Main Street Matters by Heart on Main Street

Episode 56: Shop Talk: Live from Ely, MN

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.

Episode 55: Main Street Monday- Downers Grove, IL

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/

Episode 54: Leveraging Relationship with Sales Reps

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/

Episode 53: Main Street Monday: Sturgeon Bay, WI

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/

Episode 52: Shop Talk: The Ely Mercantile Enters Busy Season

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.

Episode 51: Main Street Monday: Estes Park, CO

We recently visited Estes Park, CO, as part of our Main Street Monday series. This is a beautiful part of the country that has a fantastic independent retail scene, in part because the history of the town has prioritized a focus on its community. The area has seen devastating natural disaster that has only made Estes Park more resilient and more apt to supporting each other's growth. Come explore Estes Park and learn what makes it so special.

https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/

Episode 50: Main Street Monday: Lincoln, IL

Come explore the first US town named after Abraham Lincoln! I was invited to this town by one of its wonderful store owners and not only learned much about the town of Lincoln but also saw first-hand how a group of business owners worked together to make their downtown a better place. 

Donate to help retailers affected by natural disasters: https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/donate
Shop Heart on Main Street products: https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/shop

Episode 49: Unlocking the Magic of Trade Shows

Heart on Main Street's Summer Sourcing Series kicks off with a panel discussion about the importance of attending trade shows this summer! Hear from retailers and representatives of Dallas Market Center and AndMore (formerly International Market Centers) about why summer trade shows are so crucial for your business and how to make a plan to get the most out of your time at the market. 

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