the economy that actually shows up for work, as opposed to the one that just trades numbers about it.
means the everyday world of small businesses, local shoppers, and ordinary workers, used as shorthand against the abstract, high-finance economy of wall street.
from literally the generic name for a town's central commercial road in 19th-century america, lined with shops and banks; sinclair lewis's 1920 novel 'main street' cemented it as a symbol of ordinary small-town life, and the 2008 financial crisis turned it into the go-to political foil for wall street.
disneyland usa — main street, u.s.a., modeled on walt disney's missouri hometown, 1955
bozeman montana — downtown main street still anchors the whole local economy
obama 2008 speeches — used 'main street' over 40 times contrasting it with wall street