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Carriage Rides start THIS THURSDAY! You can reserve a time slot starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Farmer's Market Kiosk in the 700 Block of Commercial Street. Rides are a suggested donation of $5 per person and a carriage holds a maximum of six people. Rides travel north or south along Commercial Street. Rides begin at 5:00 p.m. and run until 8:00 p.m. Due to a quirk in the calendar, we only have three carriage ride dates this year: December 4, 11 and 17- So, make your reservations EARLY! |
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Emporia Main Street
E-Newsletter
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Greetings!
We hope everyone survived their turkey coma and Small Business Saturday! December kicks off with a lot of great activities. PLUS you can read about a new development that will help transform the "Black and Gold". |
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We still have a little (very little) time for your Midnight Madness specials! What would you like to add?
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Christmas Ornament Terrarium
Create a living ornament! Learn how to construct a terrarium, propagate plants, and choose correct terrarium plants and materials. Each participant will receive a small plastic ornament, ribbon, plants, growing materials and winter/holiday trinkets. If you choose, bring any glass container to take home a second terrarium. If possible, bring tweezers, the longer the better.
Cost: $25
Instructor: Mandy Kern
Location: FHTC Main Campus
Schedule: Thursday December 4, 7:00-8:30PM
Holiday Fabric Wreath
Just in time for the holidays, a low-commitment project to enjoy. Make this decorative wreath as a gift or use it as a chance to do something stress-free for a little bit. Bring two yards of material (8 fat quarters of 6-8 coordinating colors) along with a good pair of scissors if you have them. Leave with your own creation!
Cost: $24
Instructor: Erin Woods
Location: FHTC Main Campus
Schedule: Saturday, December 13, 10:00AM-12:00PM
To enroll please visit https://flinthills.augusoft.net/ or call 620-341-1392.
Amy Becker
Director of Sustainability & Community Education
Flint Hills Technical College
620-341-1392
abecker@fhtc.edu
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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 iPad Version, click here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/e-town-app-emporia-kansas/id712001984?mt=8
For the Web Version, click here:
www.etownapp.com
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Quarter Mania!
Quarter Mania is scheduled for Tuesday, December 9th at 6:30 p.m. in the Granada Theatre (doors open at 5:30 p.m.). So far, participating businesses include: FHTC, 31, Studio 50-4, Beauty Bar, Green Door, Premier Designs, Paula's Creations, Gold Canyon Candles, Stampin Up, Rockin Accessories, Little Red Rooster, Rhinestone Cowgirl Salon, Tastefully Simple and Pink Zebra.
Are you interested in becoming a Quarter Mania vendor? Contact the Emporia Main Street office for sign up details, or click HERE for a video describing Quarter Mania.
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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
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Do you know a business that should locate in Emporia? Maybe you know an entrepreneur 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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Welcome A New Development to Downtown  The Chelsea Lofts are coming to Downtown |
Emporia Main Street Development Group, LLC announced a major new addition to downtown Emporia. The Chelsea Lofts, a new mixed use development containing nearly fifty residential units and 1,500 square feet of commercial space will locate in the 1000 Block of Commercial Street.
The "U" shaped development will address Commercial Street with a minimal set back and contain two rear facing wings that surround a central courtyard area.
The City of Emporia planned to remove five dilapidated housing structures to create a public parking lot immediately east of the building development and engage in various infrastructure upgrades to  facilitate additional growth in an area commonly referred to as the "Black and Gold" zone. The planning process for a parking lot and alley upgrades preceded the development negotiation. Parking expansion and infrastructure upgrades were identified within the Community Initiated Development plan adopted in March of this year and were part of the City's Community Improvement Plan (CIP). The planned infrastructure upgrades will now immediately facilitate a large scale redevelopment that the improvements were meant to stimulate at a future date.
Cory Haag, the managing partner in the development group, worked with Emporia Main Street, the City of Emporia and Emporia State University to build a cohesive development that met the vision set forth in the recently adopted Community Initiated Development Plan proposed by Emporia Main Street and ratified by the City of Emporia in March. The Emporia State University Master Plan adopted in May reflected a desire for mixed use development on the northern blocks of Commercial Street. Both plans encouraged investment in the Black and Gold Zone. Haag said "I'm excited about the growth at Emporia State University engineered by Dr. Shonrock, and I think now is the time to invest in redevelopment that supports the continued growth of ESU." The Chelsea Lofts will bring excitement to the Black and Gold District which is vital to both Emporia State University and Emporia Main Street.
 | | These are the current structures being replaced by the Chelsea Lofts |
The Community Initiated Development Plan was adopted by the Emporia City Commission in March of 2014. The CID represents a master plan for downtown, including infrastructure improvements, design guidelines, market opportunity identification and incentives available for developers. Emporia Main Street Director, Casey Woods, stated " we didn't want the CID to represent another plan sitting on a shelf gathering dust. We wanted to make sure we could execute the vision in the document, and thanks to the investment made by the Haag family and the support of the City of Emporia, we can see the CID becoming reality." The Emporia State University Master Plan also identified mixed use development in the "Black and Gold Zone". and the two plans independently showcase opportunities for downtown redevelopment. The Haag family worked with the Emporia City Commission and City Management via assistance provided by Emporia Main Street to facilitate the development process. The project required a Master  Development Agreement, which represents a new process for Emporia designed to make development negotiations faster, easier and more transparent for developers and community officials. "The CID plan identified development opportunities in the northern part of Commercial Street, and the City of Emporia committed to enhancing the infrastructure in the area to allow for the development of projects like the Chelsea Lofts. This project will remove a lot of dilapidated houses and replace them with something that will benefit downtown. This is a win for Emporia, for ESU and for Main Street", said Haag. The City of Emporia made the "Black and Gold" zone a priority for redevelopment during their goal session in 2013. Lyon County and the City of Emporia recentlyissued a joint proclamation identifying Emporia as a "University Community", and stated their intentions of developing programs and incentives that can aid in the growth of Emporia State University and facilitate better connections to the community. The Chelsea Lofts is one example of the culmination of governmental and private efforts to enhance a major community asset; Emporia State University. Many locally elected officials worked diligently to encourage a new development emphasis, and the community will soon see results of the added emphasis on redevelopment through the Community Initiated Development Plan. Commissioner Steve Harmon stated "This partnership project brings vitality, energy and traffic to the Black and Gold District and north central Emporia. This is a great example of community initiated development. I am excited about the future of the Black and Gold district." Commissioner Danny Giefer added "(I am) excited about working with a local developer on this project in our black and gold district. This should have a positive impact on Emporia State ,the north end of commercial and Emporia. Hopefully this'll be the start of more development in that area." The mixed use building will cost between $3 and $3.5 million to construct, representing the largest ground-up private new construction project in the history of downtown Emporia. The residential density created by the project could have positive impacts for existing businesses and encourage more area redevelopment. Woods, stated "we know that people that live in downtown environments spend about 40% of their disposable income in the downtown commercial area. That means over $300,000 in spending for downtown businesses just from tenets of the Chelsea Lofts, and we anticipate more new businesses and living opportunities as a result of this project." Demolition of existing structures has begun, and construction of the Chelsea Lofts will begin in the spring of 2015. The expected completion date for the new mixed use development is early summer of 2016. Once construction begins, Cory Haag will begin the process of recruiting retail tenants to the first floor of the mixed use development. Haag said "with the proximity of the Chelsea Lofts to ESU and the mass residential units overhead, I believe that the commercial units are a great opportunity for a local business or franchise to locate in downtown." CLICK HERE for the full CID Report
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Did you know???
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Last week, we had a short week and an illness took us out of the office a little early (isn't the flu a wonderful thing?). In a short week, we still managed to do some
 | | Demo to allow for the new Chelsea Lofts has begun |
development work, deliver red ribbons and posters for select merchants, met with the Business Enhancement team, conducted some development work, worked on some loan documentation, met with the city commission about an upcoming development and sent several social media blasts and e-mails with holiday specials designed to entice consumers. We are in the home stretch of the holiday season, and that means some good questions from all of you
1. "How was Small Business Saturday for the locals?"- From a volunteer. Feedback has been good... More shoppers are starting to "get it", and a lot of people were out with their "shop small" bags. We saw social media posts with people shopping at their favorite local businesses, and read about individuals discovering new shopping opportunities with new additions to the downtown. From the admittedly limited sales and traffic data we have received, it sounds like sales and traffic were both up from the same Saturday last year, and that's kind of the point... What did you think about Small Business Saturday? What can we do better to promote your business next year? E-Mail us your ideas and thoughts at main.street@emporia-kansas.gov
2. "How do you get content for the ETown App?" From an e-mail. People submit events either to Emporia Main Street or directly through the app, and we monitor some local calenders for listings. We sometimes have to make adjustments because what's listed on external calenders can change, and when we "copy and paste", that process can pick up any errors in the original listing. Plus, we are one of several agencies that have access to the "back site" that allows content additions. So, errors can happen, but we do our best to create accurate lists of events and business opportunities in Emporia. Remember, you can check out the web version of the mobile app at www.etownapp.com
3. "Do people that sponsor gardens downtown have to decorate them for Christmas?" From another organization. No. Decorating the adopted gardens is a new option we discussed this year, but it isn't compulsory. We have had individuals and organizations that adopted gardens in the past ask if they could decorate for the holidays, and we just thought we would submit the concept to the groups and individuals that adopt gardens. We appreciate everyone that volunteers to make the downtown gardens look good every year, and we hope to find new ways to help volunteers in their efforts next year.
4. "Would it be helpful to have a definite list of incentives you could offer developers based on the size of a project that was pre-approved by the city?" From an elected official. Yes. Taking ambiguity out of the finance portion of a development project helps expedite development. The added caveat to "size" is "design". We need to make sure that we are incentivizing the right types of development that fit within the fabric of the area and support overall goals and concepts. Appropriate materials, uses (mixed or static), inclusion of housing (where applicable) and uniform set backs are all things we should look at when determining incentive compliance. We have to stop looking at developments as independent structures and start looking at how they integrate and support one another. When we take a more holistic view of development, we can improve conditions for existing businesses and buildings in proximity of new development. We want the rising tide to float ALL ships that are willing to make continual investments and buy into area plans.
5. "When did you have time to get the Christmas pole lights up?" From a volunteer. I didn't. The vast majority of the lights you see downtown were put up by one individual- Lane Hollern of L & L Pets. Lane takes down lights, fixes them and puts them up on poles and trees each year (taller trees utilize the fantastic folks at the Emporia Public Works Department). Eric Weltha, Becky Smith and I did a few light pole wraps, but the vast majority of the work was done by Lane. We are so very thankful for what Lane does for this community each and every day, but we understand that this particular process is getting a little overwhelming for one man. So, next year we plan to reach out to more youth groups, civic groups and area volunteers to help facilitate the lighting process. That should tell you the impact that Lane has downtown during the holiday season, we need to recruit an army of volunteers to help replace the efforts of one man. One extraordinary man.
One last note- Because you asked....
A lot of businesses are getting "hit up" for donations even more than usual this year. Some businesses are getting asked for donations four and five times a day, and although they want to give to everyone, the process can be a little overwhelming. So, businesses have asked for advice on how to handle the constant barrage of asks. Businesses often need a "lens" through which they can judge the appropriateness of a donation to a particular organization or individual. Here is our advice:
1. Is the person asking for a donation a customer of your business?- Donations should be a reciprocal relationship whenever possible. If you've never seen someone that is asking you for money, that's a red flag.
2. Does the mission of the organization asking for funds align with your business mission?- If you are a bar, and someone comes to you asking for a donation for a teen camp, that might not be a message you want to send. But, if you are a ladies clothing store and a women's organization comes to you for a donation, you might consider the donation as a way to reach your target audience.
3. Is the person asking polite? I know this sounds strange, but we get reports about people interrupting sales to ask for a donation, or making declarative statements like "if you don't donate to us you must hate kids" (true story). If the person asking for something is inconsiderate, it might be best just to decline the ask.
4. Will they accept gift certificates? One way to encourage a reciprocal relationship is to donate gift certificates. If the certificate isn't used (only about 80% are used nationally), you aren't out anything. If certificates are used, you may pick up a new customer.
5. Are they specifically asking your business for a donation, or are they just walking up and down the street? This is a little more difficult, but the very thing that makes asking for donations easy in a downtown environment also makes shopping easy in a downtown environment- You can hit a lot of businesses very quickly due to the dense nature of a downtown. Again, use the standards set above in the previous four points, but if someone is just "hitting everyone up" without thinking about how the ask could positively impact the business they are asking,
Most of the small businesses we work with wish they could give to everyone all the time. On average, small businesses donate more than twice as much, per dollars sold, than chains. However, people need to understand that the ability to donate is tied directly to profitability. Supporting local businesses has a variety of positive impacts (CLICK HERE for a list), and one of them is the ability to increase charitable contributions. So, if you are asking a business for donations this holiday season (or at any time) please consider the list above. We hope this was helpful...
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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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December 2
Chamber Christmas Parade
Main Street Window Judging
Main Street Garden Judging
December 3
Emporia Main Street Board Meeting
8:00 a.m. in the Main Street office.
December 4
Horse Drawn Carriage Rides
December 6
Breakfast with Santa
December 9
Quarter Mania
December 10th
Promotions Team Meeting
8:00 a.m. in the Main Street office
Design Team Meeting
Noon in the Main Street office
December 11
Midnight Madness
Horse Drawn Carriage Rides
December 17th
Emporia Main Street Board Meeting
8:00 a.m. in the Main Street office
December 18
Horse Drawn Carriage Rides
January 9th
Board Christmas Party
April 18
The Taste
For more community event listings, please visit:
www.etownapp.com
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
Eclectic Bikes
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
Jimmy Johns
Junque Drawer Emporium
Kansas Radio 96.1 The Wave
King Liquor
L & L Pets
Little Red Rooster
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
Rockin' Accessories
Sauder Custom Fabrication
Schellers Lawn and Landscape
Scott's Lawn and Landscaping
Second Love Gifts
Stanley Jewelry
Studio 11
Studio 50.4
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
Mary Kay- Lori Engle
Origami Owl- Angela Dowell
Paula's Creations
Pampered Chef- Chelsea Gerleman
Purse Lady- Nancy Crawford
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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If you only want to go where you've already been, always do what you've already done. If you want to achieve something different, you must do things differently.
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