Doing Business on Main Street in Daytona Beach

Business owners on Main Street in Daytona Beach, Florida, have been trying to get the street to a better place for many years now.

They have multifaceted goals.

• Attract locals who perceive Main Street as a biker's street, meaning they won't go there for dining or entertainment.

• Create an inviting look that welcomes tourists off the beach and onto Main Street.

• Do the two above without distancing themselves from the cash cows of Bike Week and Biketoberfest.

  
  

Roadblocks to achieving these ends are a witch's brew of safety concerns, stores that are not kid-friendly, and some business owners who only open for the two aforementioned motorcycle events.

A successful Main Street has something for nearly everyone. Shopping, dining, family friendly, wine bars and lounges. The City of Daytona Beach, along with Main Street business owners, is looking to meet these criteria.

I attended a Nov. 18 meeting on behalf of a local newspaper at the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, the theme of which was how best to reinvent Main Street.

At that meeting, business owners spoke candidly to me, on an anonymous basis, regarding the state of doing business on Main Street.

I am offering what they said as a means of getting these quotes into the public domain.

One business owner is concerned that when a plan to upgrade Main Street is decided upon, and their section is being renovated, customers will stay away, leading to their business going away.

While another Main Street business owner said, "All of this (street renovation) is to support a hotel here, that's all that this is for."  Then, followed up by saying each business on Main Street is one bad month away from going belly up. 

A third Main Street business owner said that they need a miracle to survive.

Denison Main Street in Denison, Texas, is one of three winners of the 2025 Great American Main Street Awards presented by Main Street America. Can Daytona Beach's Main Street ever look like this?

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Photo Credit: Catalyst Design Group Daytona Beach News Journal, DenisonLive,

City still seeking to improve Main Street

Proposed Main Street improvements suggested at The Peabody Auditorium meeting.

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Charles I. Guarria is an author, reporter and host based in the state of Florida, USA, covering any topic, anywhere in the world. His career began in 2009. Mr. Guarria is a three-time winner of Emerald Group Publishing’s Highly Commended Award and host of The Opinion Guy Fun Friendly Informative. He is available for hire to write, research, or beta-read.

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