Inman takes steps to reinvigorate its downtown

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The city of Inman has partnered with Main Street South Carolina in a program that city leaders hope will revitalize its downtown and prompt economic growth.

Main Street South Carolina has for 40 years served as a technical assistance program intended to empower communities as they revitalize their traditional business districts, encouraging economic development and historic preservation.

Inman Planning Director April Williams said the city benefits from tools and resources such as design and marketing assistance provided through the program, which offered under the auspices of the Municipal Association of South Carolina.

“It’s a holistic approach to help us look at the program as a whole and not just hyper focused on one thing,” she said. “For example, we have events throughout the year, but we just can’t focus on these and bringing people here for only a few times a year. We need more daily and weekly engagement, and the leadership team will help us grow these aspects of our community.”

Main Street South Carolina aims to empower residents with the knowledge, skills, tools and organizational structure necessary to revitalize their communities.

“They have done great work in many S.C. cities and there is a strong push to let everyone know who they are and that they’ve been here for a while,” said Williams.

Williams said the city initiated interest in the program after she started in her current position in January 2022.

“This is something the city leadership has been wanting to do for a while, but the administrator didn’t have the bandwidth,” she added. “This was one of the things I was tasked with when I joined the city, and now it is great timing to tie into this program that will heavily benefit our community.”

The Main Street resource team will assist with making sure Inman is more recognizable as a community and community development partner, said Williams.

The city is in the data collection process, surveying the communities in Inman for feedback on what residents would like to see in their city. The Main Street resource team will be meeting with stakeholders and holding town hall meetings, in addition to collecting data from city residents at the end of February through early March. They will then compile a presentation on the next steps in the program process and what they need to be successful, said Williams.

‰ÛÜ“This program will be more of an affirmation that we were already going in the right direction as a city with all the growth and work leadership has done,” said Williams. “It’ll be nice to hear we are doing the right things but also what else we can do to improve by taking the necessary steps to get there. This type of program also really highlights the importance of networking and connections.”