Retail Matters 2024 Report
Produced in partnership with Virginia Retail Alliance, the 2024 Retail Matters research report features the economic, consumer, and technology trends impacting a wide spectrum of entrepreneurs and small business owners.
It is important to help your Main Street shop owners “read the street.” Retail consultant Margie Johnson discusses the importance of the storefront as the business’s “billboard” and offers tips on ways to increase the allure of every store’s exterior, whether through signs, displays, use of color, or exciting “wow, what’s that!” activity to grab the attention of potential customers.
Published in Main Street Now Journal.
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Cincinnati, Ohio © Janet Hurn
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Bonus Episode 2: Featuring Season 1 Guests
Learn about small business owners who are succeeding along Main Street, and the advice they have for others doing the same.
© Ketut Subiyanto
Bonus Episode 3: Featuring Season 1 Guests
In this episode, you'll hear from small business owners from our first season who make connecting with their community a top priority.
Bonus Episode 1: Featuring Season 1 Guests
Learn how local entrepreneurs have leveraged the power of a Main Street community to establish, maintain, and grow their ventures.
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In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Jamie and Jerry Baker, co-owners and founders of Trendy Teachers, a teaching boutique and educational toy store located in downtown Rome, Georgia.
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In this episode, Matt sits down with Harvey Williams, Co-Founder and CEO of Delta Dirt Distillery in Helena, Arkansas. Delta Dirt Distillery is the only Black-owned farm-to-bottled distillery in the United States.
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How to Engage Your Downtown Business Owners
This training from Indiana Main Street explains the best practices for getting to know your downtown business owners and getting them engaged in the Main Street organization.
Building a Community Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Use this self-guided training to understand how to build a robust environment to support small business creation and sustainability.
Supporting the Creation & Growth of Businesses in Our Communities
Learn how to connect entrepreneurs of color with resources, grants, and loans to support sustainable economic growth.
Skowhegan Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development Plan
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Sjowhegan, ME
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Watch this webinar to learn techniques and strategies to support minority entrepreneurs and create a diverse small business ecosystem.
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The Future of Retail
Explore research on how businesses can adapt to the evolving retail landscape using place-based and community-driven stratgies.
Atlanta, GA © Blulz60
National Report on Early-Stage Entrepreneurship in the United States: 2020
This 2020 report provides an overview of the landscape of small businesses, start-ups, and new entrepreneurs in the United States. Published by Kauffman Foundation.
State of Main: Winter 2019
With articles written by industry experts on topics ranging from the transformative placemaking to inclusive entrepreneurship, the publication is brimming with tools, tips, and strategies that will help you lead a results-oriented revitalization effort.
17th Avenue – Allapattah Action Plan
A sample entrepreneurial action plan to provide support for local small business owners in Miami, Florida. Published by Allapattah Collaborative.
The Importance of Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystems
An article from State of Main exploring the impact of entrepreneurship and examining ways to create inclusion in the development of entrepreneurship ecosystems. Published in State of Main.
Metuchen, NJ © Isaac Kremer
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and the Role of Commercial Districts
A comprehensive guide to local small business support to encourage entrepreneurs and create a vibrant downtown commercial district.
The Future of Retail (State of Main)
There’s no doubt about it, the retail landscape is changing and getting more complex. Main Street has a unique competitive advantage and it’s up to local leaders and local business owners to understand how to tap into this opportunity.
Metuchen, NJ © Isaac Kremer
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Two Mississippi Main Street communities explain how they collected data on the small business impact of downtown events.
The Arkansas DeltaMade Program
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Siloam Springs, AR © Brandonrush
Cash Mobs
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Multicultural Merchandising
The importance of understanding multicultural design preferences as our business environment becomes increasingly diverse.
A New Take on Pop-Ups
To reduce storefront vacancies, the Main Street program in Cambridge, Maryland, created the Holiday Pop-Up Project, which gave two entrepreneurs the chance to test out their retail concepts rent-free for two months.
Community-Owned Businesses
Innovative entrepreneurs and alternative business models can open up businesses that fill a void in the community. Published in Main Street Now Journal.
