The first week of November provides several opportunities for workshops and trainings by MMSC. Below are the descriptions the links to register.

Wednesday, November 4th at 8:30AM

Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. (MMSC), will host Mornings on Main on November 4th at 8:30AM. This webinar will discuss business recruitment related to supporting new entrepreneurs that have been effected by the current economy. How do we support those efforts from a cultivation standpoint? Jim Thompson, with Main Street Iowa, will present business incubation, microbusiness efforts, business plan development, and working with property owners and the city.  

Thursday, November 5th from 5:00PM - 6:00PM

We are excited to announce a Virtual Happy Hour the evening before the quarterly workshop! We invite you to bring your favorite beverage of choice and join us on November 5th from 5PM - 6PM. The link to join this networking event will be sent via email to all attendees of the quarterly workshop. Register for the workshop here.

Friday, November 6th from 9:00AM - 4:00PM

Navigating A New Reality: Doing Things Differently In The Age of COVID-19

Jay Schlinsog, principal with Downtown Professionals Network and creator of Reopen Main Street, will provide a timely inside perspective on this special project developed to help small businesses, community leaders, and organizations advance COVID-19 recovery efforts.

Jay will share valuable insights and examples of how communities and businesses are thinking and responding differently to the COVID-19 pandemic’s lingering effects. Learn more about how communities are re-imagining the public realm and re-energizing the local economy; how businesses are adapting and marketing differently; and how some changes could become part of our districts’ fabric and the way we do business in a post-COVID-19 era. You can register for the workshop here. 

Missouri Main Street Connection welcomed in Seanette Corkill and Anne Marie Luthro, the creative minds behind creating attractive stores and storefronts through their consulting company called Frontdoor Back.  Seanette, the founder of the company, explains that the name, Frontdoor Back, refers to the “holistic” approach she takes when working with small business owners.  Her perspective and the customers takes into account everything from the front door back.  

The Frontdoor Back duo came to Missouri Main Street’s attention at the Seattle National Main Street Conference in 2019.  One of the sessions presented at the conference was entirely on the subject of lighting, a more complex topic that most would realize.  Did you know there are six layers to lighting in a storefront?  Not all lightbulbs are created equal. The second session presented by the ladies really caught our attention.  It was entitled, “The How Behind the Wow: Creating Stellar Stores.”  Missouri Main Street felt this session and theme would be of great benefit to Missouri Main Street businesses and districts.  

Fast friends were made between the Frontdoor Back owners and Missouri Main Street staff this spring and summer as services and presentations were discussed via ZOOM, a new reality in a COVID-19 environment. The “How Behind the Wow” subject matter was the structure and theme that would be utilized for a fall visit to Missouri.  Plans were hatched and arrangements made, all with safety protocols and social distancing in mind.  

Five communities were chosen based upon previous work with Missouri Main Street along with two businesses per community for one-on-one consultations. Two of the “How Behind the Wow” presentations were given to accommodate the business owners in the communities chosen, but also a requirement for those business owners receiving the one-on-one consultations.  A foundation was needed for those consultations.  

The presentations set the stage for small business owners on a variety of topics from storefront window displays, signage, and lighting to the in-store experience of creating WOW moments.  They also discussed the behavior of customers and how to utilize that information to increase sales by attracting attention to products and services through the creation of “Magic Moments.” Those are the WOW moments that customers remember because it was unexpected. They then tell others because it has exceeded their expectations.  

The real magic happened in the one-on-one consultations with the business owners in the five Main Street communities.  Seanette and Anne Marie have this knack for connecting with people.  One hour of time was allocated for each visit, but the conversations were still going strong past that hour mark.  The businesses were at various stages in their lifecycle from a thought about what to do in a newly acquired vacant building to how do I take my business to the next level.  Many conversations included ideas and thoughts by the business owner on changes they wanted to make, but were unsure of the return or impact.  They explained the merits of the idea along with the science or psychology behind their thoughts.  

Seanette and Anne Marie are creating a checklist type report for each of the business owner to address the areas of opportunity along with recommendations based upon their product or service.  Concerns will be noted along with solutions and recommendations on products, colors, or items to enhance the space which in turn will enhance the customer experience.  We plan to do a follow-up article to this one and share the results of the report and actions taken by the various business owners.  

Clinton Main Street's plan of action for their space is a huge step forward to making the space more useable than it is already due to the Community Resiliency Grant by MMSC and AARP Missouri. While already a great space in downtown, this multi-phased plan will help to enable much needed greenery and vibrancy to this gathering place in downtown Clinton and become a true showpiece in the downtown district.

Stay tuned for more updates of the five communities selected for this grant!

Things have been going AMAZINGLY in Marceline and Willow Springs with their Storefront Activation projects. Each community has their initial grant investment and created additional investment into their downtown. 

Willow Springs had an incredibly attractive window display that quickly turned heads and garnered a sale on the property within 2 months. Here is a testimonial from the project building owner: “I was surprised at how quickly the grant helped move my building. It had been vacant for more than six months when the group put their first set of displays in the window. The displays went into the windows sometime around the beginning of July. The scenes they created to depict an upscale women’s boutique were creative, including backdrops, mannequins clothed in fashionable outfits, and various accessories in the window shelves. Two months later, we’ve closed on the sale. I couldn’t be more impressed.” The building will house an upscale leather store; their data shows that the community is lacking in outdoor-related businesses and this type of business will help immensely in helping to fill that gap. The Willow Springs group has now moved their project to another building and hope for continued success with this building as well. 

In Marceline, the Zurcher building is undergoing major renovations right now! The window displays have helped to activate partners with downtown Marceline to renovate the building with an $180,000 investment. They are also still raising money for the continued revitalization efforts of the building. When completed, their plans are to continue to sell the space as an incubator for small businesses. 

We are incredibly excited to see two success stories from two dedicated communities and we can’t wait for more to come!