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Making Spirits Bright! Creating a Fun & Festive Holiday Atmosphere for Your BusinessMaking Spirits Bright!
The holiday season is here, and it's the perfect opportunity for small businesses in Emporia to create a magical atmosphere that delights customers and energizes employees. With a little creativity,...
The Reasons for Shopping Local (and locally owned). A Healthy Community Starts with Smart Consumer Decisions.
Emporia Main Street supports local shopping all year long. Through events, marketing assistance, access to data, gift certificate programs, and a variety of other initiatives we encourage local citizens to...
4th Quarter Primer: Getting ready for the most important time of the business year.
The last quarter of the year is that magical time where events get crazy, consumers have additional spending motivations, the hours get longer, and the length of days/weather can drastically...
Local SEO Optimization for Small Businesses. Getting noticed online is a key to driving in-store traffic.
In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is crucial for small businesses, especially in local communities like Emporia, Kansas. Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a powerful tool...
Tools, techniques, and strategies to prepare for the school year!
As we gear up for another academic year, Emporia Main Street is excited to share some effective back-to-school strategies to help our entrepreneurial businesses and area non-profits thrive. With new...
Unbound Gravel Week
Unbound Gravel week is here, and both businesses and regional citizens are busy helping our guests get acclimated to our area. Below is the quick guide to what you need...
Event Season is HERE!
It is April, which means event season is HERE. Below, we will cover some of the upcoming events and what you need to know to correctly position your business.April 8- The...
Apella – A special weekend for all Emporia High School Alumni
Welcoming alumni back to town for homecoming celebrations is an important community function. These folks represent friends and family, and homecoming festivities are a great way to encourage people to...
The 2023 Great American Market
Join us for our annual downtown treasure market- a true community favorite. Find clothes, antiques, collectibles, food, and other unique items. Vendors will be set up on Commercial Street (6000...
Back to School Strategies
Some reminders of implementation steps you should consider as the school year approaches As back to school approaches, businesses gear up for a transition in traffic and sales. Businesses that...
The Summer Reset – Recalibrating your business prior to Back-to-School.
We are officially in that weird portion of the summer when we can see back to school on the horizon, but we still have a few weeks of peak summertime...
How is Your Customer Communication?
A focus on communication can help you establish positive customer relationships. A lot of our local small businesses do a good job with technical training. They have established programs to...
Unbound Gravel – Expo and Finish Line Festival Details.
You might have noticed some extra lycra in town with new cyclists getting their legs ready for the Unbound Gravel events. There are a variety of things you need to...
Emporia Gets a Bit More Magical!
Emporia Main Street along with several local businesses have become the new homes for a collection of Fairy Doors. The community is invited to come downtown starting this week and...
Targeted ads, in conjunction with traditional advertising, can lead to more spring traffic!
If you owned a restaurant, wouldn't it be nice to have a mechanism to instantly reach out to people that were hungry? If you owned a retail shop that stocked...
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and your communication strategy is key!
Last year we were still dealing with some COVID related impacts during the Valentine's planning season. This is really the first Valentine's in a couple of years where we can...
Last Minute Holiday Push
As we get closer to Christmas it is important for businesses to remember that there are A LOT of last minute Holiday Shoppers out there! Having a plan in place...
The Holidays are HERE!
Your guide to some of the holiday events in Emporia! Thanksgiving week snuck up on a lot of us, and after Thanksgiving we hit a stretch run of fun activities...
Pump Up Your Customer Service!
Simple ways you can create a better experience for your customers (leading to more traffic and better sales). We are in a weird consumer transitional time nationally and locally. Early...
Back to School – Support Local Educators & Businesses
August is here and that means school is right around the corner. Although we have several large events that pull people into the area during summer months, I think we...
Unbound Gravel Slate of Activities.
The basics about scheduling and activities this week for the Unbound Cycling event. A lot of people have asked about various elements of the Unbound Gravel event over the past...
Shop Local for Mother’s Day
With events, proms, upcoming graduation ceremonies and more we thought that it was very important to deliver a critical message: DON'T FORGET MOM!!! This Sunday is Mother's Day, and it...
Christmas is on Saturday, and that day/date combination can change things for businesses.
When Christmas lands on a Saturday it can cause some adjustments for the before Christmas shopper, and after Christmas crowds. A lot of the consumer behavior adjustments are actually good...
Businesses must generate visibility to capitalize on holiday sales.
December is here, and small businesses have a few short weeks left in the countdown to the end of 2021. This month can get super busy for many entrepreneurs, but...
4th Quarter Focus – Crunch Time for Businesses.
The last three months of the year are commonly referred to as the 4th Quarter, and as the year nears a close businesses need to close out strong! Depending on...
Preparing for Back to School Opportunities.
Summer is racing by and back to school is right around the corner, so it's not to soon to start planning for the school year. I know you are probably...
How Can You Help-A Push For Collaboration!
We have just made it through DDO week, which is the first "major" event held in Emporia since October of 2019. We shook some rust off, greeted guests, and promoted...
So, What’s the Plan? Second & Third Quarter Planning is an Uncertain Time.
The calls, emails, and social media notifications are already coming in. "What are events going to look like this year?" "When can my business open up at full capacity?" "When...
Newman Regional Healthcare Staff Receive Gift.
All staff at Newman Regional Health were gifted a $10 gift certificate to Radius Brewing Company through the Adopt a Newman Regional Healthcare Hero Program and a contribution from Radius!...
USD 253 Holiday Gifts
With a majority of students going remote due to COVID-19, we understand that it might be difficult to get a holiday gift to teachers, administrators, and others that work within...
Newman Regional Health Employees Receive Heartfelt Thank You
Red Line Truck Lines gives gift to say Thank You! Emporia, KS – The Emporia Main Street Office was packed with a special Thanksgiving feeling this week as over 50 gift...
The 2020 Holiday Season in Emporia
I know this sounds a little repetitive, but holiday events are a little different this year. With so much change in the world, we wanted to let you know what...
Trick or Treat Downtown
This event will look A LOT different than years past The Emporia Main Street Board of Directors met this past Wednesday during our regularly scheduled board meeting (the first and...
Mask Up for Trick or Treat downtown on October 31st.
The Emporia Main Street Board of Directors met this past Wednesday during our regularly scheduled board meeting (the first and third Wednesday's of every month). One of the agenda items...
Back to School – What Should Businesses Expect during COVID-19?
Like everything else in 2020, Back to School is going to look a lot different. Emporia hosts K-12, along with Flint Hills Technical College and Emporia State University. From a...
Welcome Back Block Party & Moonlight Madness to Combine.
We are mixing things up a bit for two of our late summer events! Due to current circumstances we have decided to combine our Welcome Back Block Party and Summer...
Consumer Pandemic Trends
The mind of the consumer during a pandemic is difficult to track. Even outside of Covid, trying to guess the wants and needs of your customers can be a full...
Some Clarity for Your Customers: Accurate information posting can reduce frustration and increase sales.
The pandemic continues to change the hours and operational standards of several small businesses in the region. Customers are wondering: Can I walk into this business? When are they open...
How Has the Pandemic Impacted Your Brand?
There are wonderful people that work very hard to understand the world around them for the benefit of others. These people aren't simply watching TV, reading commentary, or listening to...
Radical Transparency: Your customers, staff, and the general public need to hear from you in a different way RIGHT NOW
We have many positive traits in the Midwest. The people here work hard, they are punctual, people believe in teamwork, and they typically value getting things done. One of the...
Diversifying Sales Outlets. Extending Your Sales Capabilities Beyond Your Four Walls.
If there is one strategy that Covid-19 has accelerated for businesses, it is the adoption of technology to extend sales outside the traditional business physical space. Restaurants are promoting curbside...
Support Local Restaurants
Dear Community Members and Business Owners Right now, several of our local businesses need our support more than ever. The Flint Hills Community Health Center in conjunction with the Lyon...
Curbside Assistance to Businesses
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, individuals have been advised to stay away from certain business types. Restaurants, bars, retailers, and entertainment venues have been hit particularly hard by a sharp and...
THE FUTURE OF RETAIL
National trends and analysis help us project a pathway to success General technology, automated integration, and web based sales have impacted almost every industry. Retail isn't immune to changes in...
How ’bout Those CHIEFS?!?!
What lessons can we apply to our local businesses when we compare them to the Super Bowl Champs? You might have heard that a local football team won the Super...
Hitting the “Start” Button
Getting things started is an imperfect process, but it is the only way to get things done In the cold of late January, the energy and resourcefulness of entrepreneurs starts...
Valentines Day is a Month Away!
Your first shot to make some money in 2020 It seems like we all just survived the holiday season, but the calendar marches on! Valentines Day is coming up in...
