Welcome to the home of

Niles Main Street Association

  • Mission

    The Niles Main Street Association is a non-profit, community organization devoted to historic preservation and economic revitalization of the historic Niles commercial and residential district of Fremont, California, in part through Association-sponsored community events that benefit the Niles District.

    The Niles Main Street Association depends almost entirely on volunteers for its operation and seeks members from all parts of the community. We have a variety of volunteer opportunities. Join the Niles Main Street Association by registering online or download our mail-in membership form. We invite you to share your expertise and contribute toward making the historic Niles commercial district a vital focus of our community.

    The Niles Main Street Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. We accept needed goods and services, as well as monetary donations. For answers to any of your questions, please contact us by phone at (510) 556-3571 or email info@niles.org.

  • Niles – A Main Street Community

    After a very extensive application process, Niles was accepted as an official Main Street Community in 1996 — one of only five downtowns in the entire State of California at that time. The City of Fremont has worked very closely and has taken great pride in supporting the Historic District of Niles. Niles is truly a unique historic community with a proud history and a coalition of devoted citizens matched by none.

  • The Main Street Four-Point Approach…

    To help communities achieve their economic goals, the National Main Street Center and the affiliated California Main Street Program have developed a comprehensive revitalization strategy that pairs thoughtful preservation of historic assets with sensible business assets. By blending common sense with sound planning, economic development, promotion, and design, the Main Street Four Point Approach has already produced dramatic results. Nationally, every dollar invested in the operation of a local Main Street Program has leveraged $22.10 of public and private investment in physical improvements, making the Main Street approach one of the most successful economic strategies ever. The National Main Street Center is part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

  • Economic Restructuring

    To benefit everyone — residents, shoppers, and investors alike — Main Street must have a solid economic foundation. The Main Street Approach not only provides current members with tools to sharpen their competitiveness; it also recruits new and old institutions to diversify downtown’s economic base.

  • Organization

    No revitalization effort can succeed without a strong organization to support and guide it. The Main Street Approach builds cooperation and consensus among all the important players — bankers, civic groups, government, merchants and individual citizens — to ensure that the Main Street program benefits from a community-wide vision of the future.

  • Promotion

    Every successful entrepreneur understands marketing. To keep investors on board and cash registers ringing, Main Street must beckon customers with a welcoming, consistent image. From simple graphics to sophisticated sales events and festivals, the Main Street Approach gears the promotional campaign to take advantage of the district’s unique heritage.

  • Design

    A critical goal of every Main Street program is to create a friendly, attractive environment that will keep customers coming back. Signs, storefronts, landscaping, merchandising displays and promotional materials must work together to encourage people to shop, stroll and linger downtown. In many communities, the design effort must include rehabilitation of commercial architecture, a precious asset that could be lost unless action is taken to counteract the effects of time and neglect. The Main Street Approach emphasizes thoughtful design and a common-sense approach to the reuse of buildings to enhance the long-term appeal of the downtown.