ABOUT US
From our Director
“What is Woodville Main Street Association?” “What do y’all do?” I get this a lot. Oh, who am I? Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Whitney Seal, Executive Director of said Woodville Main Street Association.
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In a nutshell, we are a part of Mississippi Main Street Association which is a preservation-based economic and community development organization. They are one of more than 40 coordinating programs for the National Main Street Center. Woodville Main Street Association is one of 50 programs in our state.
Since 2004, the WMSA has completed numerous rehabilitation projects, promoted economic growth, provided business development, put on festivals and won several awards. You may have noticed the transformation of Polk’s Meat Market recently, come out to Market on the Square, a flower bulb giveaway or a cleanup. That’s us. You may have even passed a good time at the award winning Woodville Deer & Wildlife Festival, also us.
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Our mission is not to change what Woodville is at its core. It is to assist the commercial district in becoming the best version of itself. We want to support our established businesses, to attract new businesses and to give our historical buildings the TLC they deserve. We want to give the people that pass us by everyday more reasons to stop, spend some time here and get to know Woodville.
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I am not a native of Woodville. I am a city girl who married a Woodville boy. Had you asked me 15 years ago if I would ever live in a tiny town, it would’ve sparked laughter. Now, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. That is because of all of you. It’s the people of this community that made me fall in love with this place. Sure it has its flaws, but every success story of a small town comeback once did. The only difference is that those communities chose to overcome.
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My hope as the Director of Main Street, is that you will all join in our efforts to get Woodville thriving and alive again, that we collectively choose to overcome. My hope as a member of your community is that we all fall just a little more in love with this place we call home. Together we will create our very own movement.
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Whitney Seal
Director
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What is Main Street?
A Brief History
What began in 1977 as an experiment with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to save three Midwestern downtown cities has grown to become a national movement of which Mississippi Main Street is very proud to be a part. Since 1980, thousands of communities throughout the nation have joined the Main Street program and applied its Four Point Approach with successful, lasting changes. The Mississippi Main Street Communities are an excellent example of how the innovative framework of the Main Street Approach helps communities preserve their unique heritage while building a vibrant commercial district.
