WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Downtown Wytheville marked its national recognition as the best main street community in the country with a walking tour Tuesday, showing off the businesses, living spaces and people behind the small Virginia town’s remarkable turnaround.
The tour began at the historic Bolling Wilson Hotel and drew a notable guest: Tamara Holmes, director of Virginia’s Department of Housing and Community Development — the agency whose grant funding helped fuel many of the improvements on display.
“I don’t know another community in the time I’ve worked in state government that has seen a transformation this quickly,” Holmes said. “And then to top it off with the Great American Main Street Award for the town of Wytheville — to me, just demonstrates the commitment and the dedication of the leadership within the town and the work of the downtown Wytheville organization.”
A national title earned against larger competition
On April 13, the Great American Main Street Awards named Wytheville the best main street community in the country — defeating cities up to 50 times its size.
Todd Wolford, CEO of Downtown Wytheville, said the tour was designed to put that achievement in tangible terms for the people who helped make it happen.
“We’re just celebrating the Great American Main Street win, kind of showing off some of these projects that they have grant funded and kind of showing that as a reality now,” Wolford said. “It’s been awesome for us to be able to get them in town, slow them down a little bit to where they can actually see the projects that have come to fruition from some of their grant funding.”
People, not just storefronts
Wolford said the tour was as much about the business owners as the buildings themselves.
“The businesses are great, they drive foot traffic for us, but it’s about the people,” he said. “It’s about the people that run these businesses. They need to be showcased. They’ve put their skin in the game. They’ve put money and profit investment into these businesses.”
Holmes echoed that sentiment, pointing to the broader mission behind the state’s investment.
“At the Department of Housing and Community Development, we pride ourselves in supporting investments in communities that do things exactly like the town of Wytheville has done,” she said, citing facade improvements that made downtown more walkable and business-friendly. “The entire purpose of the program is to support local business development.”
What’s ahead for downtown
Downtown Wytheville is not stopping at the award. The organization recently unveiled its first mural on the side of a downtown building — the first in a planned public art series that Wolford said has been “overwhelmingly positive.”
Wolford also pointed to the town’s Fourth of July festival as a major upcoming milestone, tying the celebration to Virginia’s 250th anniversary commemoration.
“July 4th downtown Wytheville is going to be the place to be,” he said. “We’re really trying to make that kind of like a celebration of this achievement as well along with July 4th and the 250th celebration.”