Mayor Walsh to host 'Mayor on Main' Trolley Tour

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the return of the "Mayor on Main" trolley tour, a four-day event highlighting Boston's Main Streets (BMS) districts, beginning next week. During Mayor on Main, Mayor Walsh will visit businesses and present the 22nd Annual Boston Main Streets Award, which recognize an outstanding business owner and volunteer from each district. This year's Mayor on Main tour will be held Tuesday, June 26, Wednesday, June 27, Thursday, June 28, and Saturday, June 30, 2018.

"I'm excited for another year of the 'Mayor on Main' trolley tour, which is an incredible opportunity  to celebrate some of Boston's most dynamic small businesses," said Mayor Walsh, "From employing neighbors, contributing to local nonprofits and civic life, to investing in neighborhood improvement efforts, Boston's Main Streets are committed to their communities. I'm proud of initiatives like Boston Main Streets and business improvement districts, which support our local small business economy and I encourage everyone to visit, support, and explore Boston's small, local establishments."

Boston's 40,000 small businesses fuel the City's economy and generate $15 billion in annual revenue, and 170,000 jobs. Boston Main Streets provides funding and technical assistance to 20 neighborhood-based Main Streets districts throughout the City of Boston, and has served as a national model for urban areas seeking to revitalize neighborhood commercial districts. Boston Main Streets continues to empower individuals in the small business sector to have a direct role in the economic health, physical appearance, and development of their own community.

"The success of our local commercial districts is driven by the personal commitments of our main streets small business owners and community volunteers," said Joel Sklar, Board Chair for the Boston Main Streets Foundation. "We're proud to recognize individuals across all 20 districts who have become strong ambassadors for their neighborhoods and showcase the deep and lasting value of their hard work and personal contributions."

The tour will include 12 stops over the course of four days:

Tuesday, June 26

1:30 PM - Greater Ashmont - Zia Gianna Caffe

2:30 PM - Four Corners - 4 Corners Yoga + Wellness

Also honoring Fields Corner - Fresh Food Generation Café

3:30PM - Bowdoin-Geneva - Cape Verdean Taste

Also honoring Upham's Corner - Upham's Corner Health Center

Also honoring Greater Grove Hall - Lulu's Barbershop & Salon

Wednesday, June 27

1:30 PM - West Roxbury - Himalayan Bistro

Also honoring Roslindale Village - Birch St. House & Garden

2:30 PM - Hyde Park - Akiki & Sons

3:30 PM - Mattapan Square - Hair Stop

Thursday, June 28

1:30 PM - Dudley Square - Castillo's Liquor Store

Also honoring Chinatown - C Mart Supermarket

Also honoring Washington Gateway - Capital One Cafe at Ink Block

2:30 PM - Egleston Square - Sandy Wireless

Also honoring Hyde-Jackson - El Oriental de Cuba Restaurant

3:30 PM - JP Centre-South - Fresh Hair Salon

Saturday, June 30th

10:00 AM - East Boston - Jendriel Collision Center

11:00 AM - Allston Village - Coreanos Allston

Also honoring Brighton - Rockland Trust

12:00 PM -  Mission Hill - The Laughing Monk Café

The City of Boston operates the Small Business Center, which serves as a one-stop neighborhood resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs ready to grow their businesses. In partnership with more than a dozen leading business service organizations, the City of Boston's Small Business Center provides high-impact professional training, networking and one-on-one coaching sessions during the first nine-week summer series in Mattapan.

One of the goals of the small business center is to empower minority and women-owned businesses. Entrepreneurs of color comprise 32 percent of all Boston businesses, generate $2.7 billion in revenue and employ 32,000 people, while 35 percent of small businesses in Boston are women-owned.

About The Mayor's Office of Economic Development

The Office of Economic Development's mission is to make Boston an appealing and accessible place for working families, entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors to innovate, grow, and thrive in a way that fosters inclusion, broadens opportunity, and shares prosperity, thereby enhancing the quality of life for all Bostonians and the experience for all visitors. Learn more on their website.

About Boston Main Streets

Developed out of a partnership between the City of Boston and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Boston Main Streets initiative was created in 1995 as the first urban, multi-district Main Streets program in the nation, with the goal of establishing thriving commercial districts throughout the city. Boston Main Streets is a successful model for urban commercial district revitalization that strengthens local business districts through strong organizational development, community participation, resident and merchant education and sustainable development. Boston Main Streets continues to empower individuals in the small business sector to have a direct role in the economic health, physical appearance, and development of their own community.

About the Boston Main Streets Foundation

The Boston Main Streets Foundation is committed to making Boston's neighborhood commercial districts thriving, vibrant centers of commerce and community through its support of the Boston Main Streets program. The Boston Main Streets Foundation seeks to develop long-term strategies to increase the economic power and resources of neighborhood commercial districts while pursuing initiatives that build knowledge and capacity for Main Streets programs and the businesses they serve.