Tag: Retail

Guest Blogger: Jennifer Heyns on Warrenton’s Emerging Latitudes

April 20, 2011

When people shop locally, they know they are helping to support their community and the shop owners who live there. At Warrenton’s Latitudes Fair Trade, shoppers know they are supporting not only a local business, but also artisans from developing countries around the world. Latitudes buys handcrafted items from overseas either directly or through a … More Guest Blogger: Jennifer Heyns on Warrenton’s Emerging Latitudes

Main Street Merchant Profile: Pufferbellies

November 5, 2010

In a new series of blog entries, we’re highlighting Main Street merchants — the entrepreneurs who create jobs and care for historic structures in our traditional commercial districts. To share the successes of one of your merchants, contact Doug Jackson. Pufferbellies, a shop specializing in top-notch service to the next generation of Main Street customers, offers a … More Main Street Merchant Profile: Pufferbellies

Be a Culpeper Local

October 13, 2010

Culpeper, Virginia just received some good press after it unleashed its new shop local campaign, Be a Culpeper Local.  The campaign combines educating the nearly 50,000 Culpeper County residents on the value of buying locally with a website, beaculpeperlocal.com that directs visitors to local shopping and dining options, specials, and a way to track how much … More Be a Culpeper Local

Virginia Tourism is way ahead of the pack…again.

October 12, 2010

One of Virginia Main Street’s most prized relationships is the one we have with Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC).  We often plan our strategies to complement theirs and they often ask us what’s going on downtown that they can use to better market Virginia.  They believe in Virginia’s historic commercial districts as tourist attractions to the … More Virginia Tourism is way ahead of the pack…again.

Designing a Marketplace

October 7, 2010

Is your economic restructuring committee effective?  Challenges like recruiting businesses and interpreting expensive and technical market studies discourage eager volunteers. There’s no immediate result after hours of meetings and planning.  Pressure to see results from business owners, local government and the community compounds the frustration. It’s easy for this committee, in particular, to go inactive. Main Street organizations all over America … More Designing a Marketplace

Pop-up shops a temporary solution to the empty storefront

August 10, 2010

With commercial real estate continuing to reel from the economic downturn, some major brands are looking at temporary leases in heavy volume areas.  Empty storefronts are not good for anyone, and leases in desireable areas have become much more flexible. These “pop-up” stores are potential strategies for fledging businesses trying out a concept, artists promoting their work, … More Pop-up shops a temporary solution to the empty storefront

The unexpected entrepreneur

May 21, 2010

If you were asked to describe an entrepreneur, what words would you use?  Maybe terms like “bright, energetic, or magnetic.”  This 2004 article in the aptly named magazine Entrepreneur, gives a whole host of other terms, not all of them complimentary.  Two descriptions of an entrepreneur that most people would not use are “ex-felon,” and … More The unexpected entrepreneur

Small Town and Merchant Program brings relevant resources to downtown merchants

April 20, 2010

Virginia Main Street continues the partnership with Virginia Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), bringing the Small Town & Merchant Program to traditional commercial districts. In the workshop, “Staying Relevant to a Changed Customer,” retail expert Marc Willson positions the consumer in the recovering economy and provides real resources and information to help merchants retain existing customers and capture new … More Small Town and Merchant Program brings relevant resources to downtown merchants

Quality v. quantity

March 30, 2010

Last Thursday, at the Virginia Main Street 25th Anniversary Milestone Achievement Awards, keynote speaker Chuck D’Aprix spoke about the importance of making your downtown attractive to entrepreneurs.  One way to do this is to focus on the quality of the experience rather than the quantity of products you sell. In short, it is difficult to compete … More Quality v. quantity

Anchors on Main Street

March 4, 2010

Every Main Street community is working to bring shoppers downtown, but what does that mean in the era of internet shopping?  Shoppers are buying more online–but they don’t buy all products in an equal amount.  In the next few posts, we’ll take a look at this sharp graphic from Permuto Discoveries, and offer some questions that might prompt … More Anchors on Main Street