The Arcade Winter Market was launched by the Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District as their Main Street Accelerator community project aimed to transform vacant space in the historic Arcade Mall into a vibrant indoor marketplace and community gathering place. The purpose was to support local entrepreneurs, provide opportunities for small businesses to test products and grow, and activate an underutilized downtown asset. Operating from November 13 through December 20, 2025, the market featured fresh produce, prepared foods, artisan vendors, live entertainment, and family-friendly programming.

Outcomes

The project successfully delivered a multi-week indoor market series and increased activity within the Arcade Mall through vendor participation, cultural programming, and community events. Organizers implemented a collaborative marketing campaign and hosted educational sessions for entrepreneurs on topics such as financial management, marketing, and business planning. The project also generated significant local attention and demonstrated community interest in reactivating the Arcade as a destination. Following the project’s success, the concept inspired additional activations, including a Ramadan Night Market and Summer Solstice Market.

Lessons Learned

One of the most important findings was that visitors valued the market’s social and gathering spaces as much as the vendors themselves. Comfortable seating, games, live music, story time, and opportunities for casual interaction created a “third place” that encouraged people to linger and connect. The project also revealed that consistent programming is critical to sustaining activity in the Arcade Mall; short-term events alone are not enough to create lasting customer habits. Additionally, changes among several partner organizations reinforced the importance of maintaining strong relationships with individuals rather than relying solely on institutional partnerships.

How Main Street Accelerator Helped

Funding and technical assistance from the Connecticut Main Street Center’s Main Street Accelerator Program provided the resources needed to test the food hall concept and bring partners together around a shared vision for the Arcade Mall. A $5,000 grant supported the launch of pop-up market events, marketing efforts, community programming, and entrepreneur engagement activities. The Accelerator gave the project the flexibility to pilot new ideas, gather feedback, and build momentum toward a potential permanent food hall operation. Most importantly, it helped demonstrate that strategic activation of an underused historic property could foster entrepreneurship, strengthen community connections, and support long-term downtown revitalization.

Long-term Impact

Going through this process, especially navigating communication between the property owner and commercial real estate agent, alongside the strong interest from local small businesses and entrepreneurs eager to activate their ideas publicly, underscored the need for an additional paid position: Small Business Retention and Attraction Manager. With the support of Connecticut Main Street Center’s Executive Director, Michelle McCabe, who attended the district’s board meeting to advocate for this role on behalf of the Downtown Special Services District, the board approved the position.

“I am happy to share that the Accelerator project did catalyze more activations at the Arcade Mall and encouraged us to release the Business Retention & Recruitment Manager role that we are now seeking candidates to fill. Overall, the experience of the Accelerator program and the resources of the grant and technical assistance were game changers for the Bridgeport DSSD!”

– Lauren Coakley-Vincent, President and CEO Downtown Special Services District

Main Street Accelerator is a six-month professional development and team-building program designed to help Connecticut communities bring small-scale, high-impact downtown projects to life.

Whether you’re just starting your revitalization journey or strengthening an existing initiative, this program offers expert guidance, hands-on coaching, and the opportunity to receive grant funding.

Interested? Email Ani Chaghatzbanian, Programs Manager, or call her at 860-665-4174 to discuss whether this program is right for you.

Please take our anonymous statewide main street business survey to help your town and state leaders understand the challenges Main Street businesses like yours are facing and what you need to succeed.

Participating towns will receive their local results to help leaders shape targeted programs, policies, and resources that support you, while the aggregate responses will inform statewide opportunities and challenges for Main Street businesses.

Survey responses due by April 30th.

This survey is administered by CT Main Street Center, a nonprofit supporting downtowns across the state.

We’ve found the following actions help maximize survey responses:

• Customize the flyer template, print it, and hand it out to local businesses. Pro tip – include seasonal businesses in your outreach!
• Send a dedicated email blast from the town or Council of Government (COG) Find the survey link here
• Reach out to your local chamber(s) of commerce to help spread the word!

CMSC will share your town’s aggregate results with you. The more responses we get, the more insights you receive.

Three Connecticut communities were chosen to receive funding for beautification, lighting, and digital innovation projects

The Town of Old Saybrook, Westville Village Renaissance Alliance, and Windsor’s First Town Downtown have been announced as the first recipients of EmPOWER Main Street Fund grants to implement projects that will enhance the vibrancy and appeal of their downtowns.

The EmPOWER Main Street Fund was launched in June 2025 in partnership with United Illuminating (UI), Connecticut Natural Gas (CNG), and Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG) – subsidiaries of Avangrid, Inc.  and is seeded by a $25,000 investment from the utilities.

The program provides CMSC member towns within the companies’ service areas with funding for main street improvement projects such as lighting, beautification, signage, and commercial space enhancements.

The grant recipients and projects are a reflection of the diverse nature of Connecticut’s downtowns and the ingenuity and commitment of local stakeholders:

The selected projects will be implemented beginning in spring 2026, continuing CMSC’s mission to foster vibrant, walkable downtowns across Connecticut.

Showcase what’s happening locally and share your Main Street’s events across Connecticut – with one simple tool.

Through a partnership with CMSC, CivicLift is offering member communities a powerful new resource — a smart events calendar that automatically updates and connects your local events to a growing statewide network.

It’s easy to install, completely free for CMSC members, and designed to support your town’s visibility, vibrancy, and visitor engagement.

• Fast to Launch & Effortless to Manage – it only takes minutes to set up and is easy to update.
• Amplify your reach – your local calendar is integrated into CivicLift’s statewide network, effortlessly expanding visibility for your community.
• You’re the Connector – create a shared outlet where your community is empowered to promote events & activities.

Local events fed into your website. Automatically. For free!

Teams from five Connecticut communities were chosen for CMSC’s 2026 Main Street Accelerator Cohort.

Over the course of the 6-month virtual program, the teams will learn and practice the nationally proven Four Point Approach to Main Street Management and apply it to a specific challenge their community is facing. 

The teams and their projects represent a diverse array of Connecticut towns and cities:

The 2026 Accelerator program and grants are supported by Webster Bank. Learn more about their support here.