|
Emporia Main Street
E-Newsletter |
|
January just blew by! Next week we begin the Start Your Own Business Class, we have some new business incentives coming on-line soon, and we have A BUNCH of opportunities to get involved with upcoming community events. Keep reading for more E-News! |
Click HERE for the Dinner and Taste Ticket
Click HERE for the general Taste Ticket |
The Taste is April 12th from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Civic Auditorium. This classic event features Kansas Wineries, Breweries and Distilleries, local restaurants, live music and a lot of fun! We also have a Taste AND Dinner option. Dinner starts at 5:00 p.m., and dinner attendees gain early access to The Taste. We sold out of tickets the last three years, so remember to get your tickets EARLY!!! Click the links above to reserve your dinner ticket or your general ticket (we will hold on-line tickets at the door). Don't wait! Get your tickets TODAY!!!
|
|
Main Street Merchandise
| |
You can order the items listed below at a variety of local merchants, at the Emporia Main Street office or on-line at www.emporiamainstreet.com
Emporia-Opoly Game Boards are in and moving QUICKLY! This Emporia version of the classic Monopoly board game features local businesses, historic sights and special Emporia Tokens. This is the perfect gift for current or past Emporians. Because there is a limited quantity, we suggest you get yours soon..
Emporia Main Street Gift Certificates are always the perfect size! Give the gift of shopping local this year with the gift of Emporia Main Street gift certificates, good at our member merchants throughout Emporia.
|
|
| |
SYOB
|
|
|
Learn more about local amenities, organizations, businesses, events and more with the E-Town Mobile App! The ETown App is a joint project among Emporia State University, Flint Hills Technical College, USD 253, The Emporia Gazette, the City of Emporia, the Emporia Convention and Visitors Bureau and Emporia Main Street.
For IPhone Users, click here:
For Android Users, click here:
For the NEW iPad Version, click here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/e-town-app-emporia-kansas/id712001984?mt=8
New additions AND a Web version COMING SOON!
|
|
|
| |
Start Your Own Business
Instructors: Rob Gilligan and Lisa Brumbaugh
Cost: $288 for 2 credit hours
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, February 4-March 13, 6:00-9:00 PM
Are you ready to turn your passion into a business? Do you have a product or service you want to share with the community? The START YOUR OWN BUSINESS course will provide you with the necessary business skills to start AND grow your business.
At FHTC, we believe in a three-level approach to making you a successful business owner: master a skill, get the education you need to successfully operate a
business, and expand your business through the use of the many tools and resources available in our region.
For this course, we have partnered with Emporia Main Street and the ESU Small Business Development Center to offer a comprehensive training program for potential and current small business owners who bring talent and opportunity to our business community. Our goal is to show you the resources and knowledge to make you successful. Your training and support only begins with this course. Graduates of SYOB will be eligible to apply for several financial opportunities to make starting a business more affordable and successful.
Class starts February 4! For more information, please contact Jessica Hopkins. Open enrollment begins October 28; click here: https://my.fhtc.edu/ICS/Admissions/Apply_For_Admission.jnz to access an Admissions Application.
Online Moodle 2.5 Boot Camp
Instructor: Kim Dhority
Session 2: Schedule: Modules open March 24-May 26. (Must be registered by March 15).
Cost: $25; graduate credit is available through Baker University at an additional cost.
Do you want to offer online classes? Do you want to be able to give handouts or presentations to your students anywhere? Join Kim Dhority for an informative and helpful "boot camp", and learn how to use the open-source learning management system called Moodle. Through seven interactive and informative online modules, the class will cover course set-up, maintenance, resources, activities, advanced features, and more! This course is ideal for college instructors and administrators, and is available for graduate credit through Baker University for an additional fee. Please contact 620-341-1392 for additional details.
Eating in Season
Instructor: Tracey Graham
Cost: $5
Schedule: Session 1: Tuesday, January 21, 6:00-8:00 PM
Session 2: Tuesday, February 18, 6:00-8:00 PM
We all know that locally-grown foods (from your garden, your friends' and neighbors' gardens, the Farmers Market, etc.) are the very best. Even in the depths of winter, there are many lovely foods available locally. Tips for creative ways of consuming high-quantity foods while they're at their peak is the focus of this class. Explore how to take advantage of the abundance that is available at different times of the year, and sample some recipes whipped up from what's available right now. Sponsored in part by the Emil Babinger Charitable Trust.
Simulation: A Walk in Their Shoes
Instructor: Holly Aranda & Angie Schreiber
Cost: $10
Schedule: Tuesday, January 28, 7:00-8:30pm
Presented by Cradle to Career Literacy Center, "A Walk in their Shoes" is a hands-on simulation designed to help participants experience some of the challenges and frustrations faced by children and students with learning difficulties. This thought-provoking activity is ideal for parents and teachers, as it is designed to increase awareness of the difficulties that people with dyslexia, and other learning disabilities, encounter daily. Through this simulation participants will gain better understanding and insight into working more effectively with these individuals.
Enroll today! Visit http://flinthills.augusoft.net or call 620-341-1392.
|
| |
Sunflower Invitational
Sunflower Gymnastics is hosting the 2014 Trampoline and Tumbling Sunflower Winter Invitational at White Auditorium on Saturday, February 15. This is their 12th event since 2007.
The event is bringing 310 athletes from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado to compete at what has become the largest Trampoline and Tumbling meet in a 5 state area.
There are also opportunities to purchase sponsorship ads in the program for $50 a spot. The ads are a horizontal measuring 4.75" x 1.9" (28p9x11p1).
|
|
Property Availability Guide
| |
For property owners with property available for rent or sale, this is a free service to collect information and post it on the Emporia Main Street Web Site. With other market information available, we hope this site makes it easier for potential businesses and property developers to find spaces they need.
CLICK HERE to enter information about your available property and view previously submitted information.
|
|
Business Investment Guide |
Do you know a business that should locate in Emporia? Maybe you know an entrpreneur looking for resources or a business owner looking to expand? The Business Investment Guide is community information designed to help you point your contacts in the right direction!
CLICK HERE for the INVESTMENT GUIDE |
|
New Spins on Traditional Promotions
Draw new people to your business destination
|
Looking to the past for ideas that can be updated for the present is a solid promotional tactic. Identifying current promotions that can partner with store fronts is another way we can develop new promotional tools. The old "sidewalk sale" that ran in the middle of the work day went the way of the "one breadwinner per household" years, but we can see an updated version in the Great American Market or Midnight Madness events. Business luncheons to find out what's going on in the community have evolved into social media groups. Phone trees have been replaced by bulk e-mails. Paper newsletters have gone electronic. Charity auctions have pre-event photo galleries. Printed directories have been replaced with mobile web searches or community mobile applications.
The basic concepts of what we "used to do" are still there, but the ideas are updated to incorporate new technologies. Other trends that highlight group shopping, home based "parties" and shopping rewards can partner with existing businesses to create a "win-win" promotional environment. Below we will cover two basic promotional types: one that we have recently tested, and one that we will test in the near future. We hope one or both of the promotional tactics encourage you to try something new with your business to draw in more (and different) customers.
1. The Not at Home, Home Based Party- For female shoppers, the home based business party is a regular occurrence. People are invited to someone's home to view the latest in (insert product or service here). Hosts of the party generally get some sort of merchandise and prizes or "specials" are a regular part of  the party atmosphere. Add some food, music and libations to the company of friends and a good time is had by most. I say "most" because I don't know too many people that enjoy cleaning up before or after a party. And, with household gatherings less common than they used to be, some people find it a little weird to attend an event in someone's home (especially if they don't know them REALLY well).
So, what do you do if you want to host a party, but you don't want to bother someone at their home? You could always rent a facility, and their are several different temporary rental opportunities in Emporia (contact Emporia Main Street for some ideas), but you might have a better option. Why not find a friendly store front to coordinate your party with? Your hosting can pull more people into a storefront business, and the familiarity of a storefront environment can encourage people to attend. Facilities are already set up to receive the public, and a home doesn't need rearranged to accept guests.
Although home based businesses probably don't want to approach a storefront that sells the same things their business does, the potential exists for cooperative opportunities. Beyond retail, service businesses and restaurants can work with small social groups to get on a "rotation" or act as a consistent site host to encourage recognition and even generate sales. Some local restaurants host civic organizations on a continual basis to boost weekly sales totals, and some craft groups rotate restaurants for social crafting time. Store front businesses can even reach out to other store front businesses to cooperate in rotating "parties." This low cost promotion simply requires friendliness and the willingness to reach out to some area groups. Contact Emporia Main Street for some ideas on businesses you can team up with.
2. The Store Crawl- The Midnight Madness late-night shopping event through Emporia Main Street contains some mapping materials that highlight participating merchants. The Eek Town Trick or Treat event also has a map that showcases area businesses distributing candy. In the same genre of those activities is the "Crawl". Several people are familiar with a bar crawl, where participants "hop" from one bar to another as they journey through a community. Progressive dinners with area restaurants are a popular way to get "foodies" in your doors. Specialty businesses that sell a niche item can participate in regional versions of a crawl, like a yarn or quilt hop. Based on a suggestion by a local advertising sales representative, we are tweaking the crawl concept to fit a more eclectic mix of businesses.
The Main Street "stroll" will feature different businesses that people are encouraged to stop in. Businesses  can give away food, products or (the most popular alternative) sample a wine or other libation. The community we are basing this event on had a punch card denoting if the participating consumer tried red or white wine in a particular store, receiving a ticket punch after they sampled. The first iteration of this event will test local women's groups to participate in a ticketed "stroll". Future versions will target smaller visitors groups or will reach out to established target market groups from other communities. Hours for the event may extend slightly past a businesses traditional closing time, but the event won't extend to midnight like a late-night shopping event. Eventually, prizes may be given based on signed receipts from businesses to encourage shopping/dining/purchased services. A portion of the ticket prices will be distributed to participating businesses to help offset expenses. June 21st is our date for testing the Main Street stroll, so if you have a business that might want to participate, or you have a group that would like to be our test "strollers", contact Emporia Main Street and we can discuss this event in greater detail.
Eventually, we hope to utilize our proximity to larger metropolitan areas to draw people into our community and expose them to our unique businesses and features. People from a larger city aren't going to leave their Arby's to come eat at ours, but we have people that travel a pretty significant distance to eat at some of our restaurants and specialty food retailers. The same logic applies to our unique merchandise retailers and service providers: people probably won't make a specific trip to Emporia if they have the same brand right down the street. However, if we can expose people from larger areas to our unique businesses, we may pull people off the interstate, turnpike or highway system on a more consistent basis.
|
|
Did you know???
|
Last week we met with some individuals looking to expand Emporia Celebrates activities, we hosted a development meeting, we conducted a presentation to a local  financial institution concerning some business funding alternatives, we met with a potential business owner, we held a Business Enhancement Team Meeting, we provided some written research to the Emporia City Commission, we participated in the Talk of Emporia to inform viewers about the Start Your Own Business Class, we presented a check to the All Veteran's Memorial group from funds raised through Freedom Fest, we met with some Department of Commerce officials in Topeka, we hosted a Mobile Application Team Meeting and we had a couple of entrepreneurs looking to expand their businesses drop by the office looking for assistance. A lot was accomplished last week, and we received
some good questions from all of you!
1. "Do you think that type of business will work in Emporia?"- From a potential business owner that stopped into the office. That type of question is always difficult to answer. People with good products, accessibility, great service, a knack for marketing, appropriate capitalization, creativity and strong work ethic can make a lot of different business types successful. All we can really do is help businesses achieve those standards, help them through the necessary processes and then talk about the data we have available that describes market opportunities. Overall, we have more dollars spent in Emporia than are leaving it, but we do have some market gaps. Full service restaurants, for example, represent a defined gap within the market. Grocery stores, by comparison, do not show a market gap in Emporia. Does this guarantee the success of a restaurant or prohibit the success of a specialty food retailer? No. Defined market gaps help us describe where the market is saturated or where opportunities may exist, but nothing in life is guaranteed.
2. "Are there many people living in upper stories in downtown?" From a local media member. Yes. A lot! When it's slightly warmer, you should take a stroll downtown and look up! We have large housing developments like the Broadview, and newer housing developments like the Granada Plaza and Lofts and the Kellogg Plaza and Lofts, but you might be surprised at the number of large upper story apartments that exist in the downtown area. Some of them are awesome, large, loft apartments and some are simple efficencies. There is room for more housing with more people looking for "urbanized" living environments, people looking to live closer to where they work (within walking/biking distance), students/staff that want to live closer to ESU and temporary employees that want to live where "stuff is happening". We want to improve and add to the downtown housing stock, because we know people that live downtown support night life, local businesses and create a more vibrant neighborhood.
Get your party dresses at "Classy Consignments"
Do you know someone who needs prom and party dress fashion styles without the fashion costs?
Girl Scout Troop 34047 will sell your gently-used and new formal dresses and accessories at the price you set. The Classy Consignments Sale is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1 and 1 to 5 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 2 at the Amend Girl Scout Center, 1200 Burlingame Rd., Emporia.
Dresses and accessories may be consigned or donated. Consigner fee of $15 per dress (accessories included) and $3 per pair of shoes is paid at time they are dropped off. Each dress will be tagged during drop off with the size, price and locations the dress was worn. Sales are cash and check only.
Proceeds go to Girl Scout Troop 34047 for their 2015 Europe trip.
Questions? Call Susan Faler, 620-794-2026.
3. "Would you be part of our network?" From a state organization. When people ask this, they are generally asking if I will answer any questions that they throw at me, with the promise that they will try to help me out if I have any questions. Some network agencies do a very good job (Network Kansas comes to mind), while others simply regurgitate information created by other agencies (I can sign up for an e-mail list as easily as someone can forward me an e-mail). Electronic media has changed the very fabric of networking, and has created a lot of network redundancy. Networks are established, what we lack are people on the other side of the network that take information obtained and create something tangible. "Knowers" are abundant; "doers" are less so. I have to be careful when agreeing to be part of a network, because it's really easy to become a resource for others (outside of the area), but it is somewhat harder to turn those networks into something valuable for your own community or organization. The Main Street board has "encouraged" me to "learn to say no", and I think the way you do that is to establish the value of the networks you are a part of. Are they worth it? Can you make them worth it? Is networking in the traditional sense really that important to you, or can you gather contacts and information via the use of technology or other resources?
4. "How is that different that something we could have done?" From a conversation in a marketing project meeting. This question was asked in regards to a product being produced, but I hear versions of it on a consistent basis. The same basic scenario usually precedes the asking of this particular question: someone implemented an idea either to create something new or to improve something existing, and this implementation results in a revisionist narrative. It's good to review products, projects and plans to ensure continued improvement. However, when I hear people refer to local businesses, organizations or volunteers and essentially assert "I could have done it better", it leads me to a very basic question: "why didn't you?" Communities improve through action and implementation. Those actions, if built sustainable, will improve in efficiency and quality over time. However, if an action isn't taken, or nothing tangible is created, people have a hard time improving something that doesn't exist. This is one of the reasons that Main Street celebrates "doers". We can sit and talk and review and plan, but until something does something, nothing changes. So, for all of you doers out there, keep making things happen that tangibly improve our community. We appreciate your efforts.
5. "When you run a promotion, do you only mention businesses downtown?" From another Main Street city. No. We have members throughout Emporia, and when they send us information we do our best to include it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
President's Circle
Emporia Realty Group
www.emporiarealtygroup.com
608 Commercial
620-412-9850
IM Design Group
www.imdesigngroup.com
17 W. 5th
620-343-3909
| |
| |
541 Sherman
www.kiss103.1.net
620-343-6144
|
|
Emporia Main Street Calendar of Events
| |
January 29
Emporia Main Street Vision Meeting
8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street office.
February 4th
Start Your Own Business Class Opening Class.
6:30 p.m. at the Flint Hills Technical College Downtown Campus.
March 13
Quarter Mania.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Granada Theatre.
April 12th
The Taste
Dinner at 5:00 p.m., and the General Taste runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Civic Auditorium
May 2-4
The Glass Blown Open. This Dynamic Discs tournament will take place throughout the Emporia area.
May 10th
The Flatland Cruisers Car Show
May 18-20
National Main Street Conference in Detroit Michigan.
May 31
The Dirty Kanza
riders leave at 6:00 a.m. from the 800 Block of Commercial Street.
Do you have an upcoming event for your business or organization?
Let Emporia Main Street know and we may include it on our upcoming calendars!
| |
|
|
General Level Members
AKA Marketing
Amish Woodworks
Applebees
Ash LLC
Atherton & Huth
Bank of America
Bath Expressions
Ben Moore Studio
Bennett Dental Group
BG Consultants
BLI Rentals
Bluestem Farm and Ranch
Brown's Shoe Fit
Bruff's Bar and Grill
C & J Woodworks
Candlewood Suites
Capitol Federal
Cassell Insurance
Chester Press
Clark Carpet and Tile, Inc.
Coffelt Sign Co.
Complete Works
Country Mart/Price Chopper
Dan's Hands Massage
Davis Paints
Disciple Shoppe
Dorsey Eye Care
Douglas Chiropractic
Dr. Kerri Thompson, DDS
Dynamic Discs
Eastwood Lake Apartments
Ek Real Estate
Emporia Construction and Remodeling
Emporia Radio Stations: KVOE, 104.9 & 101.7
Emporia State Federal Credit Union
E-Town Solutions
ESU Memorial Union
Evergreen Design-Build
Flint Hills Eye Care
Flint Hills Mall
Association
Flint Hills Music
Floyd's Automotive
Forget Me Not Productions
Four Seasons Apartments
George Groh and Sons
Gerald Schumann Electric
Granada Coffee Company
Graves Drug Store
Haag Management
Hair Krafters
Heart Center Studio
Helbert & Allemang
High Gear
Java Cat Coffeehouse
Junque Drawer Emporium
Kansas Radio 96.1 The Wave
King Liquor
L & L Pets
Lyon County State Bank
Lyon County Title
Mark II Lumber
McDonalds
McKinzie Pest Control
Midas Touch Tans
Mike Alpers Agency
Mr. Sisters Sweets
Modern Air Conditioning, Inc.
Mulready's Pub
Navrats Office Supply
Papa John's Pizza
Pizza Hut
Pizza Ranch
Plum Bazaar
Poehler Mercantile
Pool and Associates
Prairie Sage Apartments
Pro-Cuts
Rand Simmons Law Office
Redline Trucking
Reflxns Salon
Rhinestone Cowgirl Salon
Sauder Custom Fabrication
Schellers Lawn and Landscape
Scott's Lawn and Landscaping
Second Love Gifts
Stanley Jewelry
Studio 11
Subway
Sunflower Gymnastics
Sutherlands Lumber Co.
Sweet Granada
Textbook Corner
Thompson Auto Repair
Toso Appraisal
Total Technology
Town Crier Bookstore
Triad Leasing
Uncommon Threads
Value-Net LLC
Waters True Value Hardware
Westar Energy
Williams Automotive
Wright CPA Group PA
Wright's Furniture
Xan-A-Do Salon
| | |
|
|
Non Profit Level Members
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Cradle to Career Cneter
Emporia Eastside Community Group
EHS- FBLA
Emporia Arts Council
Emporia Chamber of Commerce
Emporia Farmers Market
Emporia Friends of the Zoo
Emporia Presbyterian Church
Emporia Friends of the Library
ESU- Alumni Association
ESU- Small Business Development Center
ESU- Memorial Union
ESU- Theatre Dept.
Flint Hills Community Health Center
Granada Theatre Alliance
National Teachers Hall of Fame
Saint Francis Community Services
Salvation Army
SOS
TFI Family Services
| |
|
|
Home Based Business Members
Avon- Amanda Hopkins
Gold Canyon Candles- Stephanie Morgan
Green Door Recycling
Interdependent Web, LLC
Longaberger Independent Consultant -Judy Dieker
Mary Kay- Lori Engle
Nicole Bradshaw Designs
Origami Owl- Angela Dowell
Paula's Creations
Pampered Chef- Chelsea Gerleman
Purse Lady- Nancy Crawford
Scentsy/ Grace Adele- Kelly Long
Tastefully Simple- Vanessa Apodaca
Thirty One Gifts- Linsey Hopkins
| | |
|
|
Individual Supporters
Amy and Rick Becker
Amy Evans
Brad Harzman
Dale & Carolyn Davis
Don Hill
Erin and Casey Woods
Joyce Zhou
Julie Johnson
Kayle Oney
Kelly Wade
Lynn Knechtel
Mark and Amy McAnarney
Michael and Karen Shonrock
Valerie and Matt Zimmerman
Roger Heineken
Smitty Smith
Sue Blechl
Tim & Mary Helmer
Tyler & Melanie Curtis
Yvonne Pool
| | |
|
|
|
