Downtown Delaware provides technical assistance and training to staff and volunteers of designated and Accredited Main Street programs, Commercial District Affiliate communities, Aspiring Main Street communities, and stakeholders of business districts statewide. We are committed to providing access to Main Street training opportunities to ensure that volunteers and staff are well-versed in the “refreshed” Main Street Approach – what it means and how to implement it. The use of Transformation Strategies is integral to the refreshed Approach and it is critical for communities to begin to identify their unique market-based strategies to “serve a particular customer segment, respond to an underserved market demand, or create a differentiated destination.”
Training dates, topics, and locations vary based on needs of our communities, best practices, and trending topics, and are held in a variety of formats and venues:
- TheannualMain Street Now! conference offers exception networking and training opportunities annually! It takes place in the Spring of each year with the next conference is to be held in Seattle Washington.
- Idea Exchanges are held quarterly for Main Street program staff and epresentatives from each Commercial District Affiliate community.
- New Program Manager and Board Development Training
- Retailer, eCommerce and other types of training opportunities targeted to downtown small business owners.
- Downtown Delaware also providestechnical assistance and training customized to affiliated communities on an as-needed basis.
DIRECTIONS TO THE DIVISION OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM: See bottom of this page.
Downtown Delaware’s training is offered from accessible locations and is available to all persons in the State of Delaware who are actively involved in the revitalization of their community without discrimination as to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability or genetic information.
2017 Main Street Now! conference attendees from Delaware in Pittsburgh, PA
DIRECTIONS to the Offices of the Division of Small Business, Development and Tourism:
Wilmington office:
820 N. French Street, 10th Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801-3509
302-577-8477
From points north (Philadelphia):
Take I-95 South to first Delaware Avenue (Route 52) exit. Turn left at the traffic light. Travel east following the signs for downtown Wilmington. At second traffic light, traffic will split to the left for 11th Street and to the right for Delaware Avenue. Bear left onto 11th Street. Pass the Sheraton Hotel and the PNC Bank building on your right. Pass the DuPont Building on the left and cross Market Street. Pass Rodney Square on the left and cross King Street. At the next intersection, turn right onto French Street. Continue south two blocks to 9th Street. Turn left onto 9th Street and make immediate turn right into parking garage located underneath the Carvel State Office Building.
From points south (Baltimore and Washington, D.C.):
Take I-95 North. As Wilmington skyline appears, move into far right lane. Turn onto Martin Luther King Boulevard/Maryland Avenue exit. The ramp descends to a traffic light. Turn right onto Maryland Avenue. Follow Maryland Avenue north to Martin Luther King Boulevard. Bear right onto Martin Luther King Boulevard. Follow east across the south end of Wilmington. At the Amtrak train station, Martin Luther King Boulevard will curl around to the left and become Walnut Street north. Cross 4th Street. Turn left onto 8th Street. Go west one block to French Street. Turn right onto French Street. Go one block to 9th Street. Turn right onto 9th Street and make immediate turn right into parking garage located underneath the Carvel State Office Building.
Dover office:
99 Kings Highway
Dover, DE 19901-7305
302-739-4271
From points north (Wilmington and Philadelphia):
Take I-95 South to the Christiana Mall Exit. Proceed on Route 1 South. Travel over the C&D Canal Bridge and stay on Route 1 South. Take Route 1 South to first Dover Exit after the toll. This will take you to Route 8/East Division Street. Turn right at the end of the ramp. Go to first traffic light at the intersection of Route 13 and make a left. Turn right at first traffic light on Loockerman Street. (You will see TGI Fridays on the corner.) Go to next traffic light and turn right onto Legislative Ave. Proceed to the back and left of the parking lot to reserved visitors parking.
From points south (Milford and Rehoboth and Fenwick Island):
Take Route 13 North to Dover. Turn left at the Loockerman Street intersection. (You will see TGI Fridays on the corner.) Turn right at first traffic light onto Legislative Ave. Proceed to the back and left of the parking lot to reserved visitors parking.
From points west (Washington and Baltimore):
Take Route 50 across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Route 50 turns into Route 301. Take Route 301. Follow signs for Route 300, then Route 44, then Route 8 into Dover. Route 8 in the west end of Dover splits into Division Street (left) and Loockerman Street (right). Follow Loockerman Street through downtown Dover. Turn right at a traffic light onto Legislative Avenue. Proceed to the back and left of the parking lot to reserved visitors parking.