Main Street Arts

What Main Street Arts does

Main Street Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community arts organization founded in 1985 and headquartered in a historical building at 35 Main Street, Saxtons River, Vermont, serving Northern Windham County. The organization delivers arts programming across music (Children's Chorus, Red Tent Singers, String Band), movement and dance (Soul Line Dancing, Mixed Rhythm Dance, Tai Chi), theater (MSA Theater Program, summer theater camps), visual arts and Creative Aging classes, and free community events such as Open Mic nights and Open Writers Studio. Programs are delivered both on-site at the 99-seat theater and art room and off-site through partnerships with WNESU schools, Bellows Falls Senior Center, and Vermont Academy.

The core product is in-person arts instruction and community programming, with no proprietary technology platform; the organization runs on a standard website with PayPal-based donation processing and online class registration. The technology stack is non-technical, and there are no apps, APIs, or AI/ML components. The building itself functions as a key asset, with the theater, art room, gallery lounge, and whole-building available for hourly or per-event rental.

The revenue model is a diversified nonprofit funding mix: donations and annual fund drives (with a $20,000 spring appeal goal), program tuition on a four-tier sliding scale (Supporter / Sustainer / Access / Scholarship, charging $115 per participant against a true cost of $242), tiered sponsorships ($250 to $3,000), facility rentals (theater $50/hr events, art room $25/hr, whole building $750 per event), and grants from foundations including the Vermont Arts Council and the 1772 Foundation. The organization is operated with two part-time staff alongside Executive Director Ashley Storrow and Communications and Office Manager Nora Kropp, supported by a roster of long-tenured teaching artists and governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.

Name

Main Street Arts

Legal name

Main Street Arts

Website

https://mainstreetarts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Main Street Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community arts center in Saxtons River, Vermont, delivering in-person classes, theater, music, dance, and summer camps to all ages in Northern Windham County, funded by donations, sliding-scale tuition, sponsorships, rentals, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Education

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Community arts education
• Nonprofit arts programming
• Creative aging classes
• Arts summer camps
• Community theater programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Saxtons River

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: 501(c)(3) charitable organization receiving donations through PayPal, one-time and recurring monthly donations. Annual fund drives and spring appeals support everyday operations. Target of $20,000 spring fund drive.
2. Program Tuition and Class Fees: Revenue from arts classes, camps, and workshops. Sliding scale pricing with supporter, sustainer, and access tiers. True cost $242/person but charged at $115/person subsidized by donations.
3. Space Rentals: Theater rental ($50/hr events, $25/hr rehearsals), art room rental ($25/hr), gallery lounge rental, and whole building rental ($750 up to 8 hrs). Free community use program for qualifying organizations.
4. Sponsorships: Tiered sponsorship program: Community ($250+), Chorus ($500+), Supporting Role ($1,500+), Producer ($3,000+). Includes recognition, advertisements, and complimentary tickets.
5. Planned Giving: Accepts donor advised funds, gifts of stock, IRA charitable rollovers (up to $100,000/year for those 70.5+), and bequests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Main Street Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community arts center in Saxtons River, Vermont, that delivers a year-round portfolio of arts education programs across music, dance, theater, visual arts, and creative aging, alongside summer camps, community events, and venue rentals. Programs are offered on a four-tier sliding scale (Supporter, Sustainer, Access, Scholarship) with a free community use program for qualifying organizations, and are delivered at MSA's historical 35 Main Street building (housing a 99-seat theater, art room, and gallery) and at partner sites including Bellows Falls Senior Center and WNESU schools.

Product overview

Main Street Arts is a non-profit community arts center offering a diverse portfolio of arts programming across multiple disciplines. The organization operates as a single unified offering with programs clustered into several core areas: Theater Programs (including adult, youth, and intergenerational productions through the MSA Theater Program); Music Programs (Children's Chorus, Red Tent Singers, String Band, Music for All sessions); Dance/Movement Classes (Soul Line Dancing, Mixed Rhythm Dance, Tai Chi); Visual Arts (Creative Aging classes, Gallery Lounge exhibitions); and Summer Camps (Wildbrook Forest Theater, Elven Sorcerers' Consortium, Arts Discovery Camp, Creating With Clay). Additional offerings include Open Mic Nights, Open Writers Studio, Space Rentals, and a Sponsorship Program. The organization operates on a sliding scale pricing philosophy with four tiers plus scholarship availability, and maintains a free community use program for qualifying organizations aligned with its mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSA Theater Program Intergenerational theater program emphasizing youth ages 6-24 in Northern Windham County, partnering with schools and local groups to cultivate transformational impact through creative collaboration. Open to writers, directors, and performers of all experience levels.
• MSA Children's Chorus Weekly singing program for children ages 7 and up where participants learn songs, play musical games, build confidence, make friends, and perform in a final concert. Priced at $100 full price or $50 sibling rate per session.
• Red Tent Singers Women's choir providing intergenerational spaces for connection, healing, and strengthening voices through folk, gospel, and soul music with emphasis on harmony and a capella singing. 12 rehearsals plus a concert; sliding scale $100 Access / $115 Supporter / $130 Sustainer.
• String Band with Jill Newton Longest-running educational class at MSA featuring traditional fiddle and dance tunes from New England, French Canadian, Celtic, and Scandinavian traditions; meets weekly for musicians of all skill levels. Led by Jill Newton, president of Northeast Fiddlers Association.
• Introduction to Soul Line Dancing Beginning and intermediate line dance classes set to R&B, disco, Motown, pop, and soulful country music, taught by instructor Rachael Shaw. Priced at $80/8 sessions or $12 drop-in per class.
• Mixed Rhythm Dance Classes Weekly classes and dances covering Swing, Foxtrot, Waltz, Rumba, and Salsa with Matt Peake and Friends, including monthly Swing/Waltz dances. $10 per person per lesson/dance session.
• Tai Chi Practice Free ongoing community group practice sessions teaching exercises, postures, and meditation techniques developed in China, led by John Bohannon. Open to the community at no cost.
• Creative Aging Classes Free art and music classes for individuals over 60 at MSA and Bellows Falls Senior Center, including Artful Connections, Printmaking on Fabric, Senior Community Drum Circle, Native Themed Artwork, Harmony for Life, Bookbinding, and Cyanotype workshops.
• Open Mic Night Monthly community event on the fourth Friday featuring originals and traditional songs, open to songwriters, musicians, poets, and comics of all experience levels.
• Open Writers Studio Bimonthly writing sessions on first and third Saturdays for writers at all levels, with structured exercises, writing prompts, and a supportive community atmosphere. Suggested donation $5-$15; no one turned away for inability to pay.
• Music for All Open jam session welcoming musicians and non-musicians of all ages, focusing on Central African rhythms with instruments provided.
• Wildbrook Forest Theater Camp Week-long forest theater camp for ages 9-13 featuring theatre games, improvisation, voice and body warm-ups, and a final performance in the Vermont Academy woods. Priced at $320 per student per week.
• The Elven Sorcerers' Consortium Theater Camp Theater camp for ages 9-13 where students write, direct, and perform a play about elven sorcerers with stage magic, comedy, and themes of friendship and tradition. Priced at $320 per student per week.
• Arts Discovery Camp Week-long artistic exploration camp for ages 5-8 using open-studio art space, stories, movement games, and play to foster creative spark. Priced at $280 per week.
• Creating With Clay Camp Week-long ceramics camp for ages 7-10 introducing hand-building techniques (pinch, coil, slab) with follow-up glazing sessions. Priced at $290 per person per week.
• Space Rentals Rental program offering Theater (99-seat capacity), Art Room, Gallery Lounge, and Whole Building rentals. Theater: $50/hr for events, $25/hr for rehearsals. Art room: $25/hr. Whole building: $750 for up to 8 hours plus $150 refundable cleaning deposit. Free community use program for qualifying organizations aligned with MSA's mission.
• Gallery Lounge Cozy gallery space featuring artwork from the local creative community, available for small group gatherings, meetings, and open during community events.
• Vermont Suitcase Company Theater production company associated with Main Street Arts, evidenced by the 'My Lady of Whims' upcoming event and dedicated page on the MSA website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,014 people served in past year (increase of 860 from previous year)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Senior SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on programming - Senior Solutions partners with MSA on senior-focused Creative Aging programming including art classes and community gatherings for individuals over 60.
• Fact TVminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFact TV produced a video showcasing how MSA's building and programs serve the community, featured on website and in spring appeal campaign.
• Vermont AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVermont Academy partnership for theater residencies, summer camps location, teaching staff, and venue access. MSA building serves Vermont Academy students.
• Bellows Falls Senior CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner location for Creative Aging programming including Harmony for Life singing class and cyanotype workshops, serving seniors in the region.
• WNESU (Windham Northeast Supervisory Union)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool partnership delivering free theater residencies for grades 5-8, building literacy and social-emotional learning.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Catamount Arts: St. Johnsbury, VT-based nonprofit community arts organization presenting films, performing arts, and arts education across the Northeast Kingdom. Highly comparable to MSA as a rural Vermont nonprofit arts center offering multi-disciplinary programming, classes, and venue use on a community scale.
• Next Stage Arts: Putney, VT nonprofit performing arts venue presenting music, theater, and film plus community programming in southern Vermont. Directly comparable to MSA's theater programming, venue-rental model, and southern Vermont community-arts positioning.
• Brattleboro Museum & Art Center: Brattleboro, VT contemporary art museum within a historic train station, operating exhibitions and arts education in southern Vermont. Comparable to MSA in regional footprint, nonprofit governance, gallery exhibitions, and arts-education programming for community audiences.
• Sandglass Theater: Putney, VT-based nonprofit puppet and theater company presenting performances, workshops, and community-based theater. Closely comparable to MSA in southern Vermont location, theater programming, intergenerational community engagement, and nonprofit scale.
• Lost Nation Theater: Montpelier, VT community theater producing professional and community theater productions plus education programs. Comparable to MSA's MSA Theater Program, intergenerational theater focus, and Vermont nonprofit performing-arts mission.
• New England Youth Theatre: Brattleboro, VT nonprofit youth theater offering classes, productions, and residencies. Directly comparable to MSA's youth theater programming (grades 5-8 residencies, summer theater camps) and was the prior employer of MSA's current Theater Chair Putnam Smith.

Broad incumbents

• Flynn Center for the Performing Arts: Burlington, VT's largest performing arts presenter offering mainstage performances, education, and community programs. Comparable as a Vermont performing arts presenter with education/outreach, though substantially larger and operating as a regional incumbent to MSA's community-scale work.
• Weston Playhouse Theatre Company: Weston, VT regional professional theater producing mainstage seasons and education programs. Comparable to MSA's theater programming but operates as a larger professional producing house with broader geographic draw.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_mainstreetarts
• Facebookfacebook.com/mainstreetartsvt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/main-street-arts

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Main Street Arts