Main Street Matters by Heart on Main Street

Many areas of the southeast US are hurting in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Hundreds of thousands of people are without power and cutoff from resources. Additionally, countless retailers have lost their businesses and don't know what to do next. 

In this episode, Patrick sat down with retail owner Anita Cereceda, who lost her stores to Hurricane Ian in 2022, to talk about what she did in the wake of its destruction and what advice she has for retailers today. 

Donate to Disaster Relief Efforts: https://givebutter.com/hurricane-helene-relief

Savvy Shopkeeper's Retail Email Bootcamp: https://savvyshopkeeper.thrivecart.com/2024-retail-email-bootcamp/?utm_source=Heart%2Bon%2BMain%2BStreet&utm_campaign=38bea6637f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_10_01_10_45&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-38bea6637f-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

Patrick discusses his trip to Oklahoma in July, during which he visited the towns of Sulphur and Ada. He talks about the beauty of the state and the impact that the Chickasaw Nation has on the area. While both towns were visited on Mondays, they were for very different reasons.

In April, a tornado devastated the historic downtown of Sulphur, leaving a scar across the community. Patrick met with Christy Morris, the owner of the Mix Mercantile, about the loss of her store. While there, he made a donation to the Mix Mercantile to help them rebuild the store and remain a part of the community. Christy is solely focused on rebuilding in Sulphur to help bring hope back to the area. 

Patrick also discusses three different retailers in Ada, OK, whom he met with for Main Street Monday. The town of Ada has experienced remarkable growth and revitalization in the last several years, making it a great shopping destination. He talks about the stores M Street Decor, EVER Boutique, and Serendipity on Main and some of the things they are doing to create their own success. 

https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/

To help other retailers in need visit:  https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/donate

As the summer comes to a close this weekend, Patrick reflects on the Summer Sourcing Series webinars that Heart on Main Street conducted this summer. Through the webinar series, they explored how retailers can find products for their stores by attending trade shows, working with a local sales rep, and using an online marketplace like Faire.com. All have pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages based on your unique situation. 

Register for upcoming webinars: https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/upcoming-webinars 

Heart on Main Street's Summer Sourcing Series concludes with a discussion with Faire.com. Learn more about Faire Wholesale - a marketplace focused on helping independent retailers simplify the way they find, finance, and manage unique inventory from around the world.  

Hear about their mission, learn more about their marketplace and financial benefits, and discover some great brands, too

In this episode, we go out on the road to explore a fun and vibrant arts community within Dallas, the Bishop Arts District. I saw artwork that made this area unique and worth exploring. I met with great retailers whose stores fit so well with the community and culture of the neighborhood. And I ate some pretty good food. While in Dallas, I also had the opportunity to interview Deavon Moore, the owner of DLM Supply, and David Spence, the owner of Good Space, a company transforming Bishop Arts District and making it the wonderful community it is today.

https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/
https://www.dlmsupplyco.com/
https://goodspace.com/

Our Shop Talk series continues with a little twist. Patrick travels to Ely, MN, to meet in person with Kara Polyner, the owner of the Ely Mercantile! We discuss how she fared through the latter half of Ely's busy season with their Blueberry Arts Festival and the All-Class Reunion to celebrate the local high school's 100th anniversary. These events brought tens of thousands of people (and potential shoppers) to the town of Ely.

Explore the town and independent retailers of Downers Grove, which underwent a significant renovation in 2001 to attract more people and businesses and build a better downtown community. In this episode, we discuss what Downers Grove accomplished in its renovation project and how this has helped improve downtown businesses. We also talk about four retailers: Happy Dog Barkery, My Special Toy Store, Adorn 512, and Evelyn Jane. 

https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/

Vendor sales reps provide much more to the retail business than catalogs. They can inform you about what they're seeing in the field, exclusive deals, and knowledge and insights to help your business grow. I spoke with Adam Schrier of Creative Co-Op, Angela Schmook of Road Runners, Brian Schroeder of Creative Brands, and Majda Rensberger of OneCoast about how they view the role of sales reps in today's wholesale marketplace, how relationships with sales helps can impact your store, and the role of the sales rep of the future. 

Heart on Main Street: https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/

Come explore the gem of Door County Wisconsin: Sturgeon Bay. We highlight the brilliant retail stores around downtown, and what they're doing to help stand out amongst the crowd. Filled with longevity and love, these stores serve their community in unique ways to bring together the town of Sturgeon Bay. We look at a kitchen store, apparel shop, quilting store, bookstore, and children's stores along the way. And, of course, we talk about the fish on the street. 

https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/

In this episode, we talk about what Heart on Main Street has planned for Independent Retailer Month, including a donation that we made to The Mix Mercantile in Sulphur, OK. We also catch up with our friend, Kara Polyner, the owner of the Ely Mercantile in Ely, MN. Since we last spoke, Ely has entered into its busy season, and The Ely Mercantile has seen a significant growth in traffic. We talked with Kara about her learnings, the surprises, and what she plans to do differently next summer based on what she has experienced so far.