Main Street Vermilion’s Annual Report 2023

What did we accomplish last year in our Small Town on a Great Lake? Click here to view or download…and thank you to the community that support our mission!

Since 2001, Main Street Vermilion has worked to promote downtown economic and business development, historic preservation, community revitalization, beautification and tourism. We believe that our community is only as strong as our core: our historic downtown.

Our mission is supported by our partner programs: Vermilion in Bloom, Historic Preservation, Vermilion Arts Guild and Public Art Vermilion. Each has a specific focus, special impact and works with us to create a community we are proud to call home and invite others to visit.

Main Street Vermilion is part of the National Main Street Movement

Over the past 35 years, the National Main Street Center has led the development of a national network of 2,000 historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts known as Main Street America™. The people who make up Main Street America are passionate advocates, dedicated volunteers, partners, and community organizers who work every day to turn the tide in their communities—catalyzing reinvestment, creating jobs, and fostering pride of place.

Main Street Vermilion is a member of Heritage Ohio

As a member of Heritage Ohio, Main Street Vermilion works under the direction of a 16-member volunteer Board of Directors. Much of what we do is accomplished by committees, hundreds of volunteers, organization partners, sponsors and donors.

The Heritage Ohio blueprint for downtown revitalization was developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which recognized a pattern of loss of historic commercial architecture and loss of community sense of history. To stop this trend, the trust (established in 1977) developed a model for downtown historic preservation, which encompasses a four-point approach that Main Street Vermilion uses as guiding principles. It includes design, business enhancement, marketing and organization.

Main Street Vermilion is a State and Nationally Accredited Main Street Program.

Main Street Vermilion is a 501(c)3 Organization

Main Street Vermilion is a 501c3 not for profit organization. We rely on our partners, donors and sponsors for donations in a variety of ways including financial support, volunteering time and in-kind donations. Learn more about our community and business partnerships, volunteers and donors.

Hello, Friends!

Perhaps you’ve noticed the flowers that spill over their baskets throughout downtown. Maybe you’ve enjoyed the public art projects, like the Postcard Project, that invite you to explore our history and community. Does a painting from one of our local art talents hang in your home?

That’s the work of Main Street Vermilion and our partner programs: Vermilion in Bloom, Public Art Vermilion and Vermilion Arts Guild. It’s all of this plus our events and projects that make Vermilion a source of pride for our residents and a welcome destination for our visitors. We work every day to revitalize our community and we think it shows!

Visit us and experience Vermilion for yourself. We invite you to stop at our office to help plan your visit and discover how to make the most of your time in Vermilion.

Kate Repola, Executive Director