Change in progress: Ormond MainStreet celebrates 30 years of small steps for a vibrant downtown

Ormond MainStreet celebrated the milestone on Aug. 29 with a 'Back to '96' block party at Cassen Park and Bailey Riverbridge Gardens.

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More than three decades ago, a group of Ormond Beach business owners and residents looked at the downtown and saw potential.

Not everybody felt the same way. Some argued that the city could never have a thriving downtown district with a state road bisecting the corridor. 

The founders of Ormond MainStreet knew change wouldn't happen overnight. They accepted that incremental progress would be their only viable approach, said Bill Partington, owner of AHC Safe and Lock, one of the oldest businesses in the downtown.

"Each small step was a success," Partington said.

In the early days, it was fundraising enough money to hire its first executive director. Slowing traffic down by getting rid of Granada's two-way left turn lane. Surveying existing merchants and shoppers on ways to "market the corridor as a friendly gathering place rich in history and character, a community-oriented alternative to bland, impersonal superstores and strip malls," as reported in a Daytona Beach News-Journal article from June 2, 1996.

A view of 31 W. Granada Blvd. in 1987. Photo courtesy of Ormond MainStreet
A view of 31 W. Granada Blvd. in 1987. Photo courtesy of Ormond MainStreet

Forming a MainStreet program created a private-public partnership with the city that gave the group more latitude to achieve their goals, Partington said. They just had to convince people that the improvements would work in the long run. 

"People don't like change even if it's good for them, so we've had to slowly work with the business people and the community to accept the changes as we've gone along," Partington said.

31 W. Granada Blvd. is now home to 31 Supper Club. Photo courtesy of Ormond MainStreet
31 W. Granada Blvd. is now home to 31 Supper Club. Photo courtesy of Ormond MainStreet


And on Saturday, Aug. 29, Ormond MainStreet celebrated 30 years of incremental changes to create a vibrant downtown. 


Recognizing the people

Ormond MainStreet's 30th anniversary, which featured a "Back to '96" block party theme, was held between Cassen Park and Bailey Riverbridge Gardens. The celebration had been rescheduled from its original date on Aug. 8 due to weather.

The rescheduled festivities invited the community to enjoy entertainment, activities, food and drinks, and included a presentation by Ormond MainStreet Executive Director Becky Parker and MainStreet Board vice president Caryn Baker during which they recognized longtime business leaders and partners. 

"What we have here is really, really special, and it's because of the people that cared," Parker said. "These people are not big-time outside investors looking for a quick buck. They are locals, residents, business owners and people who really love where we live." 

In an interview with the Observer, Parker said that Ormond MainStreet is grateful for the support of the small businesses in the downtown.

"They have been really strong, and they participate," Parker said. "They care. They come to us for advice and resources and we are happy to give it, but more than anything, we just love seeing them thrive and being a part of that for them."

Among the honorees was Billy's Tap Room, the oldest business in the downtown, having first opened its doors in 1922. Ormond MainStreet also recognized AHC Safe and Lock, Cate's Lighting at Elements of Design, the Ormond Memorial Art Museum, The Casements and the Ormond Beach Historical Society.

Redeveloper Bill Jones and restaurateur Kevin Wakefield will be honored at a later date, as they were unable to attend the rescheduled celebration.


'30 years of continuity'

Before Ormond MainStreet, there was the city's Downtown Improvement Board. Partington was appointed to serve on it in 1978. Then in the early 1990s, the city consolidated several of its advisory boards, and the Downtown Improvement Board became the Quality of Life Board. 

"Those of us on the Downtown Improvement Board thought that was not going to give us the impact that we wanted to have, and so we were looking for an alternative," Partington recalled.

Together with the city planner at the time, the board researched options and took notice of the City of DeLand's Main Street program, which was established in 1985 and was one of the first ones in the state. 

Partington and some of the early founders of Ormond MainStreet began the process to start a program in Ormond Beach in 1994. They received a $10,000 grant from the Florida Main Street program, and fundraised enough to hire its first executive director, Patti Bowie.

Bowie and early members began efforts to recruit businesses and residents to help with fundraisers for Ormond MainStreet. They started working with the city and property owners on façade improvements and planning for annual festivals.

These initiatives are still active today. 

"It's 30 years of continuity," said Julia Truilo, past executive director of Ormond MainStreet. "It's 30 years of growth."

Ormond MainStreet started with almost nothing, she said. The downtown was deteriorating in the 1980s and 1990s. 

The founders of Ormond MainStreet were forward thinkers, said Truilo, who led the organization from 2012-2022. She came onboard at a time of big changes, as the city's streetscape project had just started. 

Successful partnerships with the city and the private sector to invest in the downtown at the same time have made for a great community, Truilo said. 

"It's also something about a feeling of faith that the people who are in charge, who have the money to invest, who are in charge of the government — they have faith that this is important," Truilo said.


Bill's trusted voice

Partington's AHC Safe and Lock first opened in Ormond Beach in 1953 in the Buschman Building, where Gold Leaf Coffee Co. and Frame of Mind are located today. AHC Safe and Lock moved to its current building at 54 W. Granada Blvd. in 1959. 

But in 1953, Granada was a two-lane brick road that ended at the railroad tracks, Partington recalled.

"You had to take White Street (now Perrott Drive) one block south to Tomoka if you wanted to go west, because Granada didn't exist west of the railroad tracks," he said. 

Granada Plaza in 1987. Photo courtesy of Ormond MainStreet
Granada Plaza in 1987. Photo courtesy of Ormond MainStreet

Partington has witnessed a lot of changes in the downtown since — including the demolition of the first concrete bridge to the beachside, during which Granada was widened in the downtown to four lanes. 

Parker and Baker presented Partington with the Founder's Legacy Award during Ormond MainStreet's 30th anniversary celebration. 

"If you know Bill, you know he has never needed recognition," Baker said. "He leads quietly. He remembers the history. He offers perspective when we need it. He cares deeply about doing things the right way and about protecting the organization and the community it was created to serve."

To honor Partington, Ormond MainStreet and the city will plant a tree at Main Street Park. 

"There is simply no substitute for someone who has carried the history, values, and heart of this organization for three decades," Baker said. "Bill is not just one of our founders; he is one of our greatest assets, one of our most trusted voices, and one of the people who has given Ormond MainStreet its continuity and its character. Thirty years later he is still here, still engaged, still caring."

During his decades of service with Ormond MainStreet, he's seen the organization meet the national accreditation standards for the program. He's also witnessed the involvement that's made their mission possible. 

That was something he was looking forward to celebrating during Ormond MainStreet's 30th anniversary.

"When you have people that are enthusiastic about an organization and the work that the organization is doing in the community, it encourages other people to say, 'Hey, I want to be part of that,'" Partington said. "I think that's what I'm most proud of, and as I see the organization moving forward, I'm proud that we built a strong base, and we're looking to continue to do good work. There's plenty of work to be done, that's for sure."

 

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