|
Missouri Main Street Connection is on Facebook!
|
|
To the VIP Table Sponsors at the 2013 Get Plugged In...Downtown Revitalization Conference.
|
|
The 6th Annual Downtown Revitalization Conference will be held in St. Louis.
July 29 - 31, 2014
|
|
Thank You!
A heartfelt THANK YOU to those who have supported the vision of Missouri Main Street Connection and its revitalization efforts through the Neighborhood Assistance Program. As a result of their generosity, leaders in communities throughout Missouri have received training, mentoring and advocacy from MMSC to strengthen their community efforts in economic development within the context of historic preservation.
Dr. Wes Allai and Brenda Allai
Julius J. Anderson
BNH Prescriptions
Bryan Bogue
Albert J. Bonebrake
Richard and Donna Bottorf
Karl Caldwell
Robert Catron
Commerce Bank
William H. Dickinson Jr.
Thomas Dillon
Alberta M and R. Neil Dougan
Evans & Dixon, LLC
Roger Edney
Steve Edney
Glenn Fromme
Glasscock Jewelry Corner
John and Rita Griesheimer
Gayla C. and Kim Hancock
Thomas R. Higgins Accounting, LLC
R. Dean Hoedl
Steven Hoffman and Margaret Waterman
Phil Leathers
James and Sarah Lewis
Cynthia MacPherson
Robert and Anne McDowell
Lawrence Marler
Michael and Shelley Marquardt
James and Teresa Mauer
N. Eugene Morrow, MD, and Cindy Kay Morrow
Dr. Robert Nagy
Peckham, Guyton, Albers & Viets
Michael Radetic, DDS
Raming Distribution
Gregory and Anne Ramsey
Mike and Terre Redmon
Brian and Wendy Roberson
Jerry and Mary Roe
Joseph D. Sheppard III
Tesson Roofing
The Bank of Missouri
Ron and Judy Toellner
Turnkey Mobile, Inc.
Ken and Kim Weymuth
Jeanne Young
The Neighborhood Assistance Program is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
|
|
National Preservation Conference
"Preservation at the Crossroads"
October 29-November 2, 2013
Indianapolis, Indiana
Visit the National Trust for Historic Preservation website HERE to read about speakers, see the conference schedule, or to register online.
|
|
MMSC Downtown Revitalization Workshop
"Placemaking"
November 13, 2013
9 am to 4 pm
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Why is placemaking important?
Placemaking capitalizes on a community's assets, inspiration, and potential, ultimately creating good public spaces that promote people's health, happiness and well-being.
Download the registration form for additional details HERE.
|
|
Keith Winge Hired as Community Development Coordinator
 Missouri Main Street Connection Inc. (MMSC) is pleased to announce Keith Winge has been hired as Community Development Coordinator to help meet the growing demand by communities across the state of Missouri looking to revitalize their commercial districts. Keith was chosen for the professional management and leadership skills he demonstrated during his 8-year tenure as a board member and officer of Downtown Excelsior Partnership in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and for his 20 years of experience in hospitality management.
"We are thrilled and honored to have Keith as part of our team," said Gayla Roten, MMSC State Director. "His knowledge and enthusiasm will be a valuable resource for the many communities depending on MMSC's revitalization training and mentoring services."
Keith will assist the State Director of MMSC with management, administration and implementation of the statewide Main Street® program that utilizes historic preservation as the integral foundation for downtown revitalization and economic development. He will support the effort to maintain a consistent, quality program of services that will result in the transferences of the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to communities throughout the state and will increase the potential success of all downtown revitalization activities.
|
|
Congratulations to
Sallie Hemenway
The Missouri Economic Development Financing Association (formerly the Missouri Tax Increment Financing Association) has announced that Sallie Hemenway, CEcD, is the 2013 Richard A. King Award winner.
 Sallie is the Director of the Division of Business and Community Services (BCS) in the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The BCS Division's mission is to make Missouri the best place to live, work, play, and do business. The Division staff of 110 works statewide in the areas of business attraction and expansion (domestic and international), community development, and redevelopment. The goals include facilitating the creation of new jobs, stimulating private investment, supporting community activities that expand local and state growth, and creating an entrepreneurial environment.
Sallie has been with state government in the Department of Economic Development for 19-˝ years. She has worked previously in local government and in the private sector.
|
 |
|
Our Partners in Revitalization
| 
 |
|
Visit our Website
| 
|
|
Our Mission
|
The Mission of the Missouri Main Street Connection is to provide communities with the knowledge and tools to economically and physically revitalize their downtowns.
MMSC works to ensure that the downtown districts in Missouri's cities and towns remain essential elements to their sense of community, their cultural heritage and to the state's economy. Downtown revitalization is encouraged through economic development within the context of historic preservation. The primary purpose is to ensure the long-term success of the downtown by creating, educating, training and empowering a comprehensive, professional, volunteer-based downtown revitalization organization.
|
|
|
|
Ten Missouri Main Street® Communities Win Achievement Awards
Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) presented awards to ten communities honoring achievements in downtown revitalization during the Missouri Main Street state conference July 25, 2013, in Kansas City.
The Evening of Excellence Dinner and Awards Celebration capped off three days of over 40 educational workshops and in-the-field educational tours, sponsored by MMSC. Awards recognizing achievements in downtown revitalization were presented in 18 categories. Competition for the awards came from all across the state of Missouri.
Cape Girardeau, Blue Springs, Excelsior Springs, Warrensburg, Pleasant Hill, Chillicothe, Clinton, Washington, Lee's Summit and Peculiar all claimed awards.
"With these awards, we are proud to honor the dedication and investment that communities across Missouri are putting into their downtown revitalization programs," said Steven Hoffman, professor of history at Southeast Missouri State University and president of Missouri Main Street Connection Inc. "Their efforts reveal the most cherished values of citizens who choose to preserve the historic elements of their downtowns and improve the quality of life for everyone in their communities."
Read the official press release HERE.
|
THANK YOU to all our SPONSORS who made the 2013 Get Plugged In...Downtown Conference a Great Success!
|
|
Boys on the Block
At the 2013 Annual Downtown Revitalization Conference, MMSC introduced the Boys on the Block Main Street Calendar, an exciting fundraising opportunity for Missouri's Main Street communities to showcase their historic buildings and calendar of events. Main Street communities were invited to submit photographs of a "cool" historic building located in their community to be voted on by conference attendees.
The submission requirements were that each photo contained a historic building (commercial or residential) and a male of any age (infant to mature senior).
Photos were copied, enlarged and displayed throughout the conference where attendees had numerous opportunities to vote for their favorites. Voting was done by tickets sold during the conference. A few communities strategically involved their folks back home to buy more "votes."
The finished calendar will list the calendar of events for all participating communities and will include the winning photographs from seven of the nine communities who participated. MMSC will assemble the calendars and distribute a select number to each participating community in November. The receiving communities may then sell copies for their own profit if they wish.
|
|
We Have Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) Credits Available
The Process is Easy to Receive Tax Credits
To qualify for credits, a donor must make an eligible donation to Missouri Main Street Connection. The staff at MMSC will help you process the required paper work.
Types of Donations MMSC May Receive
MMSC may accept cash, real estate, stocks and bonds. The allocation of credit for donations is based on the fair market value of the item(s) at the time they are donated.
Who Qualifies for Nap Credits- Corporations
- Insurance Companies
- Banks and Financial Institutions
- Partnerships (and their individual partners)
- S-Corporations (and their individual shareholders) Limited Liability Companies (and their individual members)
- Individuals who pay state tax in Missouri and:
- A. Own a sole proprietorship
- B. operate a farm
- C. have rental property
- D. receive royalty or honorarium income
Types of State Taxes to Which the Credits Can Be Applied- Financial Institution Tax
- Corporate Franchise Tax
- Individual & Corporate Tax
Federal Tax Deduction? Yes.Each NAP contribution is also eligible for a federal tax deduction as a charitable gift. |
|
Affiliate Grant Awarded to Two Missouri Communities
The City of Canton, Missouri, and Fayette Main Street Inc. have been selected in a competitive application process to participate in a cost-sharing Affiliate Grant that provides training, mentoring, and technical services to revitalization programs in Missouri's historic commercial districts. The grant is provided by Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. (MMSC)
MMSC staff will visit with each community's leaders to evaluate existing and future needs of the downtown, and then schedule a series of customized training sessions equipping them to concentrate on their local revitalization goals. The goal of the grant is the development of a sustainable, volunteer-based organization that will carry out an economic development program based on the preservation of historic assets in the downtown, using the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to Revitalization.
The Canton revitalization group anticipates:
- Expanding the Levee Walk to include trails that lead to other cultural and heritage points of interest, which will expand tourism and educational opportunities for residents.
- Creating a downtown comprehensive program that will feature infrastructure improvements, plus restoration of historic buildings, and recruiting businesses to occupy commercial vacancies.
- Using ideas within the Canton Downtown Vision and Development Strategy created in 2008 that will serve as a foundation for revitalization planning. The experience of creating that plan gave the citizens of Canton new confidence and enthusiasm which will carry over to the creation of a successful, long-term revitalization organization.
The Downtown Fayette organization anticipates:
- Recruiting new businesses or expanding existing businesses to fill every vacant store front in the historic downtown
- Creating and implementing a comprehensive tourism plan for downtown and the community.
- Developing a perpetual revitalization organization that will facilitate business growth, job development and preserve the unique culture and heritage of downtown Fayette.
During the two-year grant period, MMSC will provide on-site training and mentoring that will engage the entire community as a participant and beneficiary of revitalization. Representatives of the downtown group also will attend regional revitalization workshops and conferences conducted by MMSC.
The Affiliate Grant is a 40/60 match, requiring the community to contribute 40% of the cash value of the services, and MMSC to contribute 60%. The total grant value in training and mentoring services is $23,500.
Canton and Fayette are also now designated as Affiliates in the Missouri Main Street Tier Structure, which ranks revitalization progress on a standard established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Center. Missouri Main Street Connection is currently providing revitalization training and mentoring to 145 communities in the state, plus Main Street accreditation services.
|
|
Seven Tips to Maximize Holiday Sales
by Barbara Wold
For a small retail business, the fourth quarter can be a big deal for the bottom line. For some retailers, the holiday season can represent anywhere between 20 - 40 percent of annual sales. Good planning now will help retailers make the most of this important season.
Create a stellar holiday marketing plan
Start by creating a detailed plan that includes a variety of marketing platforms such as print and online advertising, holiday store signage, direct mail, email marketing and social media. In addition, consider implementing some grassroots marketing strategies to inexpensively target customers in your community. For example, you can partner with other small businesses in your community to hand out coupons or flyers for one another, network at local chamber of commerce meetings (many of the members will be looking for holiday gifts for family members or clients), call VIP customers to personally invite them into the store, post on your town's forum, post on local "mom blogs" and distribute store flyers in places such as a gym or supermarket.
Plan special holiday events.
Store events are also a very effective way to drive more traffic to your store during the holiday season because they give customers a reason to shop during a specific time frame. One event you should add to your holiday event marketing plans this year is Small Business Saturday. This is a nationwide initiative on the day after Black Friday, November 30, that encourages consumers to go out and celebrate and support the local independent businesses that are a vital part of their communities.
Last year, millions of consumers shopped small. With growing consumer interest in supporting local businesses, you can leverage this powerful national event by inviting your customers to participate in the day through email marketing, direct mail, store signage, and social media posts. You should also promote your participation in Small Business Saturday in all of your print advertising as a way of attracting new prospects into the store on the day. You can download free marketing materials on the Small Business Saturday website.
Offer holiday deals and discounts.
Consider running special product promotions throughout the holiday season as an incentive to get customers to come into the store and buy. Some stores even sell a few products during the holiday season at a loss, known as a "loss leader" to lure customers to the store because they know that once the customer is in they will typically buy more.
Hire ahead of the holiday rush.
Most retailers agree that exceptional staffing is a key element in holiday sales success. If you need to beef up your team for the season, it's important to start the hiring process as early as possible. Remember to execute a thorough training program for your entire sales team that includes customer service tactics, in-depth product information and tips on handling a large sales volume to get everyone ready and excited for the holiday rush.
Make sure you have enough inventory.
It's very challenging to stock just the right amount of inventory to ensure that you have a vast product selection with a mix of specialty items that holiday shoppers are searching for. Plan on doing a holiday inventory assessment to confirm that you have ordered enough across the different product categories to last throughout the season and hit your numbers. If you realize that you still have not ordered enough, it's not too late to reach out to wholesalers to add to your holiday buying.
Use your store windows.
Store windows are a powerful marketing vehicle to help you promote and sell specific holiday products. They also serve as great tool to help you attract more customers into the store. Make sure your windows create visual impact, are well lit, have strong signage and that you use vertical and horizontal space to tell your merchandising story.
Promote holiday gift cards and gift certificates.
There is a lot of research that shows that holiday gift card giving is on the rise. Make sure that your store is top of mind with customers who want to purchase a gift card rather than a specific gift. Promote your store gift cards in all of your marketing efforts. In addition, you might also consider giving a small gift card to buyers who spend over a certain amount in your store during the holiday season.
Implementing these savvy marketing strategies can keep you ahead of the curve this holiday season and make it a signature year for blockbuster sales.
Barbara Wold
International Speaker, Author and Business Strategist
bwold@ix.netcom.com
http://twitter.com/barbarawold
http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawold
|
|
|
|
|
