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Emporia Main Street
E-Newsletter
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Pay close attention to elderly neighbors and pets in this summer heat wave we are having! And, we hope to see all of you at the Emporia Main Street Annual Meeting!
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Midnight Madness is July 16th from 8:00 p.m. until midnight. We are signing up businesses every day, and right now participants include Town Crier Bookstore, The Sweet Granada, Salvation Army, Granada Coffee Company, US Cellular, Java Cat, Bath Expressions by Burnap, Poehler Mercantile, Forget Me Not, The Salvation Army, DK Promotions, Studo 50-4, Plum Bazaar and the Emporia Arts Center.
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For more information on the Emporia Arts Center, Click HERE.
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Chalk/Milk Paint Redo
Its project time! Bring your own piece of furniture (must be able to carry it in unassisted) or choose from our supply of 20x24 sign boards & templates. We will assist you in your own DIY creation. No artistic ability? NO PROBLEM, if you can color in a coloring book you can create a gorgeous piece of art. We provide everything needed to finish a great signboard for your home or as a gift. Your furniture piece needs to be clean and repaired prior to coming to class.
Schedule: 3hr class, June 28, 1-4pm
Price: $65
Life without Distractions: Meditation Practice and Principles
In today's hectic world there must be a way to release the valve of stress and distraction building up in each of us. Mediation is the sure way to gently release stress and bring calm to your inner being. In this class you'll learn how to build a strong meditation practice, creating calmness and eliminating distractions in your life with the focus of simple techniques. The course will help you recognize and eliminate the inner chatter in your mind, allow you to tune in to your higher self to get answers to life questions. There are also specific health benefits related to meditation. Some of which are, lowering blood pressure, increasing brain function, slowing down the aging process, helping you to get a peaceful night sleep, increasing blood flow to the brain, and increasing your general energy level. If gaining an advantage on personal health is something you desire, then taking this course will get you started on this path.
Instructor: Chaz Rothenberg
Schedule: Wednesdays, June 17 - Aug 5- 6:00-7:00PM
Cost: $55
To enroll please visit https://flinthills.augusoft.net/ or call 620-341-1392.
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Learn more about local amenities, organizations, businesses, events and more with the E-Town Mobile App! The ETown App is a joint project among Emporia State University, Flint Hills Technical College, USD 253, The Emporia Gazette, the City of Emporia, the Emporia Convention and Visitors Bureau and Emporia Main Street. For IPhone Users, Click Here!
For Android Users, Click Here!
For the iPad Version, Click Here! For the Web Version, click here: www.etownapp.com
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Property Availability Guide
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For property owners with property available for rent or sale, this is a free service to collect information and post it on the Emporia Main Street Web Site. With other market information available, we hope this site makes it easier for potential businesses and property developers to find spaces they need.
CLICK HERE to enter information about your available property and view previously submitted information.
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Business Investment Guide
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Do you know a business that should locate in Emporia? Maybe you know an entrepreneur looking for resources or a business owner looking to expand? The Business Investment Guide is community information designed to help you point your contacts in the right direction!
CLICK HERE for the INVESTMENT GUIDE
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PREPARE FOR SOME TAX CHANGES
Sales Tax Rates are Changing JULY 1st (and other changes).
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The sales tax rate for the City of Emporia is currently 8.15%. The recent state budget bill increased the sales tax rate for the state of Kansas by .35%. The resulting sales tax rate for the City of Emporia will be 8.5%. This rate change will take place on July 1, 2015.
When sales tax rates change, businesses need to prepare for the transition. If you have a computerized Point of Sale register, research how to make the conversion within your  system parameters. If your business has layaway or other extended invoice plans, run through a systems check to determine how the sales tax rates will impact open accounts. If you have "regular" customers that often use exact change for purchases, you may want to inform them of a sales tax increase.
Make some additional time to inform staff of the change in the sales tax rate, especially if ownership or management will be gone on Wednesday, July 1st during the conversion.
Emporia Main Street will do our best to inform the public of the changing sales tax rate,  and local media generally does a fantastic job informing both businesses and area citizens of business changes that can impact them at the register.
Beyond the increase sales tax rate, there was a lot of discussion about ending certain sales tax exemptions in the recent budget bill. As of right now, we cannot verify that any of those exemptions have changed. According to the Kansas Department of Revenue, the following categories of goods and/or services are subject to sales tax:
- Retail sale, rental or lease of tangible personal property;
- Labor services to install, apply, repair, service, alter, or maintain tangible personal property, and
- Admissions to entertainment, amusement, or recreation places in Kansas.
Please determine if any of these new applications of sales tax apply to your business type and make the relevant adjustments to your pricing schedules.
From a public standpoint, remember that local businesses simply serve as tax collectors. They do not set tax policy, nor do they have the capability to defer or waive sales taxes  that they are required to collect. The move towards what are called "consumption taxes" like sales tax is part of a long term conversion strategy by the majority of the current electorate in the Kansas House and Senate, and businesses are simply the collection arm of that strategy.
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| Did you know??? |
Last week we started the Garden Judging process, met with some area individuals outside of Lyon County that were interested in some of our policies/procedures, held a finance
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Make sure to join us for Live in the Lot this Wednesday evening!
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meeting for a local potential business, participated in a vision meeting, attended Brown Bag, held various employee retention meetings, communicated with a regional developer, assisted with the rehabilitation of an upper story, hosted a Kansas Main Street conference call, participated in a national Smart Growth planning session and held a Board of Directors meeting. Summer arrived in full force! But, with some exciting projects on the horizon, we are getting some
good questions from all of you
1. "What do you think the change to a "consumption" tax system will do for the state?"- From a business associate. The concept of consumption based taxes shift tax generation from things like income based taxes to things like sales taxes. The theoretical basis for this change is that the taxes are more spread out throughout the year, they are triggered by the actions of a consumer and they can be passed on to individuals that don't pay income taxes within the state (like visitors). There are issues with this strategy. First, we don't exist in a bubble. People can avoid consumption taxes by crossing state lines or shopping on-line. Consumption taxes are regressive because poorer people in general spend a much higher percentage of their income on taxable goods and services rather than savings or investments. We don't have a good track record of hitting our sales tax collection projections in the state, which destabilizes our budget priorities and diversifying income streams in any business or organization typically improves sustainability. Every business or organization makes decisions on how to best improve their net income. When those decisions are effective, organizations and businesses improve net income to the point that they can better serve their consuming public. When decisions are ineffective, businesses and organization have less net income and must cut services to clientele. With the knowledge that bad decisions will undoubtedly occur in any organization (no one is perfect), leadership has an obligation to look dispassionately at the impact of the decisions made and adjust policies based on the fiscal reality created by the legislation enacted.
2. "If I can't be at the Main Street office on July 1st for the Veteran's Banner project, can I submit my information early"?" From about 30 different phone calls to the office. No. The only way we can make this project fair for everyone is to have a uniform starting date, time and location. We will accept Veteran's Banner Applications (the application, picture and sponsor fee) starting at 8:00 a.m. on July 1st at the Emporia Main Street office.
3. "Why is the National Main Street President coming to Emporia?" From a volunteer.
We are excited to host Patrice Frey from the National Main Street Center during the day of our Annual Meeting. We will do a little downtown touring, attend the Annual Meeting and then adjourn to a meeting for the reformation of the Kansas Main Street organization.
4. "How much response do you normally get from your newsletter articles?" From a community member that stopped by the office. We do get a lot of feedback from inside Emporia and beyond. The article about volunteerism last week seemed to strike a cord, with a lot of people spotting some opportunities and others pointing out some unfortunate trends. As a grass roots organization, we understand that communities improve through the selfless actions of people in the community, and we need to find strategies to enhance local volunteers and build a culture of selflessness. We love hearing your feedback. If you have questions about an article or community questions, please let us know. If you have some things that you would like to know more about, please communicate those topics to us. They may end up as the basis for future articles.
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Happy Hour Specials- 4 to 7 p.m.
Monday- Our Signature Drinks are $1 off
Tuesday- All Draws are $1 off
Wednesday- Dealers Choice (whatever we're in the mood to do!)
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5. "Who won the garden judging?" From a call to the office. Shane Wilson has been hard at work documenting all the different gardens for the Adopt-a-Garden project. Each garden has a photo associated with its adoptive person/agency. The top three gardens receiving votes were Karla Quay & Vicky Lyon, L & L Pets and David & Joyce McCullough. But, the real winner is the community. Volunteers beautifying public gardens makes our community look much better without requiring staff expense. So, when you see someone working on a garden downtown, remember to thank a volunteer!
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| President's Circle 
Emporia Realty Group www.emporiarealtygroup.com 608 Commercial 620-412-9850 
IM Design Group
www.imdesigngroup.com 17 W. 5th 620-343-3909 |
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Brickyard 20 Ale House 402 Merchant www.brickyard20alehouse.com 
2326 Industrial Road 620-342-0150 |
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Emporia Main Street Calendar of Events
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| June 24 Business Enhancement Team Meeting 8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street office 35th Infantry Division Band Brass Quintet Emporia Public Library Brown Bag- Noon at the Library Live in the Lot featuring Savannah Chestnut & Burlington Southern- 7:00 p.m. at the Farmers Market Parking Lot June 25 Emporia Main Street Annual Meeting 11:30 a.m. in the Civic Auditorium Little Theater July 1 Veteran's Banner Application Day! We will start accepting Veteran's Banners at 8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street Office on Wednesday, July 1. Board of Directors meeting in the Emporia Main Street office The Band of Many Colors Emporia Public Library Brown Bag- Noon at the Library July 8 Promotions Team Meeting 8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street office. Design Team Meeting noon in the Emporia Main Street office Hispanic Roots Folkloric Dance Emporia Public Library Brown Bag- Noon at the Library Board Retreat 3:00 p.m. Live in the Lot featuring The Basement Pickers and Most Wanted- 7:00 p.m. in the Farmers Market Parking Lot. July 15 Emporia Main Street Board of Directors Meeting 8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street office Drum Safari Emporia Public Library Brown Bag- Noon at the Library July 16 Midnight Madness July 22 Business Enhancement Team Meeting 8:00 a.m. in the Emporia Main Street Office. Live in the Lot- featuring Kenji Bolden and Fast Times- 7:00 p.m. in the Farmers Market Parking Lot August 17 Welcome Back Block Party September 12 Great American Market For more community event listings, please visit: www.etownapp.com Do you have an upcoming event for your business or organization? Let Emporia Main Street know and we may include it on our upcoming calendars! |
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| General Level Members AKA Marketing Amish Woodworks Applebees Ash LLC Atherton & Huth Bath Expressions The Beauty Bar Ben Moore Studio Bennett Dental Group BG Consultants BLI Rentals Bluestem Farm and Ranch Brown's Shoe Fit Bruff's Bar and Grill C & J Woodworks
Candlewood Suites
Capitol Federal Cassell Insurance Chester Press Clark Carpet and Tile, Inc. Coffelt Sign Co. Complete Works Country Mart/Price Chopper Dan's Hands Massage Davis Paints DG Wingz Disciple Shoppe Dorsey Eye Care Douglas Chiropractic Dr. Kerri Thompson, DDS Dynamic Discs Eastwood Lake Apartments Eclectic Bikes Ek Real Estate Emporia Construction and Remodeling Emporia Radio Stations: KVOE, 104.9 & 101.7 Emporia State Federal Credit Union E-Town Solutions ESU Memorial Union Evergreen Design-Build Flint Hills Eye Care Flint Hills Mall Association Flint Hills Music Floyd's Automotive Forget Me Not Productions Four Seasons Apartments George Groh and Sons Gerald Schumann Electric Granada Coffee Company Graves Drug Store Haag Management Hair Krafters Heart Center Studio Helbert & Allemang High Gear Java Cat Coffeehouse Jimmy Johns Junque Drawer Emporium Kansas Radio 96.1 The Wave King Liquor L & L Pets Little Red Rooster Lyon County State Bank Lyon County Title Mark II Lumber McDonalds McKinzie Pest Control Midas Touch Tans Mike Alpers Agency Mr. Sisters Sweets Modern Air Conditioning, Inc. Mulready's Pub Navrats Office Supply Papa John's Pizza Paper Moon Antiques Pizza Hut Pizza Ranch Plum Bazaar Poehler Mercantile Pool and Associates Prairie Sage Apartments Pro-Cuts Rand Simmons Law Office Redline Trucking Reflxns Salon Rhinestone Cowgirl Salon Rockin' Accessories Sauder Custom Fabrication Schellers Lawn and Landscape Scott's Lawn and Landscaping Second Love Gifts Stanley Jewelry Studio 11 Studio 50.4 Subway Sunflower Gymnastics Sutherlands Lumber Co. Sweet Granada Textbook Corner Thompson Auto Repair Thrifts and Gifts Toso Appraisal Total Technology Town Crier Bookstore Triad Leasing Uncommon Threads Value-Net LLC Waters True Value Hardware Westar Energy Williams Automotive Wright CPA Group PA Wright's Furniture Xan-A-Do Salon |
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| Non Profit Level Members Big Brothers Big Sisters Cradle to Career Cneter Emporia Eastside Community Group EHS- FBLA Emporia Arts Council Emporia Chamber of Commerce Emporia Farmers Market Emporia Friends of the Zoo Emporia Presbyterian Church Emporia Friends of the Library ESU- Alumni Association ESU- Small Business Development Center ESU- Memorial Union ESU- Theatre Dept. Flint Hills Community Health Center Granada Theatre Alliance National Teachers Hall of Fame Saint Francis Community Services Salvation Army SOS TFI Family Services |
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| Home Based Business Members Avon- Amanda Hopkins Gold Canyon Candles- Stephanie Morgan Green Door Recycling Interdependent Web, LLC Mary Kay- Lori Engle Origami Owl- Angela Dowell Paula's Creations Pampered Chef- Chelsea Gerleman Purse Lady- Nancy Crawford Tastefully Simple- Vanessa Apodaca Thirty One Gifts- Linsey Hopkins |
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| Individual Supporters Amy and Rick Becker Amy Evans Brad Harzman Dale & Carolyn Davis Don Hill Erin and Casey Woods Joyce Zhou Julie Johnson Kayle Oney Kelly Wade Lynn Knechtel Mark and Amy McAnarney Michael and Karen Shonrock Valerie and Matt Zimmerman Roger Heineken Smitty Smith Sue Blechl Tim & Mary Helmer Tyler & Melanie Curtis Yvonne Pool |
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