Downtown New Bedford, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization representing all Downtown New Bedford stakeholders: property owners, business people and residents. We are proud of taking a leadership role in the continuing revitalization that makes our Downtown an exciting and inviting urban center.

Our goal is to continue Downtown’s growth as an economically healthy, welcoming and vibrant place in which to work, live, shop, dine and visit. We promote this goal in a variety of ways.

We work closely and effectively with city administration, City Council, and entities such as the New Bedford Economic Development Council, Community Economic Development Corporation, Chamber of Commerce, WHALe, and the downtown campuses of UMass Dartmouth and Bristol Community College to present a unified voice on downtown issues.

To keep members and the general public up-to-date on the latest Downtown news, we publish the Downtown Beat, a monthly electronic newsletter. We also promulgate downtown activities on Facebook and Twitter, and maintain a constantly updated website with the latest news from our many partners and members.

Our Downtown Action Committee meets every Monday in the DNB offices at 9:00am to discuss safety- and infrastructure-related matters. It is regularly attended by representatives of the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Public Facilities and the Police Department, as well as by DNB staff members and officers. Downtowners with questions, problems or suggestions are invited to attend.

The Action Committee publishes an email Weekly Update sent electronically to over 500 subscribers, keeping them informed of safety-related matters and other items of immediate interest.

We organize and conduct quarterly Downtown Forum meetings, where Downtown business people and residents get together informally to share ideas and concerns of mutual interest in a casual and cooperative setting.

We maintain up-to-date records of retail and commercial space available in the downtown area and work cooperatively with member real estate agents to identify potential business locations. We match property owners with prospects.

We publish and distribute a popular Visitors’ Guide featuring more than 75 local retailers, galleries, museums, educational institutions, accommodations, and points of interest.

Our Downtown Loan Program assists viable Downtown businesses in securing loans at attractive rates. We have commitments of $22,000,000 from member banks who also offer business advice to members.

Through our Business Partnership Program members of our Board of Directors and our partners at the Small Business Development Center serve as pro-bono consultants to start-up Downtown businesses, assisting them in areas ranging from human relations to cash flow management.

We sponsor the popular Adopt-a-Spot campaign, encouraging business owners and residents to “adopt” the area adjacent to their places of business and homes and work to keep them neat and orderly. Thanks to an agreement with a local supplier, DNB also is able to provide the needed clean-up equipment free of charge.

Our Member-to-Member Discount Program gives Downtown business owners and employees discounts at their fellow members’ shops by just showing their ID or business card. Check out our newsletters for current a list of participating members and the discounts offered.

We sponsor major events which bring thousands of residents and visitors into our Downtown, many for the first time. We believe that everyone who attends an event of this type and leaves with a positive impression is likely to return to shop, dine, and enjoy our other attractions:

TASTE OF SOUTHCOAST and
NEW BEDFORD SEAPORT CHOWDER FESTIVAL
These popular yearly highlights have met with overwhelming success.

DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY STROLL
Shoppers and their families enjoy the Downtown’s holiday retail shops, restaurants and galleries in a beautifully decorated historic setting at the Downtown Holiday Stroll. DNB, Inc. also organizes the annual decoration of the Downtown Historic District with fresh laurel and red bows.

RESTAURANT RUN
DNB, Inc. collaborates with the race committee of the New Bedford Half Marathon, the City, and Downtown merchants to sponsor the Restaurant Run, an event which encourages hundreds of runners and their families to discover and enjoy downtown New Bedford.

SUMMERFEST
We work closely with the Summerfest Planning Committee to represent Downtown interests during this great event that has brought visitors to the city center every year for over a decade.