Emporia Main Street
E-Newsletter |
Warmer weather is right around the corner, but Valentines Day is almost HERE! Check out information about an under served market, community questions and much more in this week's E-News! |
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Valentines Shopping Event at Studio 11!
Live music, drinks, snacks, deals & more! Come shop for the perfect gift, enjoy live local music & have some treats on us!
Thursday, February 13th from 5-8 p.m. at Studio 11!
CLICK HERE for details
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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!!!
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Main Street Merchandise
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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.
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Quarter Mania
March 13th in the Granada Theatre
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event starts at 6:30 p.m.
CLICK HERE for a video explaining this fun event that helps local businesses AND provides great prizes for you!
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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!
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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.
Enroll today! Visit http://flinthills.augusoft.net or call 620-341-1392.
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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).
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Property Availability Guide
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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.
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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 |
What do we want? CLOTHING! What do we need? Keep reading...
New market information gives us a more in depth look at one of Emporia's needs.
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Every consumer has wants and needs. Every business has wants and needs. Therein lies the challenge in development: balancing what the community wants with what businesses can realistically provide. Sometimes consumers wants are really needs and sometimes the things consumers need aren't as appealing as what they want. One of the ways to achieve the necessary balance is to look at market gaps, and encourage people to address areas of need.
Clothing options (or lack thereof) is something that we hear from the public on a consistent basis. But, we also hear several wants that don't necessarily coincide with identified gaps in available market data. Market gaps exist when consumer models indicate that our local consumer capacity to spend in a certain market category is greater than actual retail spending in that same category.
For example, the projected consumer expenditures (demand) for 2013 in the category of Jewelry Stores within a 25 mile area (NACIS Code 44831) was $3,043,776. The actual consumer sales (supply) was $3,887.794. So, we exceeded market expectations in this category by $844,018. This indicates a "negative gap" or an area where the market may be saturated.
A little disclaimer- there are two basic reporting services for market data that are consistently used: Esri and Nielsen Claritas. Each obtains market data in different ways and makes some market calculations utilizing their own unique approach. Thus, the two services can have significantly different numbers for the same product category. Additionally, the existence of a market gap in a consumer category does not guarantee success. Product selection, marketing, aesthetics, price point, cash flow management, service, advertising, location, passion, product knowledge, hours of operation and a myriad of other factors contribute to a successful business. So, although a market gap indicates that a market opportunity may exist, it does not guarantee a successful business venture.
In the category of clothing stores, new market data indicates gaps in the following categories within a 25 mile ring around Emporia:
Men's Clothing- $1,370,594
Women's Clothing- $2,818,803
Children's, Infants- $1,384,457
Family Clothing Stores- $3,960,057
Clothing Accessory Stores- $54,466
Many people will look at those numbers and say "See, we can support a (insert large chain here)". But remember, our market demographics AND sales have to match a company's profile. We must also remember that it is healthier for a community to create diverse options, which means that these market gaps should be addressed both by existing stores and new boutique options. Market analysis requires a nuanced approach that takes into account the unique nature of the local market, disposable income, market trends and changes in consumer behavior. Clothing sales on the internet, for example, change the way people obtain clothing. Brand addiction to specific stores that aren't remotely interested in Emporia can also impact consumer buying habits (and travel).
Each clothing category contains item subcategories. These subcategories show how the local market compares to the nation expressed as a percentile. They also show the negative or positive change in purchases within subcategories. Let's look at Men's and Women's clothing options within a 25 mile ring of Emporia.
The ideal market would be in the 100th percentile. Lower numbers show a market gap.
Men's- We score in relatively low percentiles in the following areas:
- Men's Sport Coats/Tailored Jackets (66th Percentile)
- Men's Sweaters/Vests (81st Percentile)
- Men's Sportswear (85th Percentile)
- Men's Nightwear (85th Percentile)
- Men's Shirts (88th Percentile)
We only see positive sales growth in the categories of Men's Coats/Jackets and Men's Undergarments with the largest declining sales area in the category of Men's Coat's/Jackets. This would indicate that male clothing customers in the area are more casual. Empirical evidence validates the data. Think about professions that once wore suits and ties every day that now simply require a dress shirt or polo. Consumer tastes changed the demand of certain categories of men's clothing.
Women's- We score in relatively low percentiles in the following areas:
- Women's Suits (37th Percentile)
- Women's Skirts (40th Percentile)
- Women's Sport Coats/Tailored Jackets (62nd Percentile)
- Women's Vests/Sweaters/Sweater Sets (81st Percentile)
- Women's Active Sportswear (82nd Percentile)
Every women's clothing category shows a negative sales trend, and the most pronounced trends closely resemble the categories listed above. This indicates that casual clothing is more prevalent for women shoppers in the Emporia area than the national average.
We have full market information for each market category in the Emporia Main Street office, and we strongly encourage individuals looking at opening up a retail storefront to consult Emporia Main Street and the Small Business Development Center at Emporia State University. More extensive data points can showcase opportunities that savvy entrepreneurs can take advantage of.
I realize that numbers are considered "nerdy", and that's fine. We as a community must communicate reasonable market opportunities to the local entrepreneurial base. When we fail to look at market supply and demand and simply communicate "what my friends and I want" or communicate the mantra "they (stores) wouldn't come here if they didn't think they could make it", we create unrealistic market expectations, building vacancies and a disengaged consumer market.
If your business wants to capitalize on market opportunities, if you need assistance in starting up or expanding your business or if you simply want to brain-storm some business development scenarios, contact Emporia Main Street. We are here to offer real help you can use.
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Did you know???
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Last week we endured "snowmageddon" with the rest of you, but we also met with a couple of small businesses looking to start up, we identified potential financing for a
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Amy Becker was one of our Start Your Own Business speakers last week.
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couple of local businesses, we met with some property owners, we (and our partners) hosted the first Start Your Own Business Class of this year, we held a board meeting, we had a conference call with the National Main Street organization, we communicated on some cooperative activities with other Kansas Main Street programs and we worked on some spring design activities all while fighting off a nasty case of cabin fever that seems to be floating around... All the weather and an upcoming holiday created a perfect excuse for additional communication, and that meant some good questions from all of you
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1. "Was last week's e-mail a political stance on Net Neutrality?"- From a member business. I viewed last week's e-mail as an educational piece. We often run into structural changes that are legislative or technological that a majority of our community haven't heard of. People are busy, and with all the information that swirls around different media sources it is easy to get overwhelmed. When we spot a trend or a change that could impact our members, we feel we have an obligation to give people some background information that allows them to decide how to react. Within the article, we provided links that went into greater detail of what Net Neutrality is, and its potential impacts, from a variety of different perspectives. For those of you policy wonks that follow state and federal legislation closely, you probably see several other topics that can potentially impact local businesses. If you have subjects that you think the local business community should be made aware of, please contact Emporia Main Street and we may include the topic in future newsletters.
2. "Can we hold an event at (insert location)?" From a few locals. We often are asked about event venues in the Emporia area (especially downtown), and it is exciting to see so many groups starting to fully utilize the many different event facilities available to the public in the community core. We love to refer people to potential event locations in Emporia, but we obviously can't commit those locations to an event. Our general policy is to pass information along to a facility or organization and do what we can to facilitate placement. If people can work together, that's great. If there are schedule conflicts, we assist people in finding another event venue that may fit their needs.
3. "Is a "mixed use" designation a way of saying that a building can be used for anything?" From a call to the office. No. A mixed use concept generally refers to a building that may have a different use on the first floor versus additional floors. For example, it is common in a downtown area to have a building with a commercial application on the first floor with residential units in upper stories. The downtown area is generally zoned C4, which is a commercial designation. Each building also has a "use". Uses describe the most recent function of a building (mercantile, assembly, restaurant, etc.). When a building use changes, it can sometimes (not always) cause some code or fire related issues. If you are going into a building (or thinking about it) and you are changing the buildings use, renovating or making any other significant changes, it is a good idea to include a local architect, engineer or call Emporia Main Street for a code team visit. Everything may be perfectly okay with your project, but it is typically a better idea to identify potential issues before beginning a project rather than after you have made a significant investment..
4. "Can you give us your database?" From three different groups in the past two weeks. It really depends on the database and the purpose. We have people share certain databases with us that contain information for a specific event. In those instances, without the consent of the group that provided us the information, we cannot release a database. If someone wants data points that we collect as a partner agency, we can usually accommodate. We pass this information on free of charge, because outside of the ethical dilemma described above, we want to be as helpful as possible.
5. "What does game theory have to do with business marketing?" From a Start Your Own Business. Identifying a potential target market is difficult. The natural thing for a business is to look at the largest group of customers in an area and find a business type that speaks directly to them. Unfortunately, that large market group is generally one of the most competitive. Sometimes you need to look for smaller under served markets that can support an entrepreneurial niche business. This type of approach to the market is identified in a portion of game theory known as the Nash Equilibrium. For those of you that were fans of the movie "A Beautiful Mind", the Nash Equilibrium was the theory that won the main character the Nobel Prize. Businesses can't be all things to all people. When you attempt to serve a market that is two large or broad in demographic terms, you generally damage your brand and alienate your true target market. Game Theory is a fancy phrase that describes how people interact with others in a certain arena, like a market. So, although the reference is a little high level, theories that predict success via certain interactive strategies are important in successful market positioning.
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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
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541 Sherman
www.kiss103.1.net
620-343-6144
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Emporia Main Street Calendar of Events
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February 12
Emporia Main Street Promotions Team meeting.
8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street office.
Design Team Meeting
noon in the Emporia Main Street office.
February 15
Sunflower Winter Invitational Gymnastics Meet
at the Civic Auditorium
February 19
Emporia Main Street Board of Directors Meeting
8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street office.
February 26
Business Enhancement Team Meeting
8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street office.
Home Based Business Meeting
12:30 p.m. in the Emporia Main Street office.
March 13
Quarter Mania.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Granada Theatre.
March 15
St. Patrick's Day Parade
1:00 p.m. in downtown Emporia.
March 22
Monkey Island Disc Golf Classic by Dynamic Discs
Peter Pan Park
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.
June 21
Business Stroll
August 23
Trilogy Disc Golf Open
September 13
The Great American Market
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!
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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
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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
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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
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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
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