More than ribbon cuttings: Main Street Martinsburg focuses on people, housing and the city’s future

MARTINSBURG — To many, Main Street Martinsburg is best known for festivals, ribbon cuttings and summer concerts. But the nonprofit’s work runs deeper, reaching into housing, small business development and working to reshape the perception of downtown itself.

Founded in the late 1980s as part of the national Main Street America network, the Martinsburg chapter has followed the group’s “four-point approach” of economic vitality, design, promotion and organization. The strategy is meant to create not just a place to visit, but a community to live in.