Meet Christina Kelley and the Towson Main Street Collaborative

In 2025, Baltimore County formally supported Towson's application to become a Main Street Maryland community. Under that plan, the Towson Main Street Collaborative (TMSC) was designated to administer the state's downtown revitalization program locally. The goal is to attract investment, strengthen small businesses, improve the appearance of downtown, and increase Towson's long-term economic vitality.

We recently sat down with Christina Kelley, Manager of the Towson Main Street Collaborative, for a Q&A to learn more about her, her role, and the work of the Collaborative.

Hello! My name is Christina Kelley I was born and raised in Towson and went to Carver Center for Art and Technology for high school. It been an interesting road to get to where I am today. I began my career working in healthcare through Medix, and I was placed at Johns Hopkins where I would work as a Medical Assistant for 10 years. Then I was ready for a career change. I knew I liked working on events and working with people, but I wasn’t  sure how I could make a career out of it.

Luckily, I was able to land at the Towson Chamber of Commerce working as a Member Coordinator. The experience gave me a firsthand look at both the opportunities and challenges facing Towson. I developed a passion for helping shape the future of Towson. After about three years in the role with the Chamber, I was presented with the opportunity to lead the Towson Main Street Collaborative. It felt like a natural next step, bringing together my passion for community building, forming strategic partnerships, and economic development. I'm fortunate to work alongside our Board of Directors, committee chairs, the businesses, Towson Chamber of Commerce, Baltimore County, Towson University, and many other dedicated partners who share the vision of creating a thriving, welcoming, and vibrant downtown Towson for everyone. 

The Towson Main Street Collaborative is an organization dedicated to strengthening and revitalizing Downtown Towson through community-driven economic development.  The process of forming the Collaborative required months of planning, stakeholder engagement, data collection, and the development of a long-term revitalization strategy that met the standards of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

As an organization, we’ve made a commitment to preserve Towson’ unique character while creating a vibrant destination where people want to live, work, shop, dine and visit. Guided by the nationally recognized Main Street Approach, TMSC focuses on Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, Organization, and Clean and Green initiatives.

Good question. The primary difference is that the Towson Main Street Collaborative specifically focuses on revitalizing downtown Towson, a zoned district, through placemaking, beautification, economic development, and community improvement projects. Meanwhile, the Towson Chamber of Commerce is a membership organization that supports local businesses through networking, advocacy, marketing, and professional development. Obviously we work hand and hand and share some of the same goals for Towson.

The goal of the Towson Main Street Collaborative is to create a thriving, welcoming downtown that supports local businesses, attracts new investment, and enhances the experience for everyone who lives, works, studies, and visits Towson. Our long-term vision is to establish Towson as a destination for art, school, dining etc, while preserving the unique character that makes our community special. Success will be measured in both numbers and community impact. We'll track things such as business growth, reduced commercial vacancies, new business openings, increased foot traffic, private investments, event attendance, and volunteer engagement. It’s equally important that we listen to our residents, businesses, and visitors to ensure our initiatives reflect the community's needs as we work to move Towson in a positive direction. 

The community will be seeing both immediate improvements and long-term transformation. In the short term, we have new community events, like a family movie night and community trick or treating. Business support with an upcoming Business Bootcamp. Beautification projects such as new flower boxes, murals, and historical plaques. While revitalization doesn't happen overnight, our focus is on making consistent, visible progress that the community can see and experience every year. 

🔥 How do you determine which initiatives to focus your efforts?

Every initiative begins with listening. Our priorities are guided by feedback from businesses, property owners, residents, community organizations, and local stakeholders. We’ll combine regular feedback with data, market trends, and the goals established through our Maryland Main Street designation. We also evaluate each project based on its potential impact, community support, available funding, and its alignment with our long-term vision. By balancing quick wins with larger transformational projects, we can make meaningful improvements today while continuing to build Towson's future as a vibrant destination.

🔥 Will you be involving the various Towson communities, and how can they participate?

Absolutely! Community involvement is at the heart of everything we do. The Towson Main Street Collaborative is built on the idea that the best ideas come from the people who live and work here. We are committed to engaging neighborhoods, businesses, colleges, nonprofits, civic groups, property owners, and residents through public meetings, volunteer opportunities, committees, surveys, events, and collaborative projects. Whether someone has an hour to volunteer, wants to serve on a committee, sponsor an event, or simply share ideas, there is a place for everyone to help shape the future of downtown Towson. 

There are many ways to get involved, and every contribution makes a difference. Businesses can partner with us by sponsoring events, participating in promotions, hosting activities, joining committees, offering volunteer support, or investing in programs that strengthen downtown businesses by shopping, dining and attending events. We also encourage everyone to stay connected through our website and social media. Revitalizing Towson is truly a community effort and the more people who get involved, the stronger and more vibrant our downtown will become. 

My favorite thing about Towson is that we have the world represented in Towson. For example for food options I have Japanese, Indian, Thai, Americana, and Jamaican all right here. We also have great art studios, live music and local performances that remind me of New York and L.A. Towson has so much to offer and so much potential, I'm proud to call it my home. 

Don’t miss the next Towson Growth Summit:
Skilled Trades with Stanely Black & Decker - Tickets on Sale Now for 9/16/26