![\"A](\"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/The-Guild-a-zen-like-space-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAt the Main Street Now Conference in Boston, I joined a trolley tour of the six Dorchester Main Streets.<\/p>\n
We got a chance to walk through The Guild<\/a>‘s expansive building.\u00a0While this space is only one of many projects of The Guild, it was the one that caught my attention as useful for small towns.<\/p>\n The building was furnished and opened in less than 5 months for less than $100,000. It’s intended as a healing space, a calm space<\/strong> where anyone from the neighborhood can come in and relax for a time. They also hold special events for the community. Not weddings or parties, but more community oriented gatherings.<\/strong><\/p>\n The art is from local artists. Many of the earth-toned wall hangings are dyed with the actual dirt from this neighborhood, that’s how rooted this is in the community.<\/p>\n Vacant buildings, especially formerly significant ones, are reminders of loss, Trinity Simons Wagner of the Mayors\u2019 Institute on City Design said at the Placemaking Conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n That empty building as a reminder of loss adds negative weight to everyone’s perception of your downtown. Your people deserve a calming space like this much more than yet another empty building.<\/p>\n This also ties into the Wellness Travel trend we’ve mentioned<\/a>. Wellness appeals to both locals and visitors. maybe pop this up around the time of a big event.<\/p>\n Photos by Becky McCray.<\/p>\n\n
Which feels better downtown: a calming space or an empty building?<\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/h1>\nWhat do you think about doing this in your community?<\/h2>\n