Tahlequah Main Street Association, Inc. (TMSA) is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit charitable organization that is a member of the National Main Street center and part of the Main Street America network. The amazing individuals who make up TMSA are passionate advocates, dedicated volunteers, influential stakeholders, and community organizers who work every day to turn the tide in their communities—catalyzing reinvestment, creating jobs, and fostering pride of place.

Purpose and Philosophy

The purpose of Tahlequah Main Street Association, Incorporated is to foster, promote, maintain, and encourage the civic, social, commercial, tourist, and economic welfare of our city. Main Street contributes to the entire community by preserving the quality of life and aesthetic values that make Tahlequah unique. 

Mission Statement

Enhancing the Downtown Tahlequah experience and culture for residents and visitors alike, by actively promoting, engaging, and fostering relationships with our community and partners.

TMSA By-Laws

Agenda and Minutes

About the Main Street Movement

Over the past 35 years, the Main Street movement has transformed the way communities think about the revitalization and management of their downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. Cities and towns across the nation have come to see that a prosperous, sustainable community is only as healthy as its core.
The Main Street Four-Point Approach® is a unique preservation-based economic development tool that enables communities to revitalize downtown and neighborhood business districts by leveraging local assets – from historic, cultural, and architectural resources to local enterprises and community pride. It is a comprehensive strategy that addresses the variety of issues and problems that challenge traditional commercial districts.
As a unique economic development tool, the Main Street Four-Point Approach® is the foundation for local initiatives to revitalize their districts by leveraging local assets—from cultural or architectural heritage to local enterprises and community pride.
The four points of the Main Street approach work together to build a sustainable and complete community rejuvenation effort. They are Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Reconstruction.

Four Point Committees

  Shelby Robertson (Chair)
  Kelly Callaway                                 
  Annie Kingcade                                         
  Tucker Dunlap
​​  Jen Garvin                                                
  Susan LaVictoire
  Lisa Pinnick                                                 
  
  
The resurrection of a downtown or neighborhood commercial district requires focusing on the underlying Economic Vitality of the district.   This work is rooted in a commitment to making the most of a community’s unique sense of place and existing historic assets, harnessing local economic opportunity, and creating a supportive business environment for small business owners and the growing scores of entrepreneurs, innovators, and localists alike. With the nation-wide growing interest in living downtown, supporting downtown housing is also a key element of building Economic Vitality.
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  Rian Cragar (Chair)
  Tyler Shockley
  Brad Hale
  Justin Barnes
 Tristan McDowell
 Danny Perry
 Michelle Naylor
 Lora Buechele
A focus on Design supports a community’s transformation by enhancing the physical elements of downtown while capitalizing on the unique assets that set the commercial district apart.  Main Streets enhance their appeal to residents and visitors alike with attention to public space through the creation of pedestrian friendly streets, inclusion of public art in unexpected areas, visual merchandising, adaptive reuse of older and historic buildings, more efficiently-designed buildings, transit oriented development, and much more.
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Marla Grant (Chair)
Kristy Eubanks 
​Alicia McDowell
Aisling Sosa
Heather Crowell
​Athena Crowell
Promoting Main Street takes many forms, but the ultimate goal is to position the downtown or commercial district as the center of the community and the hub of economic activity, while creating a positive image that showcases a community’s unique characteristics. This can be done through highlighting cultural traditions, celebrating and preserving important architecture and history, encouraging local businesses to market cooperatively, offering coordinated specials and sales, and hosting special events aimed at changing perceptions of the district and communicating to residents, investors, businesses, and property-owners that this place is special. ​
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​Jessie Barnard (Chair)
Austin Patton​
​Jami Murphy  
Annie Kingcade
Sydney Smith
Christie Campbell
​A strong organizational foundation is key for a sustainable Main Street revitalization effort. This can take many forms, from a standalone non-profit organization, to a special assessment district, to a program housed in a municipality or existing community development entity. Regardless of the organizational type, the focus is on ensuring that all organizational resources (partners, funding, volunteers, etc.) are mobilized to effectively implement the Community Transformative Strategies.

Interested in becoming a member of one of the Four-Point Committees?

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2023 Premier Partner

Stay linked to the community! 

City of Tahlequah
Tour Tahlequah
Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce
Cherokee Nation Cultural Tourism
Tahlequah Reginal Development Authority

Contact us

118 E. Shawnee 
Tahlequah, Oklahoma 74464
918-931-1699
​admin@tahlequahmainstreet.com