SALEM, Oregon – Oregon Main Street announced its 2022 “Excellence on Main” award winners during the annual Main Street conference on October 5th in Klamath Falls. Created in 2010, the annual Excellence on Main awards honor outstanding accomplishments, activities, and people making a difference in historic downtowns and traditional commercial neighborhoods across the state. A total of 12 projects, activities and people were recognized – 5 of those based on nominations by Downtown Oregon City Association, Historic Willamette Main Street Association, and Downtown Estacada Commission. Videos of the award winners can be found here.

Oregon City

• Business of the Year: LiveEdge Eco Salon, Oregon City

The Business of the Year Award is designed to recognize the innovation, dedication, and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by main street entrepreneurs and small businesses. The 2022, Business of the year is LiveEdge Eco Salon in Oregon City. LiveEdge Eco Salon, an LGBT and women-owned business, has been in Downtown Oregon City for 8 years. Sydnie Bray has been working to redefine her industry since the very start, but this year has been an especially big one for them. They received Green Circle Certification, recycling/reusing over 95% of their waste and were recently recognized as the only salon in Clackamas County as Leaders in Sustainability.

• Outstanding Promotion, Virtual Oregon Trail Game Run, Oregon City

The Outstanding Promotion award is for creative and effective image campaigns, special events, or other promotional projects that attract people to downtown. This year’s winner is Downtown Oregon City’s Virtual Oregon Trail Game Run. During the pandemic, the Downtown Oregon City Association had to pivot their annual 5k run based on the Oregon Trail Game from the 1980s and 90s. They still wanted people to have fun with the theme but didn't want 500+ runners gathering together at the same time. Instead, they took the run virtual. Participants including runners, walkers, dancers, swimmers, and bikers, had to travel the 2,000 miles from Kansas City to Oregon City. They entered their exercise onto an online forum and as they hit milestones along the way, they would be sent an 8-bit graphic in the style of the Oregon Trail Game along with historic information about the milestone they had reached and links to downtown Oregon City businesses. 

Estacada

• Best Mixed-Use Building: Heritage Properties, Estacada

The Best Mixed-Use Building award is awarded to a project that combines commercial and housing in an exemplary way. This year’s winner is Heritage Properties in Estacada. Heritage Properties built a new 2-story, 7700 sq. ft mixed use building on Main Street which included $1.3 million in private dollars and $250,000 of public investment. This building brings some much-needed residential space to downtown. As a result of this project coming before the Urban Renewal Board at the city, it spurred the development of a Vertical Housing Development Zone which allows for tax abatement for mixed use buildings in Estacada’s downtown. This project has inspired further improvements to the downtown including repairs to other buildings and more mixed-use development. 

• Creative Placemaking Project: AntFarm and Harmony Gardens, Estacada

Placemaking capitalizes on a local community's assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating public spaces that promote people's health, happiness, and well-being. The award this year goes to the AntFarm and Harmony Learning Garden in Estacada. Jenny Beaudoin, owner of Harmony, a restaurant and bakery established in Estacada in 1984 by Jenny's aunt, and Chris Stanton, Director of Programs and Services with the nonprofit AntFarm, worked together to create a community garden in downtown Estacada after having multiple conversations about creating green spaces and gardens. Since opening the site behind Harmony, AntFarm has partnered with the Estacada High School and school district to offer an afterschool garden club program. AntFarm has begun to hire local youth to support this space and vision. The garden has not only contributed to downtown Estacada's beautification, but it has also provided space and resources for people to come together to support each other, and that is what makes a healthy community.

West Linn

• Main Street Executive Director of the Year: Rebecca Hollenbeck, West Linn

The Main Street Executive Director of the Year is given to an executive director who has had an outstanding overall impact on their main street organization. The 2022 Main Street Executive Director of the year award goes to Rebecca Hollenbeck from Historic Willamette Main Street Association. Rebecca has helped Historic Willamette become a highly functioning main street organization and a respected partner of local government. During the pandemic, Rebecca spent many long hours building rapport with local business owners, explaining the options that were available to them, and helping them with grant application processes. The Historic Willamette board appreciates that Rebecca sees everyone as a partner and genuinely puts Historic Willamette Main Street at the center of all she does every day.

The wide range of Oregon Main Street’s Excellence on Main awards is reflective of the comprehensive Main Street Approach™ to downtown revitalization developed by the National Main Street Center. This model is used by the communities participating in the three-tier Main Street Track of Oregon Main Street Network.

“In 2021, we saw how our Oregon Main Streets stepped up and helped their communities navigate through the challenges brought on by two years of economic downturn,” said Sheri Stuart, state coordinator, Oregon Main Street. “Through innovative projects, community centric programs, and renovations focused on historic preservation, main streets have improved their communities and enhanced their quality of life

Oregon Main Street strengthens community networks, bolsters local economies, generates tax revenues, and fosters social connections across the state. OMS leads a network of local Main Streets that oversee a wide range of programmatic efforts to build community, support local businesses, and create an attractive and vibrant environment for workers, visitors, and residents. The Oregon Main Street network generates significant value for local communities and for the State of Oregon overall. Learn more about the impact of the Oregon Main Street program by visiting oregonmainstreet.org.