Main Street in Santa Monica is arguably one of the most walkable, bikeable parts of the city. It’s lined with local, community-serving businesses; it has vivid, green bike lanes; and soon, it will be getting Santa Monica’s first three parklets and it will host the city’s first open streets event in June.
It’s got a weekly Farmers Market, a library, a thriving food truck scene, and a diverse array of bars, restaurants, and shops. Thrillist even called it the region’s best new food street. Now, it’s in the running for the America’s Main Street competition, which seeks to highlight some of the country’s best Main Streets.
Main Street Santa Monica is one of dozens of nominees in the competition, which calls on visitors to the America’s Main Street website to vote for their favorite nominee. You can vote for Main Street Santa Monica here.
“Main Street Santa Monica is the quintessential Main Street. It is a vibrant, neighborhood-serving commercial district in the heart of Santa Monica that is full of unique, independent shops, restaurants, bars and services and a weekly farmers market,” Main Street Santa Monica’s profile on the site reads.
“The Main Street Business Improvement Assoc. (MSBIA) helped to create the Buy Local SM campaign and organizes beloved, free community events throughout the year including the annual Main Street SOULstice Festival, MAINopoloy: Taste of Main Street (a community fundraising event), Main Street Holiday Party Hop (with the famous shopping cart tree) and sidewalk sales,” it reads.
The competition, according to the website, is meant to highlight the importance of main streets to local economies throughout the country.
“The goal of the America’s Main Streets contest is to help promote the importance and strong economic benefits of these Main Streets and the small businesses that help them thrive. Please help us by nominating and telling us about a deserving Main Street,” according to the website.
“The winning Main Street will receive $25,000 in cash and related prizes to help revitalize that Main Street,” the website reads.
The contest organizers are still accepting nominations and voting from now through April 24. Semi-finalist voting will take place between May 2 and May 29 and the winner will be announced in early June.
