Main Street Matters by Heart on Main Street

In our Stories from the Road series, I talked about exploring towns and learning from retailers about what makes their stores or communities unique.  We have had the opportunity to connect with many retailers while on the road for the past several months, and I want to share some of those conversations with you. In the episode, you will hear an update from Lacy Hankins and Amanda Rutherford, the owners of the Green Apple in Rolling Fork, MS. We first met them soon after a tornado leveled their store, and we discuss what has happened since. You will also hear from Mark Coulter, owner of Christopher's Gifts and Mark Anthony's Gifts and Spa in Kirkwood, MO, about the changes he has instituted in the wake of the pandemic. Finally, we spoke to Lisa Miller, owner of Forever Clean Soap Works in St Joseph, MI, about how she started her business and how her business model goes against the fray but has allowed her to succeed. 

https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/

The ERC (Employee Retention Credit) is a stimulus government aid program established by the CARES Act. It is a refundable tax credit- a grant, not a loan- that businesses can claim and recoup up to $26,000 per employee. It is money that is set aside for you! However, because of the complicated filing process and some noise around the program, most businesses have not taken advantage of this. 
Listen to Toni Ivey of OmegaNet Inc. to find out how to get the tax credit you're entitled to.

https://ercfilenow.com/r/heartonmainstreet
https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/
https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/education

Heart on Main Street visits a new town every Monday to learn about the retailers and what makes them successful. Seeing different things towns and retailers do to help the businesses in their communities grow is incredible. In this episode, we explore the villages of LeClaire, IA; Hinsdale, IL; Saint Joseph, MI; and Galena, IL. 

https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/

Effective visual merchandising allows your products to stand out from the crowd and can set your store apart. But truly good visual merchandising is a skill that has to be learned. Lyn Falk and Suzanne Rafenstein of Retailworks Inc. join the Main Street Matters webinar to discuss visual merchandising techniques that all retailers should know about!

https://retailworksinc.com/
Heartonmainstreet.org
heartonmainstreet.org/education
https://www.facebook.com/donate/1238433293395477/

So, you have people who have applied to a job posting for your retail store; how do you construct interviews to ensure you make the best hire possible? WhizBang Retail Training founder, Bob Negen, joins the Main Street Matters by Heart on Main Street to discuss interviewing for retail positions., This topic is one that retailers across the United States are struggling with, and Bob gives excellent advice on how to alleviate the issue. This episode is a recording of a webinar from August 2023. The video for this webinar can be found at heartonmainstreet.org

Links mentioned in the episode:
heartonmainstreet.org
heartonmainstreet.org/education
https://whizbangtraining.com/


 

Over the last several months, Heart on Main Street has been visiting retailers in towns across the US to see their stores, learn their stories and discover what makes the independent retailers in these towns so special. Every city has its unique feel, just like its retailers.  One of the amazing things about independent retail is the ability to get a sense of the owner's style and personality as soon as you walk in the door. You get to see a slice of themselves and what they care about. In this episode, I talk about our visits to the towns of Carmel, IN; Woodstock, IL; Kirkwood, MO; and McKinney, TX. There are some great learnings from the towns and from the retailers about how to support each other and how to create memorable experiences that create long-lasting customers. 

Creating a great customer experience can create loyal customers and advocates for your store, but it doesn't happen by accident. Our guest, Bridget Brennan, has spent decades studying the way customers, in particular women, interact within a store and provides her insights on how to create a great customer experience.  We cover types of products, ways to display them, and ways to bundle items together to make the experience more convenient for your customers.

Links mentioned in the episode:
https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/
https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/education
https://www.instagram.com/heartonmainstreet/
https://www.facebook.com/heartonmainstreet
https://thefemalefactor.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bridgetbrennaninsights/

Since its conception, Heart on Main Street has been working to provide independent retailers with resources and tools to help grow their businesses. We have had the opportunity to work directly with a few retailers impacted by natural disasters and help get their stores up and running again. We have also been out traveling the country to visit different towns and meet retailers. Every retailer has a story. Every story is unique. In this episode, we tell the stories of those retailers that we were able to aid with donations and talk about our first stop on our Main Street Monday tour. Owner of The Clothes Gallery in Crystal Lake, IL, Sherree Rothstein, tells us her story of ownership and how she's run a successful business for nearly 30 years. 

Links mentioned in the episode:
https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/
https://www.heartonmainstreet.org/education
https://theclothesgallery.com/
https://www.instagram.com/heartonmainstreet/
https://www.facebook.com/heartonmainstreet
https://www.facebook.com/myclothesgallery
https://www.instagram.com/theclothesgallery/