The 25th Anniversary celebration of the New Mexico MainStreet program continued in March and April with “Project MainStreet Makeover,” culminating in the renovation of Martha’s and Smith’s Office Supply store, a landmark business in downtown Truth or Consequences. A crew of over 70 volunteers pitched in with an estimated 500 hours of work to give the business a dramatic a facelift.
“It is exciting to see the results a community can achieve when they come together for the common good,” stated Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Fred Mondragón. “We offer our thanks to Truth or Consequences MainStreet, New Mexico MainStreet and all of the volunteers who graciously gave their time to promote a positive image for their downtown.”
“Project MainStreet Makeover” is an inter-disciplinary business improvement strategy powered by micro seed funding provided by the Friends of New Mexico MainStreet, a statewide nonprofit. The Truth or Consequences MainStreet program successfully submitted Martha's for the pilot project, beginning a process that included site visits, planning sessions, design development, client consultations with owners and community, building and site preparation. Services provided by the Economic Development Department included architectural design, interior commercial design, retail consultation and merchandising, and on-site labor and project supervision.
Building owners Pam and Dwayne Bauer operate Martha’s, which has been in business in downtown Truth or Consequences for over fifty years. “We are the luckiest people in New Mexico that MainStreet selected for the Makeover Project,” stated Pam Bauer. “We’ve had so many positive comments from the community and our customers.”
Truth or Consequences Main Street President Linda de Marino added, “The 'Project MainStreet Makeover' really showed our board members and the community what we can do when we put our mind to it.”
Additional volunteer personnel included representatives from Truth or Consequences MainStreet program, professional design associates from the New Mexico MainStreet, the UNM Student Chapter of the United States Institute for Theater Technology (USITT) program and retail design consultant Caterina Giuffrida of Santa Fe.
At the New Mexico MainStreet Dinner on Saturday August 14, 2010, the Project MainStreet Makeover brochure was introduced - and the Martha's/Smith's project is prominently featured!
