PORT TOWNSEND — It all started in 1985 with then-Aldrich’s Grocery Store owner John Clise walking down one side of Water Street and then-Mayor Brent Shirley walking the other side.
“By the time we got to the end of Water Street, we had the pledges we needed to kick the thing off,” said Clise, who later became the Port Townsend Main Street program’s first president.
Clise, a Port Townsend resident for only two years back then, was approached by Shirley to enter each Water Street merchant’s shop and ask for pledges
Together, they came up with $10,000, the seed money needed to become one of five experimental pilot programs in the state established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
This week, the Port Townsend Main Street’s 105 business owners will mark the program’s silver anniversary.
The program, which is known to assist business owners, plans a bash on Thursday to recognize its outstanding members and accomplishments.
An annual membership party is set Thursday at the Mount Baker Block Building, 211 Taylor St.
The historic four-story building — constructed by Port Townsend’s first mayor, Charles Eisenbeis — are where Main Street’s administrative offices have been headquartered since the program’s inception.
Thursday’s membership party and awards ceremony will feature food, membership and volunteer awards, program news, and recognition of special guests.
Ann Welch, who coordinates the Oral History Project for the Jefferson County Museum, will video record reminiscences of Main Street.
From humble beginnings, the program today has a $130,000 annual budget and offers networking opportunities for members, expansion of customer base through promotions, special events and the Internet, and marketing and merchandising strategies.
It also offers members resources for business retention, expansion and recruitment, historic building rehabilitation and design support and education seminars.
Among the events and activities Main Street sponsors are the Victorian Holidays Celebration, Girls Night Out, the Taste of Port Townsend and meetmeinporttownsend.com.
Susan Windle, who is serving her third year as president of the Main Street board — and who with her husband, Harvey, has co-owned Forest Gems Gallery on Washington at Adams streets downtown since 1996 — said that, looking back at the organization’s accomplishments, “what I found impressive is just how we act as that in-between for businesses.
“Obviously, it wouldn’t survive without the support of the businesses, but the executive directors have all been wonderful.”
Julie McCulloch, Main Street’s second president — who has owned Elevated Ice Cream Co. and Candy Shop since 1977, at 627 and 631 Water St. — said it was a Governor’s Conference on Downtown Revitalization that inspired her to be one of the first donors to Main Street.
“It was obvious there was tremendous potential for Port Townsend,” said McCulloch, former Port Townsend mayor and city planning commission member.
“Port Townsend was just a gem waiting to be polished.”
McCulloch, who served on the Main Street board from 1985-’89, said those years were “foundational” in bwuilding the program’s stability.
Today, McCulloch calls the Main Street program “a proven formula for protecting historic architecture” downtown, saying that her board helped establish the HUD loan program to get downtown and uptown preservation going.
“We always tried to make sure uptown was included because they are both historic districts,” McCulloch said.
Clise said the program is a prime example of “how much community we have in this small town.”
As far as the merchants the program serves are concerned, Clise said, “They are not making big bucks, but they are representing the importance of community.”
Said historic McCurdy Building owner Coila Sheard, a longtime Main Street benefactor who swears by the program: “It holds us together. It’s a bond.”
Main Street’s work plans are organized through four volunteer committees: organization, promotion, design and economics.
Coming projects include “Using Social Networking as a Real Marketing Tool,” with Mike Foster at 8:30 a.m. March 31 at the Public House, 1038 Water St., and a new Transportation Task Force to focus on passenger-only ferry service and historic districts parking.
The program will continue its tradition with the annual family photo, which will be taken again in August at a location to be designated.
Mike Kenna, owner of Star Printery, and photographer Paul Boyer organized and photographed the first family portrait in 1985.
Members of the current Main Street board are Windle; Heather Poulsen, vice president, who managed Hastings Estate Co.; Dominic Svornich, with Kitsap Bank, secretary; Mari Friend, Sport Townsend owner, treasurer; Sue Arthur, owner of Maricee Fashions; Mark Cole, owner of The Upstage Restaurant and Theatre; John Pizzo, owner of Pizzo Computers; Johnpaul Davies, owner of Key City Fish; Tim Caldwell, manager of Puget Sound Energy Port Townsend branch.
Mari Mullen has been executive director for 10 years. Kate Dreihaus is administrative assistant.
Among the lesser known accomplishments, Mullen said, is that Main Street wrote the successful grant that started Port Townsend Farmers Market in the early 1990s.
Main Street has also coordinated the annual Earth Day event in Port Townsend for 20 years.
It also created plaques for historic Port Townsend buildings, telling visitors the name of each building and its age.
“The gift of Main Street to Port Townsend is the thousands and thousands of volunteer hours given to Port Townsend,” Mullen said.
The program raised $35,000 to market the community when the Hood Canal Bridge was closed in May 1-June 3 “and I think it helped us get through that period.”
Main Street has a fan page on Facebook, and a Web site at ptmainstreet.org.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com..
