by heidi hood, managing director of the downtown franklin association

 

The Downtown Franklin Association (a division of the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County), is gearing up for a productive summer!

As a nationally accredited Main Street program, the Downtown Franklin Association’s mission is to lead the continued revitalization and purposeful evolution of downtown Franklin - in the context of historic preservation - by maintaining a diverse economic base, promoting a unique local shopping experience, fostering accessible and attractive public spaces, and forging partnerships across all sectors.

Summertime has also seen the relaunch of DFA’s beloved hospitality program, Franklin Locals. Having hosted a successful spring season, the DFA launched an even larger team of volunteers to provide hospitality on the streets, answer questions and welcome new friends on Main Street this summer. The organization would like to see this volunteer force double in size by the end of this year’s fall season. For more information, visit DowntownFranklinTN.com/FranklinLocals.

The DFA launched DFA Masterminds in June! This program benefits members of the organization, creating space for intentional, solution-focused conversations that help various membership sectors, including nonprofits, retailers, building owners and professional services. In addition, this program will provide yet another resource for economic vitality and development to businesses within a one-mile radius of the Public Square.

In support of the economic vitality downtown, the DFA hosted another DFA University session covering “Downtown Shopping District Best Practices” with urban development expert speaker Robert Gibbs, FASLA, AICP. In addition, DFA University will continue to cover business-building points of interest for the business community downtown, with a session on August 25th for DFA members on “Cultivating Mental Health & Success Mindsets in the Workplace,” featuring guest speaker Amy Alexander, LMFT.

The DFA has launched a membership for downtown building owners within a mile of the Public Square. The program connects the network around shared interests to advocate for a friendly environment for economic development while preserving the historic charm of downtown.

The DFA told stories of its food and beverage members during June and shared stories of lifestyle and professional service business members during July. Follow the story online at Instagram.com/DowntownFranklinTN and Facebook.com/Downtown.Franklin to get to know the locally invested nonprofits and businesses downtown.

In the ever-changing landscape of Franklin, the DFA is working hard to ensure downtown remains one of America’s favorite historic districts.