emerging Ohio Main Street Program
Downtown Findlay is enrolled in its second year of the Emerging Main Street program through Heritage Ohio. We are the first Emerging program in the State of Ohio, designed to be a stepping stone to becoming a full-fledged Main Street Community Our goal continues to be a Main Street Community by April 2013.
In 2011, we hired our part-time Downtown Coordinator, Marsha Steffan, who works on behalf of the DFID and FDAA boards, and receives in kind services (a home) at the Alliance offices. Marsha has worked on numerous activities, and is actively seeking to renew the Improvement District and working with local groups to certify Findlay as a Main Street Community. Between the FDAA and DFID, as well as the Alliance group and Hancock Regional Planning Commission, collective efforts are being used to meet the Four Points Approach required of the Main Street Program. Those four points are Promotions, Economic Restructuring, Organization, and Design, and relate to each group in that order respectively.
The Main Street Program is important to Findlay because it not only brings national recognition to our community and heritage tourism dollars to our local businesses, but it also provides a methodological and proven approach for achieving tangible results in downtown urban cores across the U.S. In layman's terms, using the Four Points and becoming Main Street certified means you can see, smell, taste, touch, and feel the vibrancy of our beautiful city, and we are working hard to make sure that happens!
We recently passed our annual review for the Emerging Main Street Program, through Heritage Ohio, with flying colors! They were impressed with the collaboration amongst those interested in the downtown revitalization of Findlay, both in the public and private sectors, and our ability to work together to bring great projects to life. As the Hancock Regional Planning Commission completes their review of our downtown and begins setting goals for improvements in each of the Four Points areas, expect to see bigger and better projects from these groups, and be sure to contact us at coordinator@findlaydowntown.com if you are interested in helping!