It all started with an annual two-day workshop, our Boot Camp, where we convened experts on main street economies to help our local businesses. The ideas began from the ground up, not just one main street in one hamlet or one storefront in one village, but tying them together to unite an entire area. The lessons were about interconnected economies from street to store, tourism and food, to make places that sustain a region and build not simply individual businesses but contribute to all of them. 

The boot camps have included talks from architects on revitalization and grants, marketing experts, civic planners and historic town experts. Others have discussed the power of buying local as an economic accelerator. There are guides to funding and resources, and representatives from Empire State Development have attended. Each year as the program has evolved, the takeaway remains: each small business is part of creating a stronger, more vibrant economy in the Central Catskills.