Coronado MainStreet has been a vital contributor to the Coronado business district since 1988. In addition to boosting traffic and increasing revenue, Executive Director Karla Robles-Puig shares the focus on volunteerism in Coronado.
How Coronado MainStreet Began
Main Street America is a nationwide organization dedicated to reenergizing and strengthening older and historic downtowns. Karla explains, “It started because a lot of little downtowns in the US were abandoned. Even in San Diego, a few years back, Horton Plaza was abandoned. There are a lot of cities that have gone through this which is why they have this movement.” The City of Coronado reached out to start a Main Street chapter in 1988 when the downtown district was at 30% vacancy.
Downtown Goes Ghostly – Oct 31 from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
Coronado MainStreet has been behind the scenes vigilantly preparing for the day witches and ghosts make their way throughout downtown Coronado. Karla shares the effect this event has on the community, “More people go downtown, and they are very engaged. It’s a community event and it helps make connections. What we do is organize the shops so they can all join in the fun. From 3 to 5:30 p.m., they give out candy to the community. Of course, this has become very, very popular. It’s more than just locals that come, San Diego as a whole enjoys the trick or treating.”
In advance of MainStreet Goes Ghostly, Karla delivered over 3,000 fliers to be distributed to each K-8th grade student. By filling out the information coupon on the flier and returning it, students participate in a drawing for Coronado Currency, the local gift certificate program. MainStreet will have a cauldron in Rotary Park (Orange Ave and Isabella Ave) to collect entry coupons for the drawing.
In addition to MainStreet Goes Ghostly, Coronado MainStreet joined with the City of Coronado for their coloring contest. Those pages were given out last week at the Halloween Happening, a family-friendly event at Spreckels Park hosted by the City of Coronado Recreation and Golf Services.
MotorCars on MainStreet – April 27, 2025
Another popular event put on by Coronado MainStreet each spring is MotorCars on MainStreet. Karla shares that it started 1989 and it brings around 12,000 to 15,000 people to the island on the event day. With more than 400 classic cars, it gets better every year. She says she gets emails most every day asking for information about it.
The goal of MotorCars on MainStreet from the beginning was to bring people to downtown Coronado. Karla shares that her focus of the event, in addition to community, is to really boost the downtown business district. “We want everyone to go out and enjoy the town. Shop and dine. We don’t have outside vendors; we really want people to shop in our own stores.”
First Annual Volunteer Open House Was a Success
In addition to keeping their focus on the events that do really well, Karla added a new event this year that she is proud of – Volunteer Open House. “We are starting to sense the need of community in Coronado. There are a lot of new residents. When I started at MainStreet, I learned that a lot of the nonprofits knew each other. It’s a very close-knit group.”
Karla shares that her own experience really ignited the idea. “I am bicultural, I’m Mexican American. I noticed that there was a lack of diversity. So, I thought, ‘Why aren’t more people joining in the [local] organizations?’ I talked with Kelly Purvis at the City of Coronado and Alyson Barre from the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission. We came up with the idea of a volunteer open house to get the word out and get more people involved. It shouldn’t always be the same people that are working on the same project.”
She continues that the idea was based around creating more of an open nonprofit world. “Come to the open house. They don’t have to join [MainStreet], but just join something. Make it more diverse and more enriching for the community.”
For the event, the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission and Coronado MainStreet teamed up and were thrilled to have 20 organizations present. Karla is looking forward to it becoming an annual event. “Everybody loved it! I never received so many compliments on the idea and on the event. The Coronado Cultural Arts Commission was a huge help and they sponsored the cause.”
Community Focus & Volunteer Opportunities
Karla is proud that Coronado MainStreet makes change in Coronado. “We are the balance between community and business. MainStreet does not charge membership and we work for everyone at the same time. We look more for the community’s interest, not just the businesses.”
Coronado MainStreet is currently recruiting for both board members and volunteers. Those interested can reach out to: [email protected].
Coronado MainStreet is also accepting candy donations for MainStreet Goes Ghostly. They will be accepting candy at Rotary Park on Halloween beginning at 2 p.m. They will also happily pick up candy in advance. If you are interested in donating, reach out to: [email protected].
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