Martinsville Uptown Revitalization is committed to the continued enhancement of the historic central business district.  This economic development agency strives to spark interest and to rejuvenate Uptown Martinsville with a variety of programs and events. Martinsville Uptown holds events, works with merchants to promote their stores and tackle their challenges, features available property on its website; works with property owners to fill their vacancies and enhance their properties through façade renderings and its façade/signage matching grant program.

Who We Are:

The Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association is dedicated to the continued enhancement of the Uptown central business district.  By promotion of a variety of special programs – design assistance, special events, and economic development activities – Martinsville Uptown will continue to lead the way to improvement of the business climate and continued economic growth.

Martinsville Uptown has  committees whose role is to work together to revitalize and manage the district by working in four interconnected areas:

• Organization – Martinsville Uptown works to establish collaboration and build leadership within the community.
• Design – Martinsville Uptown works to enhance the unique visual quality of Uptown by providing assistance to building owners.
• Economic restructuring – Martinsville Uptown works to strengthen and expand the economic base of Uptown Martinsville with existing efforts of others continually conceiving new ideas.
• Promotions – Martinsville Uptown works to market the Uptown as a fun place to live, work, invest and visit.

As a member in good standing with Virginia Main Street and National Main Street, a division of National Trust for Historic Preservation, Martinsville Uptown adheres to The Main Street Approach™.  Programs are organized within the four distinct, but interconnected, key areas of Design, Promotion, Economic Restructuring and Organization.

With a 13-member Board of Directors, committee members, 1 full-time director, 1 full-time staff member, and two Rives Theatre staff members, Martinsville Uptown works to serve all current residents of Martinsville and Henry County as well as visitors of uptown Martinsville, and the businesses and other services located within Uptown’s 16-block radius.

Martinsville Uptown partners with the City of Martinsville, Economic Development Corporation’s Office of Small Business and Minority Development and Office of Tourism; the Southern Virginia Recreational Authority; the Southern Virginia Artisan Center, Piedmont Arts Association; Virginia Museum of Natural History, West Piedmont Business Development Center, Gateway Streetscape Foundation; the Chamber of Commerce, Workforce Investment Board, Longwood College, Martinsville-Henry County  Historical Society, New College Institute, PHCC, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Virginia Main Street, Virginia Downtown Development Association, Southside Business Technology Center, VA Cooperative Extension, the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, M-HC After 3, the Mental Health Association, Activate Martinsville-Henry County,  and many more agencies.

What We Do:

Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association’s activities, in support of its mission goals, include promoting the Uptown area through free community and retail events, beautification efforts (e.g. murals, green-space, window displays, seating and lighting), façade renovations, public improvements, historic preservation, business recruitment and retention, commercial and residential development, and vacant land management. 

Martinsville Uptown has been recognized in the Virginia Main Street’s Milestone Awards for Volunteer and Private Investment. Since 1998, Martinsville Uptown’s volunteers have contributed more than 20K hours, which equates to over $360K in support of revitalization. Since 1995, we have created the climate for more than $10M in private investment in Uptown Martinsville, which greatly affected the community’s economic growth.

Promotion programs include the outdoor concert series, TGIF, which is are held in historic Uptown’s Bridge Street parking lot on the 4th Friday of each month, April to September. This concert provides a fun, entertaining place for the whole family at a low admission price. Kids’ toys, drinks, beer/wine, and food are sold. Nonprofit organizations are chosen to staff the event, and for their work, are given a donation.  Between 800 and 2,000 people travel from NC, Patrick, Pittsylvania, Franklin, and Henry Counties to attend each event.  They also see what Uptown Martinsville has to offer.

Martinsville Uptown operates the Uptown Martinsville Farmers’ Market, an economic restructuring and promotion tool.  It is open while Uptown stores are open, and merchants have noticed in increase in store traffic on the days of the market’s Tasty Saturdays, which are events held on the third Saturday of each month from May to November.  These themed events feature increased vendors, live entertainment, a chef of the month demonstrating how to make recipes with ingredients that can be purchased at the market that day, a lesson from VMNH educators, items from the VA Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, and representatives from HCI giving out healthy recipes.

Harvest Foundation-funded events:

• Lunch on the Lawn:  A lunch event on Wednesdays from 11 to 2 p.m. in a relaxed setting which include Uptown merchants with a peek of what they offer, live acoustic music, and food-court setting at the Historic Henry County Courthouse. Participants sit at tables in shaded areas and network, chat, catch up, and even celebrate birthdays.
• Tunes @ Twilight: A street festival from on Thursdays from 4:30 to 7:30 on intimate Walnut Street that features food, Uptown merchants, unique live music, games, kids’ activities, artisan demonstrations, and much more. 
• Rives Theatre Film Series:  Themed films are shown in conjunction with fun events, music, speakers, food and drinks monthly.  We encourage other nonprofits to utilize the Rives for events and seminars.  The Rives works with the Boys and Girls Club and YMCA to show films to their participants.

Martinsville Uptown’s design programs address beautification in Uptown Martinsville.  It offers a matching grant for signage/façade improvements and many properties have been beautified as a result of this program.  It proudly works with and supports the efforts of Gateway Streetscape Foundation.  Since it is a member in good standing with Virginia Main Street, Martinsville Uptown works with Frazier Associates to offer free building renderings to property owners.  Martinsville Uptown’s economic restructuring programs work to strengthen uptown businesses and show potential business owners what Uptown has to offer.

Our Hopes for the Future:

Martinsville Uptown plans to work with its partners to help Uptown Martinsville find its niche in beautiful, historic Southern Virginia. It envisions Uptown Martinsville to be a bustling business district due to people living, learning, creating, working, and visiting its unique stores, organizations, and patronizing professional and community services.  The presence of the Southern Virginia Artisan Center, Virginia Museum of Natural History, the Sports Complex, the Steel Plant; PHCC and New College Institute, uptown living space, and the events Uptown serve as multiple reasons to be Uptown.  It envisions the roads pedestrian and bike-friendly, the greenscape attractive, wayfinding signs installed, and buildings fully occupied and renovated with their facades updated but kept within the district’s historic context.