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So far our Historic Playing Card Sponsors are the ESU Alumni Association, Moon Title & Escrow, Kaw Valley Engineering, Cable One, Greg Seibel, Browns Shoe Fit Co, Rhinestone Cowgirl Salon, Java Cat Coffeehouse, ESU Theater Department, Larry & Kathy Putnam, Total Technology, Capitol Federal, Green Door Recycling, Town Crier Bookstore, Four Seasons Apartments, Bobby D's BBQ, Burnap Brothers Plumbing, The Sweet Granada, Studio 50.4, Hopkins, ESU School of Business, ESB Financial, Dirty Kanza Promotions, Mulready's Pub, The Granada Theater, Dynamic Discs, King Liquor, and the Lyon County Historical Society. Sponsorships are only $40 and filling up fast! Contact Lauren Woolard at main.street@emporia-kansas.gov to reserve your card! |
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Emporia Main Street
E-Newsletter |
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It is Midnight Madness week! Enjoy a Thursday night of shopping with 25 of your favorite local merchants from 8:00 p.m. until Midnight! Keep reading for more details. |
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Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness is Thursday, July 17th from 8:00 p.m. until midnight. So far, registered participants include:
Town Crier, Bath Expressions, The Sweet Granada, Emporia Arts Center, 2nd Love Gifts, Rockin' Accessories, Plum Bazaar, Total Technology, The Salvation Army, Brown's Shoe Fit, Studio 50.4, Tastefully Simple, Stanley Jewelry, Junque Drawer Emporium, Mulready's Pub, Studio 11, Flint Hills Music, Java Cat Coffee, Jimmy Johns, Little Red Rooster, AKA the Sports Fan, The Granada Coffee Company, Xanado, Jim's Cowboy Shop and Complete Works. If you are an Emporia Main Street member that would like to participate, simply e-mail Emporia Main Street at main.street@emporia-kansas.gov with the special you would like to run the evening of July 17th.
MIDNIGHT MADNESS 5K!!!
In a partnership with Jimmy John's, Emporia Main Street is helping coordinate a 5K race in conjunction with Midnight Madness. Cool prizes and more are part of this event! CLICK HERE for more information.
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Great American Market
The Great American Market is a great sales opportunity that runs several blocks in downtown Emporia on Commercial Street. This event typically brings several thousand people to town, and booth spaces fill quickly. This year's market is on Saturday, September 13th from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please CLICK HERE for more information.
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Welcome Back Block Party
The Block Party is a free event for current Emporia Main Street members and both ESU and FHTC recognized student organizations. This year's Block Party will take place on the first day of classes at ESU, which falls on Monday, August 18th. So far, the registered participants are The Disciple Shop, Dynamic Discs, ESU School of Business, Emporia Fire Department, KVOE, and Flint Hills Technical College.
For additional information, including the entry form-
CLICK HERE.
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Brown Bag Concert this week! Click HERE for the full schedule.
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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, the local version of the classic Monopoly board game, features local businesses, historic sites 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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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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DIY Recycled T-Shirt Scarves
Do you have a favorite T-Shirt that doesn't fit, but you can't stand to get rid of? Do you have a stack of T-Shirts that you never wear? Put them to good use by making your own T-Shirt Scarf! For a warmer and snugglier variation, you can even use a sweatshirt. No sewing, crochet, or knitting skills are required. Bring with you two (three) (four) T-Shirts (the larger the better, but small ones work too), sharp scissors (if you have them - if not, don't sweat it), and a ready-to-have-fun attitude and leave with 2-3 scarves completed! Register by July 11th
Cost: $13
Instructor: Tracey Graham
Schedule: Wednesday, July 16, 6:30-8:00pm
Eating in Season
How does this sound? Pasta Primavera and a Fritatta made up of summer squash, fresh herbs, tomatoes and onions from the farmers market. Now add a melon salad and a simple dessert. That's what's in store for students of Eating in Season on the 21st. 1:00-3:30 and it's only $5. Why WOULDN'T you enroll? Call Amy at 620-341-1392. Registration Deadline: Wednesday the 16th.
Cost: $5
Instructor: Tracey Graham
Schedule: Saturday, June 21, 1:00-3:30pm
Lead Renovators Certification - Initial
This course includes both EPA-approved lead safety training and KDHE certification. Any contractor performing qualifying work must employ at least one Certified Renovator who has successfully completed this training, in addition to being registered as a renovation firm with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Provided by an approved KDHE training provider, this will satisfy the new requirement for individuals to attain KDHE lead certification in Lead Paint Safety for Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP). Attendees who pass the certification exam will be certified as renovators to perform lead-safe work.
Cost: $150
Instructor: Rex Smith
Schedule: Session 1: Tuesday, July 22, 8:00am-5:00pm
To enroll in any of these classes please visit http://flinthills.augusoft.net or call Amy at 620-341-1392.
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| Membership Drive
Have you thought about the future of Emporia? Making our community better starts with something you can do right now! Become a member of Emporia Main Street. Click HERE for more membership information. |
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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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One future trend that concerns all businesses...
How will your business mitigate the increasing costs of energy?
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"Overhead". "The cost of doing business." "Static costs." Whenever a set or necessary item in business increases in cost, businesses panic a little. How will the business either eat the cost or pass it along to the consumer? Will increases in overhead make a business less competitive? How high could energy prices conceivably go? What can we do to mitigate energy costs? Each of these questions are complex, but it is vital that businesses have a strategy that effectively deals with items that impact static costs.
Increases in the price of energy is mainly a supply and demand issue. Right now, we are dependent mainly on fossil fuels, and because people don't make more coal, oil or natural gas (they mine what  was already there) we have a decreasing supply. At the same time, we have more people in the world and more technology that utilizes energy, so we have an increase in demand. Basic economics tells us that whenever we have a decrease in supply and an increase in demand, we will see an increase in prices. Although our government has significantly subsidized energy through the development of technology, direct subsidies and attempts at stabilizing
the geopolitical climate in energy rich areas, the subsidies in the price of energy won't prevent long term cost increases. But, there are some things businesses CAN do to mitigate energy impacts and there are some helpful programs that currently exist for businesses making changes.
At Emporia Main Street, we are interested in making businesses more competitive. We understand that if we can help businesses increase sales or decrease costs (or both), businesses become more competitive, they can hire more people and they can make additional investments. In recent months, entrepreneurial organizations have focused on energy efficiency as a way to improve the bottom line of small businesses, but the same basic rules apply for bigger businesses. For example, the average grocery store needs to sell $11 in product to equal a $1 savings on energy bills. The grocery store example is
pertinent because many businesses have low product margins, and they have to replace products, pay taxes and hire additional staff if they expect to increase volume of sales. Energy savings, on the other hand, is simply savings. We can achieve net energy savings in three basic ways: Design, Energy Efficiency and Energy Production.
Before we talk about the basics of the three net energy savings methods, and possible funding sources, the following is from a local institution that recently upgraded their energy efficiency/production in a building project:
The table above clearly demonstrates the need to focus on energy usage when mitigating business costs. Now, lets focus on mitigation strategies:
Design- Before we talk about design in too much detail, we should recognize that many buildings have made horrible design choices in the name of energy efficiency over the years. Covering store  fronts, metal coverings on buildings, covered windows, adding layers of "junk" materials on the exterior of buildings, sealing off upper stories, heavily covering (or tinting) store front windows and other design decisions made for "energy efficiency" reasons can have long lasting and damaging effects on a business. Appropriate design takes advantage of natural light, heightens exposure to pedestrian traffic (businesses won't be the only ones under an energy crunch) and shares walls with other businesses or residents (thus reducing net costs). Solar mass of older buildings represents a huge energy savings. Designing buildings for use by actual people AND energy consumption can make a big difference in your long term energy bills and basic competitiveness.
Energy Efficiency- Insulating duct work, converting to LED lighting, electronic climate controls,  automatic lights, updated HVAC systems, efficient water heaters, energy star appliances and many
other efficiency methods can help businesses save money. Think of it this way: if your total energy bills are $4,500 per year, and you can save 20%, you just saved $900. Some of the biggest impacts for energy savings are some of the cheapest: caulking windows, an awning that decreases solar gain, shutting equipment down/turning off lights and insulating are all relatively inexpensive practices that can save you a lot of money in the long run. Programs like the America Saves initiative are designed to help small businesses determine the best ways they can save energy.
Energy Production- Solar panels, geothermal, windmills and other energy production methods do more than save you energy, they provide energy that you don't have to buy from the grid.  Technology for many of these systems is rapidly improving in efficiency while simultaneously decreasing in price. You may not be able to create a "net zero" building with energy production, but what if you could decrease your grid energy dependency by 60%? Using the table we referenced earlier, how much would that save your business in 5, 10 or 20 years? Local entities like Flint Hills Technical College through their Office of Sustainability are taking the lead on testing energy production devices and making contacts that can benefit the local business community.
Programs that can help- I can envision a lot of you saying "I want to become more efficient, but how would I pay for it?" That's an important business question. We want to ensure that you have an appropriate payback for your investment, and their are some programs that can help. Websites like www.dsire.org act as a clearing house for tax credits, grants and other incentives. Because we are a rural community, the USDA REAP program is an option for both energy efficiency and energy production programs. Main Street members can also take advantage of zero interest loan programs through Emporia Main Street for building improvements (including energy efficiency upgrades).
When we talk about things that bring businesses to an area, we know that population, median  household incomes, land availability and workforce top the list. With shifts in climate, additional resources like water have become much more important. In the near future, the availability of abundant energy sources may be just as important to existing, growing or potential businesses. By having solid program knowledge in place, we can facilitate energy efficiency/production among existing businesses and thereby make businesses more competitive. We can also reduce energy consumption overall, and increase the amount of energy available for other applications. As a smaller community, we have the ability to identify trends, pivot quickly to address those trends, and create programs that can intersect with the market in such a way to give our businesses a competitive advantage. Interested? Contact Emporia Main Street and we can point you in the right direction!
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Did you know???
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Last week, we participated in a Great Finds on Highway 99 meeting, held a Promotions Team meeting, hosted a Design Team Meeting, attended Brown Bag, assisted with  Live in the Lot intermission, attended a tourism meeting, met with a couple of prospective businesses, met with the finance team about a finance project for an expanding local business, set some advertising for upcoming local events and worked on participation and mapping for the Midnight Madness, Welcome Back Block Party, Great American Market and historic card project. The summer is moving WAY too fast, but upcoming events give us the opportunity to get some
good questions from all of you
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1. "What do people get out of the Midnight Madness event?"- From a local media member. When Shalla Bennett suggested Midnight Madness as an activity a few years ago, we wanted to achieve some specific goals. We understood that most families have both people working, which made traditional daytime sidewalk sales tough. We wanted an event that invited people into a variety of locations, including businesses that they may not have frequented before. We wanted to increase foot traffic and sales for local businesses. And, Main Street is always concerned with how we build a better community. I think community members and local businesses get all of these things and more with the Midnight Madness. We want to ensure that our large scale signature events benefit members in obvious ways, and we think Midnight Madness accomplishes that while offering some great specials and cool opportunities to the public.
2. "How much influence do you have on ESU?" From a service club member. Not a lot. We view our business members, other organizations and community entities as potential partners. So, we are more concerned with what we can do to help them succeed than influencing their internal decision making. We do speak to elements of ESU (among several other organizations) on a consistent basis, but most of our conversations either focus on what we can do for them, or how we can effectively partner.
3. "Do you see Emporia growing over the next few years?" From a family looking to move a business (and themselves) to Emporia. I love the Emporia community. I've lived in this area virtually my entire life, and I've resisted several options to move from the area. I think that we are starting to develop a new generation of leaders that wants Emporia to become that unique city that is unlike the surrounding communities and takes advantage of the many things that differentiates Emporia from our competitors. That shift in thinking can lead us to growth and better quality of life opportunities. If we can keep on that trajectory and resist the "I want to be just like (insert metropolitan area here)" crowd, I feel very positive about our future prospects. If we continue to build density and our amenities to intersect with future trends, I think we can continue building something pretty special. If we get bogged down in political quagmires or history lessons about how things used to be done, we will have issues. But, I hope a new generation of leadership can resist that negativity and create a more positive and sustainable path.
4. "Would the Block Party be a good place for me to hold a fundraiser?" From a local service organization. Different events have different goals. The welcome back block party is designed to welcome people to our community and expose them to businesses and organizations that can better connect them to Emporia. Based on past participation, I don't think holding a fundraiser among what is primarily college students is the best use of the event.
5. "What do I need to do to improve my confidence?" From a local manager. This is a difficult question that I've struggled with when asked. Many "type A" personalities derive their confidence from success. The more successful they are, the more confidence they exhibit. Conversely, failure in a certain area tends to reduce confidence quickly. Some individuals preach "fake it until you make it", and that is certainly true for some things in business. You have to constantly learn new things to remain relevant, and you can't be an instant expert on everything. If you have a distinct lack of confidence in a certain area, say book keeping, it might be best to hire someone more suited for that task and learn from them-thus improving your confidence over time. Look for small wins in areas that improve your confidence in a particular area, but understand that most people don't transfer confidence categorically (just because someone thinks they are great at sales doesn't mean they are confident in dissecting market data). You can also lean on peers in an attempt to improve your skill set in the area where you lack confidence, or get additional training through the Small Business Development Center, Flint Hills Technical College or an individual consultant like Main Street. But, the first step is to ask for help.
Confidence is necessary in business and in life. Lacking confidence in a particular area is nothing to be ashamed of. I should know... Some of you may be shocked to hear this, but I am a natural introvert, and generating the confidence to work in a very public position is sometimes difficult. I try to build confidence by constantly reading information about how to help businesses, looking for resources and forming relationships with experts in a variety of fields that can assist local businesses, but I also ask for help because I know that I can't know everything. If you aren't careful, a spiral downward can occur simply because a lack of success can create a lack of confidence which inhibits future success. External confidence boosters within the problem area can reset your trajectory on a more positive track, but in certain instances we have to accept our internal limitations and find ways to cope with the fact that we can't be good at everything. That isn't always easy, but the first step is to ask for help. So, if you are having trouble in a particular area, contact Emporia Main Street. We may not have all the answers, but we are here to help.
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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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July 16
Board of Directors Meeting
8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street office
July 17
Midnight Madness
July 23
Business Enhancement Meeting
8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street office
Home Based Meeting
noon in the Emporia Main Street office.
August 18
Welcome Back Block Party
August 23-24
Trilogy Disc Golf Open
September 13
The Great American Market
September 18
Quartermania
October 18
Oktoberfest
October 25
Eek Town Trick or Treat and Haunted Tours
October 30
Public Improvement Auction
November 9
Freedom Fest
November 29
Small Business Saturday
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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