Leeds Main Street Honored
Leeds Main Street was honored to receive the following awards with credit to the volunteers and patrons within our community who made them possible at Main Street Alabama's 11th Annual Awards of Excellence Banquet in Monroeville last week:
🏆EXCELLENCE IN PROMOTION: Mistletoe on Main
In its second year, Mistletoe on Main has become a tradition, drawing residents and visitors to celebrate the holiday season in downtown Leeds. Event highlights included Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides, Food Trucks, Live Music, Letters to Santa, a Snow Globe Photo Booth, Bounce Houses, Frozen Characters Photo-Ops, Winter Wonderland with Snow Machine, Polar Express Train Rides, Cookie Decorating, Grinch Character Photo-Op, Face Painting, Christmas Games, Cookies and Grinch Juice with the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, all leading up to the annual Leeds Christmas Parade with the Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce.
🏆EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: Posh Building Development
Laura Barnes and Jeremy Deason invested over $300,000 to transform a long-vacant former Leeds City School board building into what is now Posh Salon. They improved the space by adding a glass door entrance, new windows, and a large garage door to bring in more natural light. Amazingly, they also included a restaurant build-out within the salon to ensure that the building could easily adapt to future business changes.
🏆EXCELLENCE IN PLACEMAKING: The Pants Store Mural
Michael Gee, owner of The Pants Store, wanted to create a noticeable space in downtown Leeds by installing a mural that celebrates the rich history and vibrant spirit of the city. His initiative has transformed a prominent space into a visually engaging and historically significant landmark, promoting community, well-being, and pride. The mural depicts an image from the late 1950's when Taylor Gee would bus people from Birmingham to shop the famous 3 for $10 pants sale. It is positioned to be visible to all who enter the Leeds Main Street District.
🏆MAIN STREET HERO AWARD: Shandi White - Realtor
Shandi White is a downtown business owner and Broker of Stratford Real Estate. She is a Leeds Main Street board member and co-chair on the LMS Finance Committee. Shandi is a dedicated community leader who has played a vital role in revitalizing and enhancing the district through financial support and hands-on involvement. Her efforts have benefited the district and inspired others to get involved. She is responsible for increasing social media engagement by 250%, organizing new events and promotions that have increased foot traffic downtown, and creating partnerships with stakeholders who were initially hesitant to partner with Leeds Main Street.
🏆REINVESTMENT AWARD: Over $5 Million Bracket
This award recognizes the designated Main Street Alabama programs that have reached major milestones in their district revitalization efforts.
Read the article featured in the Trussville Tribune here!
Pictured in attendance to the awards ceremony in Monroeville to represent their organization are Leeds Main Street's Kristy Biddle, Susan Carswell, Jacob Meyer, Lisa O'Neil, and Neva Reardon.