BDL integrates into LC Chamber of Commerce

Beautiful Downtown Lewiston has become part of the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber’s board approved bringing BDL under its umbrella in a vote this week. That decision followed a vote of BDL’s board, also backing the move.

As part of the change, the chamber is going to hire a part-time Main Street director who will coordinate BDL’s events and have other responsibilities.

BDL will retain a board and its status as a separate not-for-profit group. A revision of BDL’s bylaws is going to be voted on by both groups.

Aligning with the chamber is a step toward “greater sustainability and shared success,” past BDL board chairperson Tami Meyers said in a news release issued Friday.

“This allows us to maintain the events and programs our community treasures while providing enhanced resources to grow and thrive,” she said.

Among those are Sound Downtown in Brackenbury Square, Ladies Day Out on Mother’s Day weekend, Art Walk and Pumpkin Palooza as well as shop small events around the holidays.

Other benefits include a reduction of duplicate fees for significant cost savings and a streamlining of services, Meyers said earlier in the week. Both groups already share an office at 528 Main St.

The chamber “will still maintain its focus on connecting, advocating for and helping business growth in the entire valley,” according to the news release.

Becoming part of the chamber follows a tough year for BDL.

Brenda Morgan resigned from her position as BDL’s executive director in June. Board members volunteered to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of the group.

The departure of Morgan came after the Lewiston City Council voted to take over administration of about $166,000 generated from a downtown business improvement district from BDL in December 2023. Last year, the district was dissolved after its ratepayers successfully petitioned for it to be discontinued. The money from the district covered amenities for downtown. At the same time, BDL billed the district for work it does such as planning activities.

Prior to joining the chamber, BDL’s volunteer board had revised its roster of events.

It secured a $10,000 contribution from the Disney Foundation for Sound Downtown. The donation is in honor of the 100th anniversary of Lillian and Walt Disney’s Lewiston wedding.

The concerts will be shaped by the magic of Disney this year, Meyers said.

They will happen on the second Friday of the month starting in May and run through September, instead of being on 10 consecutive Fridays in June, July and August, she said.

The organization is encouraging businesses to hold special events on the Fridays of the concerts and is calling the nights “Fun Fridays,” Meyers said.

“Fun Fridays” are replacing monthly First Fridays that often conflicted with other community activities, she said.

Hot August Hoops will return after being on hiatus last year, with The Boys & Girls Club of the Lewis-Clark Valley coordinating it, Meyers said.

Dining in the Dark, an annual fundraiser, and Crazy Days are being shelved. Even though Dining in the Dark tickets cost $100, the event didn’t generate much money after paying for food and other expenses, she said, adding it required lots of volunteers.

In spite of the nostalgia many people have for Crazy Days, the activity hasn’t drawn many shoppers to downtown since being reintroduced, Meyers said.

Historically retailers used it to clear out their inventories by offering deeply discounted prices on merchandise, but that concept doesn’t work as well with a smaller number of downtown stores, which carry a more limited selection of goods, she said.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.