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We had a great time talking about "what a business person does" with Maynard students on Wednesday. Top "what I want to be when I grow up" choices included: Race Car Driver, Fire Fighter, Veterinarian, Police Officer, President and Doctor. Although, we did have a few students that wanted to be dragons or a butterfly when they grew up, and a whole class that wanted to be Spider Man... | Type caption text here. |
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Emporia Main Street
E-Newsletter |
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February finally got a little warmer, and people released their cabin fever by getting out and enjoying their community! We have several fun events right around the corner, more business tools coming on-line soon, some new businesses looking to jump into the local mix AND some information to help make your business a little more inviting. Keep reading your E-Newsletter below, and keep up the good work! |
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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Do you enjoy taking photographs? Why not enter our photo contest celebrating National Historic Preservation Month in May? We want to see your talent and you may win Emporia Main Street gift certificates!
CLICK HERE for Contest Details
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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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Get 'Em Ready to Read
Instructor: Holly Aranda & Angie Schreiber
Cost: $19; resource materials included!
$25 for couples; shared resources
Schedule: Tuesday, February 25, 7:00-8:00pm
What do three and four year olds need to know to learn to read? And read well? This fun evening will provide hands on activities and up-to-date information on current reading research. Join Holly and Angie from Cradle to Career Literacy Center, and find out what your child needs to know to be school ready.
Farmers Market 101: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Farmers Market Vending
Instructor: Tracy Simmons
Cost: $5
Schedule: Tuesday, March 4, 6:00-8:00 PM
If you've ever considered selling produce, baked goods, or homemade crafts at a farmers market, this is the place for you. Emporia Farmers Market manager, Tracy Simmons, will cover the ins and outs of selling at the market, state and local regulations, creating a niche, and tips and strategies for successful vending. As well, you will learn about the Emporia Farmers Market history, operations and guidelines for selling. If you already know your product, or you've just had an idea that selling at the market is something you might like to do, sign up for this presentation. Sponsored in part by the Emil Babinger Charitable Trust.
Seed Starting Basics
Instructor: John Crisp
Cost: $5
Schedule: Tuesday, March 11, 6:00-8:30pm
Don't get overwhelmed with all the technical stuff - you can do it! From direct seeding in the garden to starting seedlings for transplant, you will learn all you need to know to get started raising your own food. Students will work with seeds, potting soils, flats, cells, soil blocks, grow lights, timers, watering devices, and transplanters, learning all the aspects of growing through hands-on activity. John has been gardening for over 50 years and his experience can help you get through the learning curve, and on your way to success.
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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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 |
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Sales are alive with the sound of MUSIC
Stimulating senses can lead to sales
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At Emporia Main Street we often talk about creating an inviting atmosphere. In those discussions or articles, the discussion generally revolves around visual aesthetics. How we interact with the world we see as we perceive quality, safety and excitement goes a long way towards encouraging buying decisions among the consuming public. However, our hunter-gatherer minds engage other senses that can support the decision to buy or spend time in a storefront.
With on-line music portals, local radio and many other options for local businesses, how do you choose what to play? Musical genres played in your business type have little to do with your personal preference, but understanding who your customer is and how you want them to shop is important in determining the sound of your business.
Does your business require quick customer turn-over? Do you want to excite your customer, or do you want them  to relax? How do you want your business perceived by your target audience? Is your customer's shopping or service related visit a solitary experience, or do you encourage groups? What is your target audience's age range and gender? Answering these questions can help you determine what types of music to play.
Tempo- "Faster" music styles encourage excitement and a person's internal clock tends to speed up when exposed to "fast" music. If you have a fast food establishment or other types of businesses that seek to turn over customers quickly, this may be the genre for you. However, if you are a restaurant or bar where you want people to linger for a while, slower music may fit your business type.
Tone- Higher pitch music also creates a "fast" vibe. So, for many business types, removing vocals allows people to slow down and explore options. Some people will refer to music types as "elevator", "grocery store" or "on-hold" music. These musical types are chosen to calm individuals and encourage them to weigh options or shop longer. A study in the mid 1980s concluded that the in-store music choice could influence sales by as much as 15% per customer.
Volume- Pumping up the volume may be a good thing at a party, but consumers typically don't want to focus on the music being played (and you want their attention on your products). Music played too softly defeats the purpose of background music, but music played too loudly can discourage customer interaction and decrease shopping or service duration.
Genre- Who is your average customer? Finding popular music that speaks to your  target audience causes the subliminal link between liking the music and liking your product. Think of commercials that play modern popular music that speaks to their target demographic. The most popular songs on pop music charts are often used to encourage product sales. As age ranges shift for products, companies will often pick the most popular songs associated with a particular generation and associate that song with a product for a specific target audience.
Gender- Although men and women often share musical tastes, if your business targets one gender in a much greater proportion, you may want to select music that represents their musical tastes. If my wife were shopping for yarn and heard the Dixie Chicks playing in the background, she might smile and pick up a skein of yarn. If I heard the Dixie Chicks as I was shopping for NFL Draft Guides, I might not have the same reaction.
If you are looking for on-line music options for your business, some of the more popular options include:
Remember, if you are not using a licensed service you may be violating rules for compensation of artists, professional organizations like ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) can and will  litigate on behalf of artists. It is important to determine a legal way to utilize music as a way to enhance your business environment, but that requires a little spending and effort on your part.
Think about enhancements to your business environment. Whether you are an accountant keeping your line of customers calm during tax season or a clothing store owner who wants to increase the shopping duration of customers, a little strategic music can give your business a competitive edge.
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Did you know???
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Last week we met with a couple of entrepreneurs seeking financing for a new business venture, spoke with individuals looking to host a large conference in Emporia, met with a
local Economics Professor about some joint projects, held a Promotions Team Meeting, hosted a Design Team Meeting, we met with Dirty Kanza event organizers, met with area engineers about infrastructure/design issues, attended an ESU recognition event, provided information to ESU Business Students participating in an academic project, made some solid progress on joint events with Hispanics of Today and Tomorrow (HOTT), helped with the Start Your Own Business Classes and worked towards the launch of a new funding source for businesses starting or expanding in Lyon County. It doesn't seem like things slow down at the Main Street office, but they certainly seem to speed up! And, that means some good questions from all of you
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1. "I saw something about real estate in the paper... What is the housing market like in Emporia?"- From a visit to the office. I occasionally get asked important questions that are much too complex to answer in a paragraph. But, in this instance a recent housing study can shed some light on the current housing situation in Emporia. Please CLICK HERE for the report.
2. "I give up; where was the picture that you posted on-line from?" From a chance encounter on the street. We toured some upper stories of some buildings recently looking for some good redevelopment candidates. The picture below was from the upper story of High Gear, and it reminds us of a time when wrestling practice would take place in the building's upper story.
3. "How is the Start Your Own Business Class going?" From a board member. I'm really enjoying this year's class. Tuesdays and Thursdays are exceptionally long during SYOB Class Days with the work day ending at about 9:30 p.m., but it's easy to walk out excited about some of the concepts in class. I could easily see five or six area businesses emerging from SYOB in a relatively short period, and starting solid businesses is really the point of entrepreneurial development activities like the Start Your Own Business Class.
4. "What is our trade area?" From a SYOB class participant. We get asked this question fairly consistently. The problem with a market trade area discussion is that people generally talk about what the market used to be or the associate a random "ring" around a community that supposes everything within that distance is "our market". Markets don't generally exist in imaginary rings, and markets overlap. That means that the Emporia market may actually exist inside the market of larger communities, just like some of the smaller surrounding communities exist within our market. The generally accepted rule is that our effective market range is between 25 and 35 miles from Emporia. If we compare our market population and spending power with surrounding communities, and assume that their market diameter expands in relation to ours on a per person basis, a market trade area map for Wichita, Kansas City, Manhattan, Topeka and Emporia would look like the picture below. So, we have to be a little cautious when talking about our market, because our proximity to larger metropolitan areas significantly augments our market parameters.
5. "What is the hardest part of your job?" From a cute little four year old after a talk I gave at Maynard School. I didn't expect a fast ball from a four year old, but the hardest part of my job is that I don't have all the resources needed to help everyone I want to help. Saying "no" to involvement in some good opportunities in town because of lack of time, labor or money is difficult. Politics runs a close second.
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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 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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Casey Woods
Emporia Main Street
12 E. 5th Avenue
Emporia, KS 66801
(P) 620-340-6430
(F) 620-340-6434 |
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Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.
-Joel A. Barker |
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