Destination Main Street, Revisited
Finding purpose again in the stories, photographs, and small-town charm that connect us.
The view after a snowstorm at the Continental Divide.
In my previous post, I wrote about Universe 25… the mice, the “beautiful ones,” the eerie way their perfect world slowly became their undoing… and how close I came to slipping into my own quiet corner. That piece was about awareness and awakening, about coming back to life after a long retreat.
But something else has been unfolding these past few months, something I didn’t fully see until recently. The shift happening inside my life is also happening inside my work with Destination Main Street. The two are woven together now in a way I’m finally ready to talk about.
This is the story of how Destination Main Street is changing, and why.
A Seam That’s Been There All Along
Looking back, I can see the thread clearly now: every business I’ve ever created has had “Main Street” stitched into it somewhere.
Main Street Memories — my first little retail craft shop
Main Street Enterprises — my consulting umbrella
Destination Annville — a community page I once created
And eventually, almost without planning it: Destination Main Street
A Look Back Before the Shift
Before COVID, before illness, before slowing down, Destination Main Street was something I squeezed into the margins of a hectic life.
My days were built around clients, social media management, events, product photography, online assets, and writing. I worked from home, worked from the road, worked from the driver’s seat of my van if I had to. I was always on. Always available.
On the surface, it seemed freeing: I could work anywhere!
But in reality, it meant I was working everywhere.
And while that lifestyle served me for a season, it left little room for the deeper storytelling I quietly longed for. I captured thousands of photographs across the country, but rarely paused long enough to write about them, reflect on them, or understand what they meant to me.
Now, for the first time in a decade, I have both the time and the perspective to do that work.
The glamorous life of working on the road.
Why Everything Feels Different Now
When the constantly-on-the-go version of me and the healing, slowing-down version of me collided, something unexpected happened.
I found a middle ground I didn’t know I could have.
I’m not going back to doing things 24/7. My body won’t tolerate it, and honestly, neither will my spirit. My health requires intention. Breaks. Boundaries. I know my limits now, and I respect them.
But slowing down made room for something new: a richer, steadier, more meaningful way of working. It made space for Destination Main Street to evolve from a side passion into the centerpiece of this next chapter.
Not a hustle.
Not a rush.
Not another burnout waiting to happen.
A calling.
And at a time when I could be sailing into retirement, I still feel there is more to be done. Not doing this would feel like leaving the last chapter unwritten.
What Destination Main Street Is Becoming
Destination Main Street is no longer just a website or a collection of pretty photographs. It’s becoming a creative ecosystem built on the things I love most:
1. The Roger’s Road Trip Children’s Book Series
My children’s series: rooted in small-town wonder, the kindness of strangers, the magic of travel, and the spirit of adventure through Roger the van.
2. Curated Photography Collections
Not every picture I’ve taken, but thoughtful sets of images from my enormous archive, each with a story and a sense of place.
3. A Product Line Built on Nostalgia (Launching 2026)
Photography prints
Postcards
Digital watercolor-style prints
Travel boxes with stories and small-town treasures
And maybe even a Destination Main Street mug… (stay tuned!)
4. Deep-Dive Town Stories
The kind of immersive writing I’ve always wanted to do… not just sharing a pretty street, but telling the story behind it.
5. Seasonal & Travel Guides
Simple, cozy guides for wanderers — itineraries, small-town suggestions, seasonal ideas, and slow-travel inspiration. I already created one here, check it out!
The Road Ahead
I’m not rushing.
I’m not setting strict deadlines.
I’m not building pressure.
I’m creating this next chapter the same way I’m learning to live my life now… slowly, meaningfully, step by step.
Destination Main Street is becoming a creative home, a story hub, a gathering place for nostalgia, travel, and connection. And I’m excited to bring you along as it unfolds.
I encountered tornado warning, ice and snow storms, wind storms, and van damage on my way to San Diego in 2015, and I’m still here to talk about it!
A Thanksgiving Pivot That Changed Me
There’s something else I want to share as we stand on the edge of this new season, and it’s a memory from exactly ten years ago… my cross-country trip to San Diego.
That trip changed everything. It was the first time I ever drove across the country alone. It was the trip that showed me I was strong, capable, brave… even when the van roof vent flew off, even when storms forced me off the road, even when the windshield cracked from a stray stone.
But the part that stays with me most isn’t the adventure.
It’s Thanksgiving.
I had planned to spend Thanksgiving Day at Disneyland… a fun, lighthearted way to mark a holiday far from home. But the weather turned ugly on the route I needed to take east, and my son called, gently insisting I come back to Oceanside instead. The family he’d grown close to — his “California family” — invited me to join them.
So I turned the van around.
I already knew them, had met them earlier in the week, but sitting at their table that Thanksgiving, surrounded by warmth and laughter and a sense of belonging… it was one of the most meaningful moments of my life. They had been his family while he was 3,000 miles away from home. And for that day, they were mine too.
That pivot… that invitation… is why connection matters so deeply to me now. It’s why Destination Main Street is becoming what it’s becoming.
Thanksgiving Day 2015 in Oceanside, CA.
Thank You
I hope your Thanksgiving was peaceful, warm, and filled with the people and moments that matter most. And before this next chapter unfolds, I want to simply say thank you.
Thank you for reading.
Thank you for showing up.
Thank you for encouraging me when I wasn’t always sure where I was headed.
Thank you for caring about the small towns and quiet stories I’ve carried with me all these years.
Thank you for letting me grow, pause, wander, reset, and begin again.
Every kind word, every shared post, every “keep going” has meant more than you know.
I’m grateful for you.
I’m grateful for this community.
And I’m grateful for the road ahead… and that I don’t have to walk it alone.
Hi, I’m Marjorie.
I’m a photographer, writer, and lifelong collector of stories — the kind you find tucked inside small towns, old buildings, and the things we choose to keep. I love uncovering the stories, nostalgia, and beauty hidden along back roads and Main Streets.
Through Destination Main Street and The Bungalow Diaries, I share the beauty of nostalgia, the joy of travel, and the art of noticing what’s worth preserving.
I’m so glad you stopped by. I hope you’ll linger a while, explore a few more stories, and find a little inspiration to slow down and remember what matters most.
