Camp Bowie District Inc. has partnered with Main Street America to conduct a
Transformation Workshop, February 11 – 12, 2025. Main Street America leads a collaborative movement
with partners and grassroots leaders that advances shared prosperity, creates resilient economies, and
improves quality of life through place-based economic development and community preservation in
downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts across the country.
The workshop will focus its efforts on the 3-mile segment of Camp Bowie Boulevard bound by
Montgomery (eastern boundary) and Interstate 30 (western boundary) recognized as “The Bricks”. Focus
groups comprised of property owners, business owners, city officials and residents will provide input and
views surrounding the future of the commercial corridor for the next three to five years.
“As we look to the future of this historic and important corridor, it is imperative that we evaluate all of
the audiences that use the Boulevard today and will use it in the future,” said Lydia Guajardo Rickard,
Camp Bowie District Inc. executive director. “For more than 100 years Camp Bowie has not only been
historic, but historically it has served residents and visitors as a commercial corridor driven by locally
owned businesses.”
The Main Street Approach™ is the National Main Street Center’s framework for community
revitalization. Centered around Four Points, (Economic Vitality, Promotion, Organization and Design) the
Approach offers community-based revitalization initiatives with a strategic, adaptable framework for
commercial corridor transformation that is tailored to local conditions. The Main Street Approach
underwent a refresh in 2015 to become more responsive to economic context, strategy-driven, and
outcome-oriented.
Guajardo Rickard added that Camp Bowie District Inc. recognizes that the Boulevard is not in need of
revitalization but is going through a renaissance with the addition of two luxury hotels in 2023 and the
opening and influx of events at Dickies Arena. The connectivity of the area to the Boulevard strengthens
the economic base and creates new opportunities for businesses to open and prosper.
The Board of Directors voted unanimously when planning its goals for 2025 to contract with Main Street
America to help guide the organization and the area into the next chapter of the of the roadway. During
the 2024 Annual Meeting it was reported that more than 30 locally owned businesses had opened
creating a demand for more business opportunities.
“As we look to the future and continue to see new audiences using the area, we need to make sure that
we are maintaining the neighborhood commercial while creating opportunities for our anchors to
prosper,” she said. “Our anchors like HSC UNT and Bowie House need to feel supported with appropriate
business, but we also want to make sure we protect our residential areas by crafting a plan for scalable
and intentional neighborhood commercial development.”
