From 2016-2021, Pineville’s downtown square went from 20% to 100% occupied, and is now filled with a diverse array of businesses and a thriving music venue. Keys to success included: removing barriers to running a business, maximizing community involvement, and developing a shared vision. Using a mix of public and private funds, Pineville’s metamorphosis was built upon layered investments like a municipally funded business incentive packages, grants, bonds, targeted tax revenue, low interest bank loans, and private investments from local entrepreneurs.

Hyden, KY was thrilled in 2019 as the S&T Hardware Building, the last unoccupied commercial space in its historic downtown, appeared poised to receive $200K from the Appalachian Impact Fund (AIF) to jumpstart its renovation. As it turned out, those ARC-sourced funds could not be applied to a privately owned building. Hyden pivoted in mid-2021, however, to focus on renovating a different historic property, Mary Breckinridge’s Wendover, whose ownership had been recently donated to a local non-profit. In doing so, Hyden become eligible to apply a portion of the $200K in the ARC’s original investment and thereby score a gratifying win for the community.

After years of planning and pre-development work, the Appalachian Arts Alliance partnered with the City of Hazard to renovate an old bus station into a performing arts center, in spite of a lack of faith from the community. After years of false starts with many plan reiterations, the team struggled to gain buy-in. Most funders thought it was an albatross, and some asked if they could just burn it down and start over. The Art Station is an amazing story of perseverance. When most funders thought the project was going to be a failure, this close-knit team scaled down their plans, gained the support of one key investor, and rallied their community to see the project through completion.