Working to revitalize Skowhegan, Maine
Photo credit: Capshore & Kennebec Valley Tourism Council
Monthly Features
About the Organization
Founded in 2005 by a group of citizens, Main Street Skowhegan is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on the ongoing revitalization of historic Skowhegan, Maine. We actively collaborate with and engage hundreds of volunteers and dozens of partner organizations and businesses in our region via a variety of economic and community development activities.
According to a 2024 economic analysis completed by Camoin Associates, Main Street Skowhegan (MSS) has demonstrated substantial economic impacts on the Central Maine region. Through MSS programs, the organization has supported over 80 jobs annually, generated more than $2.2 million in earnings, and facilitated $6.1 million in local sales. Signature initiatives, such as Business Lab, have fostered 24 businesses and 47 jobs since 2022, while community events like Skijor Skowhegan and the Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival drive tourism and over $455,000 in visitor spending annually. These efforts showcase MSS’s pivotal role in enhancing the local economy, promoting entrepreneurship, and attracting new investment to the area.
Vision for Skowhegan
A destination for visitors from Maine and beyond, Skowhegan is known for its locally sourced food, beautiful and active riverfront, and vibrant cultural scene. The economy is strong and diverse, and residents are happy and healthy. Skowhegan is a place community members are proud of, youth choose to stay or return to, and visitors never want to leave.
Our Mission
Our mission is to celebrate Skowhegan's rich heritage while achieving our brightest future as a thriving economic, cultural, and recreational community where residents enjoy a high quality of life.
Our Work
Our work has grown over the last ten years to include major infrastructure projects and transformative programs that impact regional residents, youth, and entrepreneurs. We are no longer an organization focused on events or downtown beautification. MSS is a regional powerhouse, well respected among peer economic development organizations.
Revitalization Initiatives
We are thrilled to steward the following transformation strategies.
Community Transformation through Outdoor Recreation
MSS is spearheading a comprehensive approach to community transformation through outdoor recreation by weaving together infrastructure development, programming & gear, mentorship and third spaces for youth, and career pathways.
Skowhegan OutdoorsEntrepreneurship & Business Development
We support entrepreneurs through business planning, startup programs with the Roux Institute, the Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge with JMG, and the Business Lab Bootcamp & Pitch Competition, creating a strong pipeline for startup growth and acceleration.
EntrepreneurshipStrengthening the Regional Food Economy
We’re boosting the regional food economy with the future Kitchen at 185 and our Food Entrepreneur Pathway, providing workshops, advising, and kitchen access. This initiative helps entrepreneurs overcome barriers, scale production, create jobs, and establish the region as a food innovation hub.
Kitchen Incubator2024-2025 Impact Report
At Main Street Skowhegan, we go big or go home. We are boldly leading Skowhegan’s revitalization— and we couldn’t be prouder of the growing momentum here in our community.
We are Skowhegan’s economic engine, spurring development, supporting local businesses, and attracting visitors and new residents. We bring people and groups together, forge unique partnerships, and build strong relationships with many. Our initiatives are asset-based and community-centric.
Over the last eight years, our revitalization work has grown out of the pages of Skowhegan’s strategic plan and expanded into a wholistic approach to community and economic development. We recognize that improving the quality of life for all means taking into account the whole community— all of our businesses and our people—and weaving together a variety of approaches to revitalization, including entrepreneurship, placemaking, tourism product development, health and wellness, career pathways, workforce training, and youth engagement. I hope you’ll take some time to learn more about our work on the following pages.
This is The Revitalization of Skowhegan. We think you’ll agree that Skowhegan’s future is bright.
Best,
Kristina Cannon
President & CEO
Skowhegan Center for Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurial support and education | Coworking and meeting space
Skowhegan River Park
We’re leading project management and fundraising for Skowhegan’s future river park for kayaking, surfing, and tubing.
Get Involved
Want to help revitalize Skowhegan?
People loved Main Streets from the beginning. Sometimes all the economic data, sociology, and urban planning theory are no match for simply being in a place and feeling that magic for yourself. Because it turns out what people want the most is not acres and acres of free parking, but particularity, that special brand of weirdness that you can only find in a specific place. People want to be surprised and use their senses to learn something new. People want to taste the local ice cream, hear young people playing instruments on a street corner, see the bright colors of a mural showing the proud, and sometimes difficult, history of a place. People want identity, fun, and a little bit of chaos. And people want to see other people, too—that sense of togetherness that happens when everyone is discovering something new at the same time.”
-Erin Barnes, President & CEO, Main Street America
-Erin Barnes, President & CEO, Main Street America
Nationally Accredited
As a Main Street America™ Accredited program, Main Street Skowhegan is a recognized leading program among the national network of more than 1,200 neighborhoods and communities who share both a commitment to creating high-quality places and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. All Main Street America™ Accredited programs meet a set of National Accreditation Standards of Performance as outlined by the National Main Street Center.
We are evaluated each year by the Maine Downtown Center in order to receive annual accreditation from Main Street America.
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