Spotlight on Main Street: Middletown

In June 2013, the Town of Newtown selected a team organized by Connecticut Main Street Center (CMSC) to coordinate an economic recovery consultancy for Sandy Hook Village. CMSC collaborated with Arnett Muldrow & Associates of Greenville, SC, and with NetMark Associates of Canton, CT to work closely with the Town and the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity (S.H.O.P.) to examine the market for Sandy Hook Village for shopping, dining and gathering, to engage more people to come to Sandy Hook, and to craft a marketing and promotion toolkit for the Village to better share its assets with residents, visitors, and investors.

The goal of this work was to assist Sandy Hook Village business and property owners with short-term steps to market the community alongside long-term initiatives to foster continued economic activity and investment in Sandy Hook Village. The branding and marketing strategy that resulted serves as a guide for helping the Village’s businesses market to their existing and expanded customer base, helping officials of the Town of Newtown and S.H.O.P. recruit additional investment to the community, and guiding decisions to continue to drive customer traffic to the village.

A Compassionate, Community-led Approach

The consultancy process began with a series of meetings in the community. CMSC worked with the consulting team and a steering committee comprised of Town Staff, Economic Development Commissioners, and S.H.O.P. representatives to discuss the scope of the project, directing the project from start to finish. The team also met with shopkeepers, stakeholders, School District and Town officials, and others to gather input and feedback. 

Through community input and market analysis, Connecticut Main Street team presented Sandy Hook with a market report and corresponding marketing and branding campaign along with other steps to implement the new branding campaign.

The resulting branding campaign is still in use by Sandy Hook Village. S.H.O.P. also joined the CMSC member network and remains an active member ten years later.

Interested in learning how we can help your community discover its unique voice?

Check out these helpful videos or learn more about becoming a CMSC member.