Those who have been following the project know there was one linchpin before Renaissance could begin work on developing the 15+ acre mixed use development, and that was McDonald’s moving.

We excited to say […]

Several months ago we embarked on seeing whether there was demand for downtown living.

The question was: Would you be interested in living downtown in modern apartments in a mixed-use development, which […]

Below is a news release from Bare Bones, who created a new program to get art on the walls in Bristol businesses. Spreading arts and culture? Count us in! 

Bare Bones, an art space, has created a new […]

There’s lots of opinions on how you clean up a troubled neighorhood.

Some say you start by bulldozing the buildings and starting anew. Others say you stake out police at all hours to enforce the law and prop up […]

Downtown just got a big boost of flavor this week.

Downtown Cafe, the historic neighborhood corner bar at 118 Main Street is about to become much more than a bar where everyone knows your name. The Cafe […]

Thanks to your overwhelming support for Dawn to open a Deli Downtown, Dawn agreed to hold a Tasting Event back on April 8th, for a limited audience of 100. In the spirit of crowdsourcing, Dawn wanted the crowd to […]

Written by the Bare Bones
Bare Bones opened on 184 Main Street in Bristol during the fall of 2011 as a fluid storefront, or pop-up space, with the help of Bristol Rising and the Bristol Historical Society to help […]

Hi everyone. A few weeks ago the Partnership for Strong Communities approached me about penning a guest blog because they thought what we’re doing in Bristol with the crowdsourcing and revitalization efforts were […]

Written by OM Member Mark DiVenere

The Annual OM Show, THE BRISTISH INVASION, being held at St. Paul Catholic High School on April 19th and 20th, can best be described as a family reunion, both by the […]

The Carousel Museum is well into the 21st century tapping into the power of the crowd in order to further strengthen their drawing power downtown, and you can help them accomplish that goal. The museum has […]

We had a great time vending at the 2013 Home & Business Expo at Bristol Eastern on Saturday and Sunday.

We were able to generate 10 more Letters of Interest for downtown living, bringing our total to 91 […]

There you have it! “The Shops at Downtown” won our poll for best name for the Shared Retail Space! Thanks for the suggestions everyone! The above image is a sneak peak at a draft for a banner we’re working on […]

Hi Risers, remember some time ago Governor Malloy pledged $1M to study the rail line? Well, we’re just about to dive into the study, and we’d like to extend an invitation to you.

The Study Advisory Committee […]

Hi Risers, as you know we wrote a blog and put out on our facebook page that we were looking for suggestions to name the temporary Shared Retail Space that we’re looking to test run downtown.

We received some […]

Hey Risers. You may have heard that we are looking to test a shared retail concept in the month of March. Things are coming along nicely but we don’t yet have a name for it and can use your help! (p.s. we still […]

**updated January 28

Hi Risers. We’re putting together a plan to test a shared-retail concept for one month with the possibility that it become a permanent fixture. Right now we’re trying to gather who would be […]

Hey Risers, in light of the recent Zoning Commission Hearings on Phase I, we thought it would be appropriate to shed light on the recent goings on on the development side so the Rising community can […]

Risers, lots of great events go on every year downtown and with the strong roots Bristol has to our military there is an enjoyable event for all military children to enjoy on January 10th.

A day after you enjoy […]

Hi Risers, Albertus Magnus College is hosting a very cool event this month in conjunction with the Central CT Chambers of Commerce and us – Bristol Rising!

They will be hosting a business and community […]