Old Town Tustin Seeks ‘Main Street’ Designation
In a world obsessed with mega-malls and multiplexes, the charms of more quiet corners tend to get overlooked. But merchants in Old Town Tustin are out to change that--at least for their tree-lined brick streets.
If the Tustin Old Town Assn.’s application with the California Trade and Commerce Agency goes through, the area would become the first Orange County community to earn the “Main Street” designation. And with that designation comes marketing and economic muscle.
“It’s a program that breathes new life into downtown commercial districts and neighborhoods,” said Mike Marando, who represents the California Main Street program. “It serves as an economic development tool and an attraction tool, which can increase tourism.”
To bolster the application, the City Council last month awarded the Tustin Old Town Assn. $15,000 for brochures and printing costs involved with the extensive application process.
Tustin’s Old Town district is centered on Main Street and El Camino Real, near Pepper Tree Park. Its streets contain stores such as the Ruffled Tulip flower shop, McCoy Metal Shop, Flying Geese Fabric, Mrs. B’s Consignments, Rutabegorz restaurant, various galleries and gift stores, and even a blacksmith shop.
“I feel very strongly about revitalizing Old Town,” said Audrey Heredia, owner of McCharles House Restaurant and Tea Room, which dates to 1885. “I’ve lived in Old Town since 1957. It was the heart of Tustin. It still is the heart of Tustin.”
The Main Street program was started to offset the economic drain that resulted from people moving away from a central business district, Marando said. The problems of many historic downtowns stem from profound changes in retailing, including major discount retailers and other commercial growth in the suburbs.
The benefits of the program include grants for development, training in commercial district revitalization, technical assistance, consulting services and networking activities.
But it’s the marketing know-how the program provides that many in Old Town Tustin crave most.
“I would like more people outside Tustin to find out about Old Town,” said Bonnie Boyd, the owner of Flying Geese Fabric, who just moved her shop to Old Town Tustin from Heritage Plaza in Irvine. She said the move cut her rent in half. “Old Town isn’t too prominent on the map yet. It’s not a mall, but that’s why there’s so much charm.”
Backers of the application would like to connect all of Old Town with pedestrian walkways and form partnerships with local businesses to raise money for revitalization.
“We have a wonderful little downtown,” said John Powers, president of the Tustin Old Town Assn. A printmaker and owner of the Old Town Gallery on Main Street, he has lived in Tustin since 1970. “It’s easy to find. It’s not overwhelming.”
The California Main Street program is based on a model developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center. It focuses on organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring of historic downtowns. More than 1,700 Main Street communities have been designated nationwide.
California is one of 45 states with an active Main Street program. There are 36 Main Street communities statewide, including two in Los Angeles.
Since the program started in 1985, the California Trade and Commerce Agency says, it has helped more than 5,000 businesses create more than 20,000 jobs in the Main Street cities.
“A thriving downtown or neighborhood commercial district is a paramount component of each community’s quality of life,” Marando said. “It provides a central gathering place for entertainment, civic life and commerce.”
The Main Street program advocates revitalization through design improvements, marketing, organizing business owners and having a strong long-term plan for economic development.
Marando said a committee of the Trade and Commerce Agency will announce the new Main Street communities next June.
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A New Old Town
The Tustin Old Town Assn. is asking the state to declare Old Town Tustin a “California Main Street Community.” If the status is approved, Old Town will join 36 other designated communities and qualify for revitalization grants.
