MSE promotes downtown with new app

Within the past two months, Main Street El Dorado has completed projects to advance its mission of promoting downtown and raising awareness about its program.

Last month, Main Street began a soft promotion of a mobile app that it joined earlier this year and in June, Main Street launched an online newsletter to better connect to the community.

Beth Brumley, executive director of MSE, said the use of the Distrx app is slowly rising, noting that MSE mildly rolled out the app in the July newsletter.

“Yes, people are starting to use it. I’ve been getting comments when I don’t update it fast enough,” Brumley said with a laugh.

Distrx is designed for Main Street cities across the country to provide location-based services for local businesses and attractions and notify users of events, attractions and any special offers, sales or promotions that participating businesses may offer within the MSE district.

Brumley recently reported that a historic downtown walking tour has been added to Distrx.

The tour features an audio file with narration by Mike Dumas — former El Dorado mayor and former president and chief executive officer of the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce — and Donna Bradshaw — a member of the Main Street board of directors and a former local radio personality — with iBeacon messaging.

Stops on the tour include the Union County Courthouse, El Dorado Federal Center, Newton House Museum, the Griffin Restaurant/First Financial Bank Music Hall, the Presbyterian Cemetery, Hamburger Row (formerly located across from the cemetery), City Hall, South Arkansas Community College and more.

Brumley said the iBeacon alerts visitors when they are within several feet of a stop along the tour, noting that beacons have not yet been added to some of the stops.

For instance, she said organizers are trying to figure out an area in which to place the beacon in the Presbyterian Cemetery.

“It’s on the tour. You can go, but the beacon won’t alert you,” she explained.

A welcome message notifies visitors when they have have entered the Main Street district, which encompasses most of downtown El Dorado

Local events — including last week’s First Thursday, a retail promotion and fundraiser sponsored by the Downtown

Business Association, and the upcoming Airstreams on the Square — have been added to the app, along with the MAD Playscape as an attraction.

Several downtown businesses are taking advantage of Distrx by updating shoppers about special promotions and events.

Brumley said Main Street is working to pull more downtown retailers and restaurants onto the app, noting that some Distrx features will be changing.

One of the anticipated changes could mean some good news for downtown businesses who are a part of Distrx, Brumley said.

“I’m excited about it,” she teased. She declined to comment further, saying that the details are not yet approved for public release.

The monthly MSE newsletter is intended to keep the community apprised of downtown happenings, projects that MSE is undertaking and information about the Main Street program.

Brumley said MSE relied heavily on summer intern Ali Brumley — yes, they are related — to develop both projects, noting that the business and finance major will soon be returning to Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia for the fall semester.

“We gave her the data and she ran with it. She really has taken charge of both of those things. This is going to be her

last week with us,” Beth Brumley said.

Last November, the El Dorado Advertising and Promotion Commission approved a $3,500 request to assist MSE in joining Distrx.

Beth Brumley said informational elements about MSE — such as its mini-grant program, which offers funding for business and property owners within the Main Street district to improve to their properties — are also posted on the app and included in the newsletter.

“We get to tell the story of how Main Street programs have a positive impact on downtowns versus downtowns that don’t have Main Street programs,” Beth Brumley said.

She said MSE also plans to reach out to other Main Street communities in the region, including Ruston, Louisiana, who are dialed into Distrx to discuss opportunities for cross promotions.

“So many people from El Dorado go to Ruston and a lot of people from Ruston come to El Dorado. We’re both Main Street programs so we’re going to try to take advantage of opportunities to advertise together,” Beth Brumley said, adding that such a partnership would be beneficial for both communities.

The app and newsletter are part of a 2017 decision by MSE to reevaluate its goals and direction, with board members agreeing to rely on the national Main Street Approach downtown revitalization: promotion, design, organization and economic

vitality.

At the time, MSE board members acknowledged that the local program had been event/promotion-heavy — a circumstance that was previously been cited by Main Street Arkansas officials.

One of the first steps MSE took in resetting its priorities and redirect its focus was to defer to the Murphy Arts District as the lead in booking entertainment in El Dorado.

MSE scaled back the number of shows and concerts it schedules

each year while still exploring ideas to expand existing festivals and events and creating new ones to generate income for the organization.

In October, MSE will launch a new fall festival that the group is hoping will become a new flagship fundraiser.

The Smoke on the Square Fall Festival is set for Oct. 26 and will feature a sanctioned, Kansas City Barbecue Society cook-off.

MSE has rescheduled its regular monthly board

meeting to noon today at the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce, 111 W. Main, in preparation for a visit from a Main Street Arkansas official.