North Texas Daily

This article has been updated with corrections. 

The Denton Main Street Association has been trash-talking lately.

Working in cooperation with Keep Denton Beautiful, the City of Denton Economic Development, and City of Denton Solid Waste & Recycling, the DMSA is working to revitalize Denton’s Historic Downtown by keeping the business district clean and litter free. DMSA partnered with City of Denton Economic Development to create the Downtown Beautiful Business Award after a resident suggested incentivizing businesses to maintain cleanliness in April 2021.

“The downtown area is the key area right in the city of Denton,” Brandi Neal, Denton Solid Waste & Recycling business services supervisor, said. “We want to shop local — we want to bring people to us. So, if it looks good, people are going to come. People want things to be clean and pretty and aesthetically pleasing.”

Every month the initiative recognizes local businesses within DMSA boundaries that show exemplary efforts in maintaining a pristine property. The boundaries cover the south side of University Drive, north of Eagle Drive between Carroll Boulevard and Bell Avenue and E. Hickory Street between Bell and Exposition Street.

“I think we’ve noticed a lot more businesses trying to put out nice planters and greenery [to] keep it looking lively and bright,” Christine Gossett, DMSA executive director and Main Street manager, said. “So, a lot of the winners we’ve selected have not only just been keeping up [with] their litter, but they’ve also been adding some aesthetics to their building, which helps.”

The award program chooses monthly winners. Those who win receive a yard sign, a window cling, a feature in the DMSA eNewsletter, a traveling “Golden Broom and Dustpan” trophy and a post on DMSA, KDB and City of Denton Economic Development’s social media pages.

The public can nominate businesses by the 20th of each month. Businesses can also nominate themselves if they wish to.

After nominations are submitted, a team of volunteer judges evaluate each nominated business. A rotating judge searches for an award winner if no nominations are received. The judging committee consists of three residents, a board member from the DMSA and staff members from Denton’s Solid Waste & Recycling.

“It’s just really important for community pride and for people to feel comfortable when they come to downtown to see that things are cleaned up, […] they look nice and […] people care for their properties,” Gossett said. “I think it’s really important for revitalization to take care of these old buildings and these old districts and that we keep trash and litter picked up so that it doesn’t cause problems and […] makes it appealing for everyone that comes down.”

Kara Eveleth, owner and founder of Composure Aesthetics, was the September 2022 winner. She said she appreciates the exposure the program provides for businesses, especially those not directly on the Square.

“I feel like new clients [and] potential clients in the community have reached out with questions or wanting to come have a consultation,” Eveleth said. “[We have received] a lot of community support, lots of friends and family shared our posts and it’s just been a highlight for sure since we’ve opened.”

Business beautification efforts can include maintaining a litter-free zone, window decorations, well-kept plants, displays and more. DMSA also recommends businesses ensure trash cans are securely fashioned with some form of lid and encourage visitors to clean up after their pets.

“I think that it motivates small businesses and local businesses to keep our curb appeal looking awesome and clean,” Eveleth said.

The award program works shoulder-to-shoulder with other Denton waste-minimization projects, such as Denton’s valet trash service. The programs collaborate alongside each other to provide the cleanest Denton experience possible.

“I think it’s also not up to just our businesses to keep downtown clean,” Gossett said. “It’s up to the people who come to our downtown, who visit our shops [to] dine or to just hang out. So, we just hope that everyone will be aware of it. That’s the heart of our community. That’s our community neighborhood where everybody [visits], and we want everyone to do their part to keep it clean.”

Featured Image: A Downtown Beautiful Business Award Winner sign sits in front of Composure Aesthetics on Sept. 26, 2022. Photo by Maria Crane