A few years ago, we noted how many people were expressing interest in purchasing a mixed-use building to rehab, to live in and / or, to do business in along the city's neighborhood main streets.
As some of us real estate brokers sought to find them buildings, we also noted how difficult it was to do so. It seemed many commercial real estate brokers were not interested or experienced in selling this sort of property. It seemed, too, that several residential real estate brokers did not have enough experience with selling this sort of property. So, these properties were not easy to find. They were not listed properly, if at all, in the Multiple Listing Service, and there was no profound system for easily locating them.
The survival and revitalization of an urban neighborhood is dependent on the success of its commercial core… its main street.
With these two scenarios, it became clear that the city would have a much better chance of thriving in its renaissance if the consumer wanting to buy or lease a mixed-use building could easily access it.
The Vision
After this realization, it became clear that an informative website could help this happen. Much conversation happend and, as the mix of need and creativity crashing together will do, things started bubbling.
The ideas sprouted like a documentary film of birthing seedlings in fast motion.
One thing lead to another and we realized we could possibly have an impact on the face of St. Louis City’s urban main streets.
The Project & Content
LISTINGS: Here is where someone can search and find commercial and mixed-use real estate for lease or purchase. When someone searches for a place to do business in St. Louis City, they will discover far more at www.MainStreetStLouis.com than just information about square footage and price - They will discover the city!
BUSINESS DISTRICT INFORMATION: Each listing found has a link to the business district, urban main street and neighborhood each property is located in. It is an opportunity to explore that neighborhood and find out what is happening in the business district - the growth, types of businesses already there, statistical and census information. Find out about the wide variety of business districts and urban main streets throughout the entire city. Updated Information is added daily.
FEATURE STORIES: Each week brings a new in-depth story about a business district, it’s history, growth, dreams and hopes of the district’s leaders and, essentially, an up-close view of what is happening there. Our goal is to produce a high-quality journalistic resource not easily found in today’s media... with solid reporting and photography.
SPOTLIGHTS: Here is where you can discover how people are doing in their business. How and why are they doing the business they are doing? Why did they choose their location? How is it all going?
BLOG: Each day brings a guest writer and commentator familiar with the city’s business scene - politically, sociologically and / or economically. This is also a place the public can weigh in with counter comments, opinions and feedback.
WISH LIST: This section provides an opportunity for the community to weigh in on needs and wants for any given area. And, for those looking to locate their business in the city, this is the place to explore where your business might be most needed or wanted. What sort of business do you need in your neighborhood? What sort of business are you looking to start in St. Louis City?
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: This portion of the site offers updated information and links for those interested in doing business in St. Louis City and growing their business here.
CALENDAR: The resource for community and business events throughout the city.
Access to information on this site is free.
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As we now work on this project, it is our hope to provide a broad spectrum of information about urban main streets and business districts throughout the entire city as well as to offer a very high standard of journalistic content. By doing so, we hope to be a prime resource for those interested in doing business in St. Louis City.
Marti Frumhoff
President & Founder
Main Street Network, Inc.
marti@mainstreetstlouis.com
314-368-6373