Just a bit more than a week before Valentine's Day, Florence Main Street hosted our 4th Annual Chocolate Crawl! This year was just as great as the rest with delicious chocolate treats that were to die for and new businesses to visit as well as our returning favorites!Tickets this year sold out 3 days before the event and even though it was cold out, we had a great crowd! We saw so many new faces and heard a lot of positive feedback from the patrons. Many of them said it was the best year yet!On top of that, ticket holders enjoyed 15% off their purchases as well as a chocolate treat at participating businesses. Grier Insurance even gave away dinner for 2 at Ricatoni's to one lucky winner!
This year's chocolate treat winner was Cloth & Stone with their Chocolate Wine Cake! Great job to the Cloth & Stone team, we heard crawlers raving about that treat and the store it was in all day.A very close second was Miss Beth's Tailoring and Alterations with their Oreo Bon Bons! Miss Beth’s was a first time participant in the crawl this year and nearly clenched the victory, so congratulations to all involved; everyone seemed very impressed. 
A few honorable mentions this year were North Alabama Chiropractic's Chocolate Covered Bacon, Jack O' Lantern Farm's Mocha Turnovers, and Printers and Stationer's Mini Cannoli's, but there were many more amazing treats as well that were very well made and well received. We can’t thank the participants enough. The bar had already been set high by the previous years and the ball was still knocked out of the park by each and every one of you! If you missed out this year, don't worry; there's always next year! If you love bacon, be on the lookout for our Bacon Fest in June that will include our annual Bacon Crawl!
Florence Restaurant Week Charity Nomination Phase
FLORENCE RESTAURANT WEEK 2015 NOMINATION PHASEFlorence Main StreetFlorence, AL – March 25 – Between April 1 and April 24, Florence Main Street wants you to nominate your favorite charity for the opportunity to win a $5,000 check. Last year during Florence Restaurant Week, Presenting Sponsor McDaniel Window & Door owner Mike McDaniel presented the $5000 winning charity check to SafePlace, Inc and he’s looking forward to making another charity very happy this year.“Presenting the $5000 check to SafePlace was not only an honor, but a privilege for myself and staff. It was exciting to see our local businesses thriving, while our community came together to raise awareness for so many wonderful charities. McDaniel Window & Door is excited to be the Presenting Sponsor again for 2015 Florence Restaurant Week, and I personally challenge all our local businesses to get involved and support this great event,” said owner, Mike McDaniel.Selected from the community’s nominations, five charities will be placed on a ballot for guests dining at participating restaurants during Florence Restaurant Week in May. Tuesday, April 1 through Friday, April 24th, nominate your favorite charity and tell us why they deserve this prize. (To be considered, a charity must be a designated 501c(3) organization with the state of Alabama and have an office in the Shoals.) The three most nominated charities will automatically be included on the ballot, and Florence Main Street will choose two wild-card charities based on input from our Presenting Sponsor, number of nominations, impact on our community, and other factors. SafePlace of the Shoals will be excluded from this years’ nomination phase because they were the winners of Florence Restaurant Week 2014.You can nominate your favorite charity four ways. Florence Main Street will have a poll on our Facebook page, on McDaniel Window & Door’s Facebook page, and on our website (www.dineoutflorence.com) or you can mail in your nomination. If you choose to mail in a nomination please include these items:Your First and Last NameYour Email addressName of CharityWhy you are nominating the charity?Name of Executive Director at the charity.Contact info for the charity. (Address & Phone Number)Then, from May 8-16, Florence Main Street will host Florence Restaurant Week 2015. Ballots will be available at participating restaurants. Every time you eat at a participating restaurant during Florence Restaurant Week, you will have the opportunity to vote for one of our five local charities. Every time you eat, you get to vote! Florence Restaurant Week is not only a showcase of our best local eateries, but it will also help to shine the light on some of our best local charities. The charity with the most votes at the end of the week will walk away with a check for $5,000 that will be used to do good work right here in the Shoals.Mark your calendars now for FLORENCE RESTAURANT WEEK–May 8-16, 2015! And please, help us do good where it counts by nominating YOUR favorite charity today!Participating Restaurants: Bookmarks Coffee Shop (inside the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library), Sperry’s, Wildwood Tavern, The Pie Factory, Singin’ River Brewery, Rivertown Coffee Company, Flobama Music Hall, Odette, Imagine That Bakery & Café, Legends Steakhouse, On the Rocks, Trowbridges, City Hardware, Ricatoni’s Italian Grill and more.Make sure to join the Facebook event and invite your friends to follow along with all things about Restaurant Week. Click here!Florence Main Street, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated of working with business owners, community leaders, and residents toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Florence culturally and economically. For more information about us or any of these efforts, please contact Florence Main Street at 256-760-9648 or info@florencemainstreet.org ###
Shoals Yoga in Downtown Series
SHOALS YOGA IN DOWNTOWNPresented by Florence Main Street
Florence Main Street is thrilled to announce our partnership with Shoals Yoga to bring the downtown community a 5 week yoga series in Wilson Park that is donation based. The goal of the Shoals Yoga in Downtown series is to incorporate elements of a healthy, happy, and peaceful life in downtown Florence.“Whether you have never taken a yoga class or you practice yoga on a daily basis, Main Street wants you to come to downtown to learn more about how yoga can benefit your lifestyle. After the classes, we invite everyone to visit boutiques, salons, restaurants, and other stores in downtown to see just how active and alive our community is,” said Christina Dorough Event Coordinator of Florence Main Street.The 5 week yoga series will be every Saturday morning at 10am beginning May 30th until June 27th. We invite all ages, genders, and employees of downtown businesses to participate. This series will flow from a basic beginners style class and progress into various poses and breathing techniques throughout the five weeks leading into the art of calming the mind as the final class on June 27th. We hope you'll bring a mat and an open mind and heart and join us for a fun, community building event that will leave you feeling calm and energized. While the series is free to attend please donate any amount you can as a way of thanking the yoga teachers for their time and efforts.
"We are excited to be offering this yoga series in downtown Florence to promote a stronger community and to give people the opportunity to experience a practice that facilitates physical and mental healing and peace of mind. Yoga is a five thousand year old science that has brought many positive changes into our lives and naturally, we want to share that with our family, friends, and community." -Danielle Snoddy, owner of Shoals Yoga and yoga teacher.May 30 taught by Danielle Snoddy, owner of Shoals Yoga.June 6 taught by Ashley Baker, yoga teacher at Shoals Yoga.June 13 taught by Connie Daniels, Shoals Yoga teacher trainee.June 20 taught by Sarah Prejeant, Shoals Yoga teacher trainee.June 27 taught by Danielle Snoddy.To learn more about Shoals Yoga and the services they provide please visit their website http://shoalsyoga.com/ or like their Facebook page Shoals Yoga.Florence Main Street, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to working with downtown business owners, community leaders, and residents toward the common goal of revitalizing Downtown Florence culturally and economically. For more information about us or any of these efforts, please contact Florence Main Street at 256-760-9648 or info@florencemainstreet.org ###
Downtown Florence ROARS a Welcome to UNA
6:00-8:00 p.m. Visit with participating downtown businesses and enter to win Downtown Dollars & $1,000 UNA Scholarship
**Every time you enter your name the more chances you will have to WIN money!6:30-8:30 p.m. Music on Mobile Street(Rain location 116 E Mobile)Rachel WammackFollow ApolloThe Bear & The Bride
8:30 p.m. WINNERS ANNOUNCED!Lion Night Stage on Mobile Street
9:00 p.m. Muscle Shoals Documentary, Shoals Theatre – Free to UNA students, $5 for the public
Sponsors:Downtown Florence Unlimited – UNA Department of Student Affairs – UNA Office of Student Engagement – Student Government Association – Shoals Community Theatre
SGA and Main Street invites all UNA students to Downtown Florence
4 Courses 25 Foodies and Sperry’s Slam Dunk
Read how Florence Foodies is making an impact with creative dishes, social dining, educating diners with local guest speakers, and foodie bloggers.The Brown Bag Review writes about Sperry's Restaurant
4 Courses 25 Foodies and Sperry’s Slam Dunk
Florence Main Street Announces Restaurant Week Charity Winner
Florence, AL – May 20 - Florence Main Street will announce the winning charity from their Restaurant Week promotion at 10am Thursday, May 22. The live press conference will take place at McDaniel Window & Door Company headquarters, 300 E. Tennessee St, Florence AL. The winning charity will receive a $5,000 check from Restaurant Week Presenting Sponsor McDaniel Window & Door Company followed by light refreshments. Restaurant Week would not have been possible without the generous support from our sponsors McDaniel Window & Door Co., Specs Downtown and Integrated Corporate Solutions, along with assistance from Florence Lauderdale Tourism and the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa.
Restaurant Week, held May 9 – 17, was a promotion to showcase the excellent independently owned and operated dining options available in downtown Florence and nearby. Fifteen restaurants participated in the Florence Restaurant Week promotion. To add an extra incentive to dine in the participating restaurants, local charities were nominated to be included on a ballot, where diners could vote for them to receive a $5000 check. “Most of the feedback we’ve received from the restaurants has been positive” said Teryl Shields, Florence Main Street Executive Director. “The only concern expressed was the anticipation of crowds for Restaurant Week on top of the known crowds for visitors for UNA’s graduation and Mother’s Day. Other than that, most of them seem pretty happy with the week. I’ve been told they’ve seen some good traffic.”A promotion of area restaurants was run previously by the Florence Lauderdale Tourism Board but their focus was more aimed toward getting out of town visitors to come into Florence. Florence Main Street’s Restaurant Week was all about getting local citizens that might not have tried the dining options in downtown, to see what all the excitement is about. “Kind of like a prophet isn’t recognized in his own town, we want our locals to be proud of what an amazing food scene we have here in Florence, said Shields. Our out of town guests are always amazed at our restaurants, their variety of cuisine and the number of our options. Florence Restaurant Week was a way of showcasing our great food to folks in our area”.While the primary effort was attracting local diners, Main Street Event Coordinator, Christina Dorough wanted to make sure folks from all over knew about Florence and our culinary treasures, so she researched regional food bloggers and invited several to visit during Restaurant Week along with inviting local bloggers and writers to share their dining experiences also. “We invited food bloggers from Urbanspoon with highly rated blogs in the Southeast. Taking into consideration of specific writing styles, age, and experience, we narrowed them down to Grant Goggans of Marie Let's Eat from Atlanta, GA and Lauren Widelitz of Old Red Boots from Nashville, TN. They seemed very impressed with all we had to offer and Grant even commented that if one of our restaurants was in Atlanta ‘folks wouldn’t’ shut up about it’. We look forward to reading all of their reviews”.Florence Restaurant Week participating restaurants included Sperry’s Restaurant, The Pie Factory, City Hardware, Ricatoni’s Italian Grill, Rosie’s Mexican Cantina, The Chicago Café, Legends Steakhouse, Rivertown Coffee Company, Bookmarks Coffee Shop, Montagu’s Sandwich Shop, Frostbite Frozen Treats, Sweet Basil Café, Poplar South Deli & Grille, FloBama Music Hall and the Dish Gourmet Café & Catering.Charities eligible for the top prize include Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, Pets Are Worth Saving (PAWS), Scope 310, Hearts of Alabama: Save, Rescue, Adopt (HASRA), and Safeplace Inc.More information about the nominated charities and food reviews blogs can be found at eatoutflorence.com. For more information contact Florence Main Street at 256.760.9648.
Economic Development Specialist Visits Florence
Main Street Alabama hosted a nationally recognized market strategist, Todd Barman, in Florence Alabama this week. After meeting with representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, City of Florence, and economic development professionals, Barman will conduct a market analysis to showcase existing and new market expansion opportunities in downtown Florence. The study was requested by Florence Main Street’s Executive Director, Teryl Shields, as a tool to further develop their downtown.With more than 20 years of experience in the development field and more than 16 years firsthand Main Street experience, Barman’s expertise in market analysis is widely recognized. As a national leader, Todd convenes discussion groups on ways to better approach market analysis and help communities put economic restructuring principles into practice more effectively. Todd is known throughout the United States and into Canada for his work in downtown development planning and refining Main Street’s asset-based economic development strategies. His areas of expertise include capacity building and evaluation of local Main Street programs, organizational and community planning, entrepreneurship, targeted market research, and commercial district market position.Mary Helmer, State Coordinator of Main Street Alabama, stated “we are pleased to bring this nationally recognized expert to Florence and sponsor the work he is doing for one of our designated communities. A complete market study is one of the many items available to Main Street designated communities in our tiered program of services. Such studies, paired with professional development, help bolster community efforts and position Main Street programs for success.”Main Street Alabama focuses on bringing jobs, dollars and people back to Alabama’s historic communities. Economic development is at the heart of our efforts to revitalize downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
2014 Florence Restaurant Week Press Release
Florence, AL – March 10, 2014 – Between April 1 and April 25, Florence Main Street wants you to nominate your favorite charity to win a $5,000 charity check from our Presenting Sponsor McDaniel Window & Door Company during Florence Restaurant Week.
From your nominations, five charities will be included on a ballot that diners will be able to vote on at participating restaurants during Florence Restaurant Week. Tuesday, April 1 through Friday, April 25th, nominate your favorite charity and tell us why they deserve $5,000. (To be considered, a charity must be a designated 501c(3) organization with the state of Alabama and have an office in the Shoals.) The three most nominated charities will automatically be included on the ballot, and Florence Main Street will choose two wild-card charities based on number of nominations, impact on our community, and other factors.You can nominate your favorite charity three ways. Florence Main Street will have a poll on our Facebook page, on our website or you can mail in your nomination. If you choose to mail in please include these items:First and Last NameEmail addressWhy you are nominating the charity?Contact information for charity.Then, from May 9-17, Florence Main Street will be hosting Florence Restaurant Week, and ballots with the five chosen charities will be available at participating restaurants. Every time you eat at a participating restaurants during Florence Restaurant Week, you will have the opportunity to vote for one of our five local charities. Every time you eat, you get to vote! Florence Restaurant Week is not only a showcase of our best local eateries, but it will also help to shine the light on some of our best local charities. The charity with the most votes at the end of the week will walk away with a check for $5,000 from our Presenting Sponsor McDaniel Window & Door Company–money that will be used to do good work right here in Florence. Mark your calendars now for FLORENCE RESTAURANT WEEK–May 9-17, 2014! And please, help us do good where it counts by nominating YOUR favorite charity today!
2014 Historic Downtown Florence Calendars
For many years, the Design Committee of Florence Main Street has published an annual calendar devoted to various aspects of historic downtown Florence.Some calendars highlighted historic commercial buildings; many focused on historic private residences, while at least one centered around historic houses of worship.The handsome 2014 calendar is entitled simply “Historic Downtown Florence.” It includes structures such as Wesleyn Hall on the UNA campus (built in 1855) and the recently-constructed law office of John Harris on South Court Street which is an excellent example of sensitive infill architecture. Also featured are beautiful stained glass windows at First Presbyterian Church and Ferdinand Sannoner’s 1852 map of Florence done in granite and embedded in the sidewalk at the intersection of Court and Tennessee Streets. All photographs are the work of local photographer Glenn Bevis.So, for just $5.00 a person receives an artistic calendar with 13 beautiful black-and-white photographs and a written history of each of the 13. It easily becomes a keepsake or a gift to a special friend or family member. The purchase of 50 or more reduces the price per copy to $3.00The 2014 calendar is available at the Kennedy Douglass Center for the Arts, 217 E. Tuscaloosa Street or contact Executive Director Teryl Shields by phone at 256-760-9648 or by email at: tshields@florencemainstreet.org .2014 Calendar Press Release