Blog
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...
Show of Hands Year 2 – A successful entrepreneurial pitch activity is back!
Three years ago, Emporia Main Street had an opportunity to participate in a study by the Brookings Institute. The study focused on the practices of three Main Street programs in...
Fab Lab Update
The Fabrication Lab at Emporia Main Street came online in April of last year, and it has been a wild ride taking the concept to fruition. In the past eight...
2022 Year in Review
Year end reviews are important. We take time to converse with staff, volunteers, and advocates to cover activities on a monthly basis, look at metrics, and determine if we met...
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...
Business Strategy Recalibration
We are in the heart of the holiday rush, and I know you don't need another thing to do, but what if I told you some simple notes during this...
Downtown Emporia Looking Merry and Bright
Local Organization, Foundation and City Government Collaborate on Holiday Décor Refurbishment project. Emporia, KS – As another Holiday season fast approaches, Emporia Main Street, The City of Emporia, and the...
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...
Customer Service: It’s Kinda A BIG Deal!
Some reminders as we approach peak holiday shopping season. The defining characteristic for small businesses is often service. I know that may seem unfair as large retail operations force self...
Are You Maximizing Your Space?
An internal space inventory can help your business save on some static costs and drive more income streams! Successful businesses today are focused on the numbers. Costs of materials and shipping...
National Emerging Business Trends
Growing opportunities for entrepreneurs. he National Main Street Center collects data from a variety of sources to highlight growth opportunities for Main Street businesses. National Program Officer, Matt Wagner, provided some...
Different Traffic, Different Trends
Measuring modes of transport for consumer behavior can enhance business outreach! Traffic counts are drivers that set a majority of development decisions for many lifestyle businesses over the 1980s and...
Rural Rise Rewind – Lessons learned and connections made during the summit.
Last week we had national leaders in the realm of "entrepreneurial ecosystem" building that attended the third Rural Rise Summit. The first summit took place in a very small community (700...
Navigating the Metaverse
Over the past two decades Facebook has risen to the top of its game acquiring sister applications like Instagram and WhatsApp and connecting with over 3.5 billion people globally -...
Fall Forward -Approaches for Businesses to Adjust to the Change of Season.
I know that fall doesn't officially arrive until September 22nd, but now is the time to shift your business thinking from summer to autumn. The change in consumer behavior is noticeable...
Guidelines for “R & D” (ripoff & duplicate)
Looking for business ideas in other places is a good idea, if you know where to look! Most entrepreneurs and organizations can find the ideation and decision making process overwhelming. Creativity...
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...
Leadership Goals for the Coming Year
One of the best parts of the Emporia Main Street Annual Meeting is honoring award recipients. We always enjoy highlighting the doers in the community. Another favorite part of the...
Make growing our local educational institutions a community affair!
Students contribute substantially to our local economy. They are renters, customers, employees, volunteers, event attendees, and may become permanent residents. Each student that moves to the area contributes approximately $15,000...
Imaginarium to be Next Business in Emporia Main Street Incubator Space
Emporia, KS – The Incubator Space at Emporia Main Street will be filling up soon with engineering materials, robotics, and science supplies for kids to tinker with. Founded by two certified teachers,...
Emporia Main Street RECEIVES 2022 MAIN STREET AMERICA ACCREDITATION
Emporia Main Street has been designated as an Accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards. Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce the list of...
The 22-23 Membership Year is HERE!
New Year, New Name and Things Are Looking Up! Time to register. As we move into another year for our community and Emporia Main Street, we say things are “Looking...
