Small Business Consulting
Main Street Arkansas’s Small Business Consultant offers confidential, on-site support tailored to independent downtown merchants within the Main Street network. Services include hands-on guidance in areas such as customer service, inventory management, and proven small business practices that help businesses stay competitive—especially during challenging economic times.

In addition to one-on-one consulting, the program includes tailored training sessions, public lectures, and workshops designed to equip community leaders, downtown stakeholders, and business owners with strategies in retail management, economic development, and market adaptability. In collaboration with the Main Street Interior Design Consultant, joint workshops highlight how impactful storefront design, signage, and window displays can strengthen a business’s brand and draw customer interest. These increasingly popular sessions are customized to reflect the unique business environment and evolving consumer trends in each community.

Interior Design
Main Street Arkansas’s Interior Design Consultant partners with merchants and property owners to create interior spaces that are both visually engaging and functionally effective, supporting vibrant business operations in historic downtown settings.

This service is especially valuable during the planning or rehabilitation phase of a new or existing business. Using AutoCAD software, the consultant produces conceptual floor plans that seamlessly integrate historic architectural features with modern design needs. These feasibility studies aid in early-stage decision-making and help transform vision into reality.

Additional interior design support includes visual merchandising consultations and, in many cases, complete floor plan redesigns. All interior design services are provided at no cost to merchants and property owners within the Main Street network.

Exterior Design
The Main Street Arkansas Design Consultant works with local programs to improve the physical appearance and customer appeal of downtown commercial corridors. Exterior design consultations help property owners identify cost-effective strategies to enhance storefronts—often through updates as simple as fresh paint, new awnings, or refined signage.

These free services include detailed reviews of streetscapes, signage, facades, and downtown design plans. Recommendations are specific to each property and may include annotated renderings with material suggestions and historic color palettes.

Complementary workshops on signage, awnings, storefronts, and streetscapes provide practical guidance tailored to individual buildings or broader community design goals. Consultations also address non-historic structures and new infill construction, offering expert input on design elements such as street furniture, lighting, and parking that reflect each community’s unique character.

Downtown Revitalization (DTR) Grants
In partnership with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program and Main Street Arkansas, the Conway Downtown Partnership offers Downtown Revitalization (DTR) Grants to support property improvement projects that strengthen and preserve Conway’s historic downtown district.

These grants fund a wide array of improvements that enhance the appearance, functionality, and accessibility of downtown properties. Eligible projects include façade repairs, historically appropriate exterior painting, code-compliant signage upgrades, masonry restoration, murals, and architectural enhancements such as cornices, doors, and windows. Additional funding may support window display and exterior lighting, landscape elements like planters and window boxes, removal of barriers to accessibility, HVAC and roofing repairs, and select interior updates such as lighting, paint, and reconstruction.

All projects should reinforce the historic character and long-term vitality of downtown Conway. If you own a downtown business or property and have a project in mind, contact us to learn more about eligibility and how to apply. The list of qualifying improvements is not exhaustive—creative proposals aligned with the goals of the Main Street program are encouraged