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Sixth and Main, Juneberry Cottage, and Evart Pharmacy. Photos courtesy of Evart Main Street.
These short stories were originally published by Evart Main Street. You can read them, and others, on their Facebook page.
Deborah Knowles, Owner of Sixth and Main
We had owned a restaurant and bar in Clare for 15 years and sold that in 2015. I didn't think we would get back into this business, but Evart didn't really have a restaurant where you could get a drink and a burger—you had to travel 30 miles to do that. My husband and son kept saying we should do it and I kept saying no. And then they said, ‘Well, let's just go look at this building’ because they knew I would love it and enjoy fixing it up. We bought this building in November of 2017 and then opened Sixth & Main Bar and Grill in October of 2018. This is one of the oldest buildings in town, built in 1883, and it was in really bad shape when we bought it. A lot of pipes had frozen and busted. The old boiler system was in rough shape. The floors were covered with subflooring and carpet. But the fireplace is original to the building. The stone porch is another huge feature and in great condition—whoever did that was immensely talented. We had 15 years’ experience before opening this and built a reputation for serving good food.
Food is a big thing for us. We have a lot of different things on the menu, so you know we are definitely not just a bar, but more of a restaurant that serves alcohol. I knew this building had enough character that it would attract people, but mostly I knew that there was a niche Sixth & Main could fill because there was nothing in Evart like it. I grew up here, so I knew the community and the potential that was here. Evart hadn't had anything like this in a while where you could sit down, especially with larger groups of people. We’ve accommodated 30-40 people without a reservation and there's really not any place else you could do that. I love Evart—the people and the location. Other than my senior year in high school, I actually spent my entire life in this area. The community is a nice size—it's not so big that you get lost in the crowd. I think Evart has a lot of potential for growth.
June-Marie Essner, Owner of Juneberry Cottage
I have wanted to own a fabric store ever since I was in middle school. I’ve always liked fabric and natural fibers, and I come from an entrepreneurial family. My grandparents came from Germany and started a business they owned until they retired. My parents owned a business. My husband and I started a business. Then, about 10 years ago, he said, 'If you want to open a fabric store, you need to do it.' And in the spring of 2014, I opened Juneberry Cottage. When I was working on opening the store and couldn’t decide on a name, my kids said, ‘Mom, remember when…?’ They reminded me that when we had gone on a camping trip in the Upper Peninsula, we saw a juneberry tree and I said, ‘If I ever have a store, I’m going to call it “Juneberry”, and that’s how the name came to be. I love creating and there are so many possibilities when you’re sewing. You can design something completely on your own, or you can purchase a pattern that's already been designed, but you still have the option to make it your own depending on the fabrics you choose, the embellishments, the type of stitches you use, and the colors. There are so many variations.
I enjoy all aspects of sewing. I like looking at patterns, cutting, and the sewing process. I love that it makes you slow down. If you're feeling anxious and angry, you have to slow down, or you’re going to make mistakes, so the whole process is calming to me. And then having the finished product is satisfying. I have to call Evart ‘home’ because until I moved here, I never lived anywhere longer than three years, on average. We moved here in 1995, so this is home. I have a lot of good connections here, and there's a sewing and quilting community here, so I thought I could make Juneberry work here, and I have. It’s been a good community to start a business in. When I first opened, there were not that many retail businesses on Main Street, but since I've opened, 14 new businesses have opened and are still here. Sometimes it may feel like not that much has changed, but it has. It’s neat to see that.
Michelle Ladd, Owner & Pharmacist, Evart Pharmacy
I grew up on 200 acres here in this small town called Evart. It’s a beautiful area. My husband and I both grew up and graduated from high school here. After graduation, we both went to Ferris State University, and after college, we wanted to settle down and have our family here—it’s one of those small towns where you feel at home. I became interested in the pharmacy field because I had a family member who started going to pharmacy school; I job shadowed them, and I thought there were a lot of options in the pharmacy world. I started working at Evart Pharmacy at 18, just out of high school, and I worked all throughout college as my first pharmacy job. It confirmed that I liked the work. I enjoy helping people, it’s fast-paced, and it's something different every day.
We're trying to help our community members and neighbors as much as we can. With Evart being a rural area, there's not as much medical support here as there is in bigger areas, and there aren’t as many physicians, so you have to make extra calls and referrals. We try to do all that for people, and we mail prescriptions for free because traveling can be hard for some people. I love the supportive community we have in Evart. Even all the new people we see coming in are very kind and supportive of each other. Sometimes people feel like small towns don’t have as much to offer, but here, we all have each other's backs. For example, let’s say I can't get a drug a patient needs, I can call the pharmacy across the street and say, ‘Hey, are you able to get this drug for this patient? I’m going to send her over to you,’ or, ‘I don't have this in stock. Could I borrow some from you?’ It’s nice to have that camaraderie. We want to help each other and work together to supply the best we can for all our patients in town.
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For Black History Month, we want to recognize and celebrate the Black business owners and entrepreneurs who have overcome challenges and obstacles in launching and running their own businesses, thanks to resilience, creativity, and hard work.
Main Spotlight: Pop-Up Retail: Not Just For Start-Ups, And Other Learnings From Its Evolution
As a vital place factor within an entrepreneurship ecosystem, pop-up programs allow for emerging businesses to test their product, gain consumer feedback, and promote their brand at an extremely low cost. In essence, allowing for a ‘fail-fast’ product development cycle.
Asheville, NC © Ablohkin
Coping with the COVID Crisis in the Midst of the Holiday Rush: Nine Takeaways from Our December Surveys of Small Business Owners and Main Street Programs
In early December, as the COVID-19 crisis intersected with a peak moment in the holiday shopping season, we surveyed small business owners and Main Street programs to learn more about how they were managing.
© Cindy Shebley
Jump off the Business Recruitment Train: The Real Returns are in Cultivating Local Entrepreneurship
New research by Main Street America suggests greater returns on our missions and resources can be had by transitioning to more deliberate economic vitality work centered on cultivating new business development from within our own communities and neighborhoods.
Community Spotlight: Storefront Activation Through Storytelling in Fredericksburg, VA
Fredericksburg Virginia Main Street (FVMS) is taking storefront activation to a new level with their new initiative, the Scan & Love Project, which tells the stories of business owners through personal and engaging videos.
HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program: Spotlighting Tina’s Timeless Threads
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program: Center of the Yarniverse
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program: Spotlighting The Bankery
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program: Spotlighting BuzzBomb Brewing
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program: Spotlighting The Owl Wine Bar & Home Goods
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program: Spotlighting Griff Goods
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program: Spotlighting Mockingbird Bar and Tacos
Meet a recipient of the HartBeat of Main Street Grant Program
Economic Gardening Takes Root: Redesigning the Bricks & Clicks Business Retention Program During the Pandemic
Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance explores how they redesigned their Bricks & Clicks Business Retention Program during the pandemic.
Business Spotlight: Women-Owned Businesses on Main Street (Part 3)
Meet some amazing women business owners!
New Survey Results: How Small Businesses are Managing the Pandemic and Social Unrest
Read the results of our survey aimed at understanding how business owners are managing the recovery from COVID-19 and responding to recent protests and social unrest related to police violence against Black Americans.
Research Spotlight: Black-Owned Businesses on Main Street and Beyond
Our research team dug into some of the data about the state of Black-owned businesses on Main Street, the structural challenges they face, and how Main Streets can support them.
Main Spotlight: Holiday Shopping During COVID: What Should Main Streets Expect?
Matt Wagner explores how the pandemic may affect the shop small holiday weekend.
Main Spotlight: How Rural Economies Can Leverage the Rise in Remote Work
COVID-19 has led to a rise in remote working. How can small and rural towns leverage this shift to create vibrant local economies?
The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Businesses: Follow-up Survey Report
Detailed findings from our follow-up survey on the impacts of COVID-19 on small businesses to better understand the continued challenges businesses face as the crisis evolves.
Main Spotlight: Recovery and Revitalization Depend on Understanding Human Psyche
How does psychology impact the recovery of our downtowns after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Local Impact: Small Business Saturday
Small Business Saturday® is more than a day to shop. It’s a nationwide movement that shines a spotlight on the importance of supporting small businesses in communities across America.
Community Spotlight: Benson, North Carolina
The Town of Benson started a special project to highlight their downtown businesses.
Community Spotlight: Berkley, Michigan
The Berkley Downtown Development Authority (DDA) proudly debuted its Downtown Berkley Shopping Bag for a Cause through a partnership between Better Life Bags.
Main Spotlight: Learnings from the ESHIP Summit
Supporting new and existing small businesses, and the entrepreneurs who run them, represents a vital aspect of the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhood business districts.
Creating Equitable, Inclusive and Transparent Cities: A Year in Review
The Equitable Economic Development Fellowship is a two-year, one million-dollar effort funded by the Surdna Foundation and the Open Society Foundations to help equity, transparency, sustainability and community engagement become driving forces in local economic development efforts.
Community Spotlight: Mini-Grants Offered to Small Businesses in Jefferson, Iowa
The Jefferson Rotary Club partnered with Jefferson Matters: Main Street to offer mini-grants for building facades and storefront signage to two dozen businesses for up to $500 each.
A Memorable Makeover on Main Street
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) partnered with Retailworks, Inc., a commercial interior design, display and branding firm headquartered in Milwaukee, to launch Wisconsin’s Main Street Makeover Contest.
Creative Discovery on the Maker Trail in Enid, Oklahoma
Kelly Tompkins of Main Street Enid shares more about the Maker Trail project and how it inspired creativity and helped people discover downtown.
City Sidewalks, Dressed in Holiday Style
Too often, as we’re strolling our favorite Main Street, we pass empty or dark shop windows that make us want to hurry home a little bit faster. Imagine instead, a charming streetscape adorned with vibrant, lively window displays, showcasing retailers’ favorite products and seasonal gift ideas.
Community Spotlight: #ShopSmall in Goldsboro, North Carolina
Small Business Saturday promo pic from Downtown Goldsboro, North Carolina, showing all the folks who took the pledge support a small business in their community.
Using Local Search Trends to Attract More Customers to Your Main Street
We’ve put together a practical list of some of the things that local store owners can do right now to help them capitalize on this increasing trend in local searches.
Network Spotlight: Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week
From authentic comfort food to farm-to-fork fresh and everything in between, these restaurants, bars, and cafes are key to the thriving social, business, and residential life in the historic commercial districts in Main Street Iowa communities.
Fab Lab Sparks Rural Opportunities
Located in southeast Kansas, Independence (pop.8,799) is home to Fab Lab ICC, which is on track to be the world’s leading innovator in combining entrepreneurial mindset education with a fab lab maker space.
Community Spotlight: Morganton, North Carolina
The craft beer industry is playing a key role in the rebirth of Main Streets and neighborhood commercial districts across the county.
Rethink Storefront Accessibility to Rethink Community Viability
Appealing to mobility-challenged shoppers yields benefits beyond the store.
Sparking a Movement in Small Business and Small Towns
Being the only person in the know can be fun, exhilarating even. Except when you are the one person out of 600+ in a room and you know bad news is coming.
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Pop-Up Altavista 2.0
Altavista On Track, the local Main Street organization, is working to cultivate and sustain local entrepreneurs with an educational business launch competition, Pop-Up Altavista 2.0.
The Bright Center: A Space for Winchester’s Bright Minds to Create, Innovate and Thrive
In Winchester, Virginia, one woman’s vision and commitment to downtown’s revitalization created an innovative community space for the Creative Class.
Why Business Retention and Expansion Plans are Important for Downtowns
A business retention and expansion plan, properly implemented, not only helps keep businesses open but possibly even helps them expand.
Business Investment Guides: “Think B.I.G.”
The first rule of conducting business is “make it simple.” The easier it is to pay for merchandise, get entertainment or obtain a service, the more likely it is that people will take advantage of those options.
Small Box – A Creative Retail Project
Main Street communities across the country are no stranger to seeking creative strategies to solve their most nagging issues – vacant buildings, marketing downtown, bolstering retail to name a few.
Supporting Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the Heart of Boston’s Main Streets
To understand the role that immigrant business owners play in Boston’s small business ecosystem, you need only to walk through any Boston Main Streets district.
Measuring the Economic Impact of Storefront Improvements
Façade appearance is a critical aspect of the overall aesthetic appeal and unique character of downtown.
Sign Design Guidelines
A lot of signs are necessary to make a downtown work well, but not every community knows what a good sign system looks like, or how instrumental it can be to the creation of a successful downtown.
Improving Performance in Main Street Iowa Communities
Main Street Iowa, a program of the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center, created a one-of-a-kind three-year program to provide help for performance venues located in Main Street districts.
