LIDO Collective Wins Excellence on Main award
At the Washington State Main Street Program’s annual awards ceremony, the Mount Vernon Downtown Association was honored with the 2023 Economic Vitality Award for its work supporting local artists through the establishment of the Lido Collective retail space.
Operated by the nonprofit Washington Trust for Historic Preservation in conjunction with the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, the Washington State Main Street Program helps communities across the state revitalize the economy, appearance, and image of their downtown districts. Today, the Washington State Main Street Program encompasses a network of more than seventy towns and cities across Washington, including Vancouver.
Every year, as a cornerstone event of the annual RevitalizeWA conference, the Washington State Main Street Program hosts the Excellence on Main awards ceremony, honoring projects, and individuals whose hard work and innovative efforts are making a difference in their communities and beyond. This year’s 2023 Excellence on Main award winners were announced on Thursday, October 5 at the Providence Academy ballroom, during the RevitalizeWA conference held October 4-6 in Vancouver.
The Economic Vitality Award is an annual award that recognizes enhancement efforts that have improved the economic vitality of the district including job creation and retention, sales growth, and more. The Mount Vernon Downtown Association was named the 2023 recipient of the Economic Vitality Award in recognition of their work creating the Lido Collective retail space downtown to support local artists.
With the Tulip Festival Street Fair as their longstanding signature event and a five-year strategy centered around the arts, the Mount Vernon Downtown Association (MVDA) has close connections to the region’s artist community. They were acutely aware of how this economic sector was impacted by the pandemic and how dependent on seasonal events creative entrepreneurs are in the region. The MVDA believed they could serve both their arts entrepreneurs and their downtown retail environment by offering a brick-and-mortar outlet to expand artists’ revenue opportunities. When a prime retail space opened, MVDA executive director Ellen Gamson moved quickly, pitching the idea to her board, applying for a Nonprofit Community Recovery Grant, and hastily persuading the building owner to support the idea.
After remodeling the space using grant funds and their own revenue, as well as key contributions from donors and volunteers, the MVDA opened the Lido Collective for business in April 2022, with 47 local artists’ works available for sale. Their consignment model enables artists to keep 60% of their sales, pay no fees for space, and have no staffing requirements (since the MVDA staffs the retail space). After 18 months in operation, the Lido Collective has created three jobs, prompted the opening of two new businesses nearby, and led to revenue generation for now over 60 local artists. Retail Operations Manager Kate Pickett played a vital role in the design and outfitting of the new space and continues to deploy her considerable visual merchandising skills and retail management skills to profound effect.
“The Mount Vernon Downtown Association is truly leading the way in fostering a stronger and more resilient creative economy on Main Street,” stated Washington Main Street Director Breanne Durham at the Excellence on Main ceremony. Durham personally presented the Economic Vitality Award to Mount Vernon Downtown Association Executive Director Ellen Gamson and Retail Operations Manager Kate Pickett, who attended the ceremony.
Stop in and see the local beauty of the LIDO Collective yourself, Monday-Saturday 10- 5:30pm
300 S 1st St A, Mount Vernon, WA 98273
