Green County 2022 Guide

“We’ve successfully managed to bridge the convenience of online shopping to the in-person shopping experience. You can meet the owners, get to know the owners, but not leave your house.” And the money coming in made a difference. “We’re talking about some businesses that are a husband and wife, no other employees, so that money helped them pay rent and keep their doors open,” Nordby said. Not to mention, a way to reach a wider audience and engage new people. “We’ve got such a good depth of businesses here. Home goods, clothing, jewelry, toys, confectioneries, it’s a wonderful snapshot of the variety we have in Monroe.” The Art of Main Street Monroe Keeping a historic district thriving takes creative thinking. Main Street has a reputation statewide for using public art installations to drive traffic downtown. The tradition continues this year with a new mural and new summer art theme. “Creating murals is just as important as anything else we do,” Nordby said. “It’s been an investment. It’s about placemaking, community pride, and making sure that public art is accessible to everybody.” From a series of small “Alley Cats” painted in the alleys, to an Andy Warhol-inspired pop- art cow, the murals are playful and meaningful. A new mural planned for 2022 (underwritten by the Forrest and Mildred Kubly Fund through the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin) will be designed by local artists Kathy King and Lauren Burkey. Not only do the murals give local artists a chance to express themselves, Nordby said public art can also be used strategically for marketing. “We’ve had the murals placed appropriately to expand the field of the downtown, it’s not just the downtown Square, we have wonderful businesses two or three blocks off of it. We’ve placed murals where people least expect them.” Summer on the Square Art in downtown Monroe isn’t just on the buildings. For 12 years Main Street has taken it to the streets with a summer theme. From zoo animals to superheroes, local artists have carved or painted pieces to place along the sidewalks. “We always want to keep it family and children friendly,” Nordby said, adding “we never take it too seriously because we always want it to be fun.” This year’s theme is the cheesiest yet: “Cheese, Glorious Cheese.” Artists will paint 5-foot tall cheese wedges featuring scenes and elements iconic to Wisconsin. The theme coincides perfectly with the September return of the Cheese Days Festival after a 4-year hiatus.

It takes a creative spark to fire up a community. Downtown Monroe is on fire. When COVID-19 lockdowns hit, Main Street Monroe Executive Director Jordan Nordby knew he had one job: help the dozens of small businesses in the historic district survive. Two years after the first lockdown, the businesses are still there, and new ones opened. Leveraging the power of social media through a series of LIVE shopping nights, Main Street generated over $100,000 in sales for small businesses. “It’s been a lifesaver and phenomenal response for the last two years,” Nordby said. “The number of people who have shopped has blown past expectations.” The popular Facebook events also offered people at home a way to connect to their community. MAIN STREET TAKES A CREATIVE LEAP TO IGNITE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS & ART

S

E

1

E

6

P

E

A

G

16

17