It’s been said that big corporate retailers killed small town mom and pop businesses. Twenty-five years ago, that was the story in Georgetown. Now the historic town square is alive with business.

A dinner and dance Friday night kicked off a weekend fundraising drive to help the Main Street District program. The money raised will not change the face of this town square. It will help keep the doors open.

In 1982, the town square in Georgetown was mostly boarded up. There wasn’t much to the old Evans building on the east side of the square. Len Lester and his wife decided to take a chance on this 100-year old building.

“We basically took it down to four walls and a concrete floor,” said Lester.

Lester used his own money to make the renovations. He also got a $2,000 grant from the city. He used the money to restore the front of his building. The grant came from Georgetown’s Main Street District program. The Façade and Sign Grant fund started in 1998.

“It helped us a lot,” said Bettina Gomez.

Gomez is the crew leader at Nonna’s, a small restaurant just off of the east side of the town square. The owners used their personal savings to open the restaurant. A $1,300 city grant bought an awning and paint for the front.

Most of the money for buildings, like Nonna’s, comes from private donations. Special events like the Red Poppy Festival also help. A small amount comes from the city general fund budget. The first grant, $5,000 in 1998, went to the owners of the Lockett Building on the northwest corner of the square. Since then a total of $5,600 has been handed out.

“It’s basically a reimbursement program, where they show receipts on work that’s done,” said Keith Hutchinson, city spokesman.

According to Hutchinson, the program is not designed to help town square businesses compete with the big box shopping malls. It is to help them co-exist.

“It’s not an either-or, it’s a both-and. Georgetown has pursued that strategy for economic development for many years," said Hutchinson.

It's an effort to convince property owners to invest their own money. That's how the old Masonic lodge was renovated. The owners did it without any grant money. The building is now a popular restaurant. Friday's dinner and dance fund raiser at the new library was mostly sold out. Donations can be made this weekend.

There will be tours of the historic buildings, most are free, but money will be accepted to help the Main Street District.