Emporia Main Street E-News |
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Economic development agencies from throughout the region came to Emporia last week for a Network Kansas Regional retreat. |
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Greetings!
Veterans Banner lottery applications are due by the end of this month; we have several July events that we are planning for; and Emporia Main Street is working with partners on several economic development enhancements to help existing businesses, developments, and entrepreneurial startups!
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As we move into another year for our community and Emporia Main Street, we say things are “Looking Up”. After the past two years of trials, tribulations, tears (both good and bad) and A LOT of hard work, Emporia Main Street board members, volunteers, committee members, and staff are ready to roll into this membership year. And we are excited about some changes!
One of the first things you will notice is that we are changing from “membership drive/membership levels” to “investor drive/investor levels”. This concept is something we feel really describes our supporters (you) more accurately. Because that is what you are doing when you support and join our organization- investing in our region.
Early Bird pricing now- July 1st
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We have several new shirt designs, post cards and stickers in stock! Stop by and see the selection at 727 Commercial or shop online at emporiamainstreet.com
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“KICK-OFF YOUR SUMMER WITH A BEACH-THEMED PARTY”
Nothing says summer like the library’s annual summer reading program! Join us at the library on May 31 from 3-4:30 p.m. All ages are invited to sign up online on Beanstack’s website or app and join us as we kick off a summer of reading and fun activities with a beach party at the Emporia Public Library! We will have games like limbo, beach photo opportunities, a scavenger hunt, snacks, and more! Librarians will be available at the kick-off and any time during operating hours to assist patrons with Beanstack sign-up. Log your reading, participate in activities, and earn tickets toward prize drawings. The program begins June 1 and ends July 31. Emporia Public Library is located at 110 E. 6 th Ave. For more information, please contact the library at 620-340-6462 or visit emporialibrary.org.
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“EMPORIA PUBLIC LIBRARY’S KIDS’ KONCERTS” Summer is just around the corner and Emporia Public Library is gearing up for a fun-filled season of Kids’ Koncerts in the library courtyard! The 2022 Kids’ Koncerts, sponsored by the Friends of the Emporia Public Library, are scheduled for every Wednesday at noon during the month of June.
This summer’s Kids’ Koncerts will feature Brian Wendling, Aqua Juggler, on June 1; Jane Christison as Janie Next Door on June 8; Richard Renner, the Vodvill Klown, on June 15; Drum Safari with Brandon Draper on June 22; and Mr. Stinky Feet’s Beach Party with Jim Cosgrove on June 29. The public is invited to bring lunch for the show. Water coolers will be available. In case of inclement weather, the concerts will be held in the Little Theater on the second floor in the William Lindsay White Auditorium. The Emporia Art Center’s Art Mobile will also be on site so children can create an art project. Emporia Public Library is located at 110 E. 6th Ave. For more information, please contact the library at 620-340-6462 or visit emporialibrary.org.
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PRIDE Stickers and posters available in the office! |
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Emporia Main Street, Visit Emporia, and a committee of local community members have been working together to create a class reunion weekend for graduates of Emporia High to gather and reconnect. It is our hope that Apella will provide you with an opportunity to visit you favorite Emporia locations, enjoy the community and gather with friends.
As we move forward with this new tradition, Friday evening & Saturday activities will be geared to focus on community activities with Saturday night reserved for class parties and get togethers.
We would like to list contact information for class presidents/reunion planners on the Apella page on our website emporiamainstreet.com. If you are this person, please fill out the form HERE.
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Are you hiring? Are you looking for a new opportunity?. CLICK HERE to list your jobs & to view listings!
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The Newman Regional Health Volunteers’ Healthcare Scholarship is now open for applicants.
Criteria and Application
The purpose of the scholarship is to provide financial assistance to students pursuing their education in healthcare.
Areas may include, but are not limited to, pharmacy, biology, chemistry, nursing, respiratory therapy, physical and occupational therapy, nutrition, and other non-clinical healthcare fields.
Non-healthcare fields include community healthcare worker, medical secretary, medical transcripts, wellness coordinator, patient advocate, health educator or information tech, vocational rehab counselor, medical social worker, healthcare manager, and many more.
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My Country 99.5 will be hosting the My Country Concert Series at the beautiful, historic Emporia Granada Theatre on June 25th, 2022! Join us for performances by Gus & The Saddle Tramps, Hunter Thomas, and The Box Turtles, a couple of amazing food trucks, and an after party you don’t want to miss! Free-Will donation at the door OR for $100 you can pre-purchase a set of six reserved seats!! 100% of ticket proceeds will be donated to the Humane Society of the Flint Hills. Event sponsored by Sommers Auto, Mel’s Tire, and the Emporia Police Benefit Association.
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Upcoming Activity Listing
June 23-24 Kansas Main Street Training- Dodge City
July 15- Moonlight Madness
July 16- Apella (Emporia High Reunion Weekend)
August 15-16- Kansas Main Street Training- Junction City
August 22- Welcome Back Block Party
September 9-11 No Coast Film Fest
September 10- Great American Market
September 28-30- Rural Rise Conference- Emporia
October 13-14- Kansas Main Street Training- Emporia
October 29- Downtown Trick or Treat
October 29- HOTT Dia de los Muertos
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THIS WEEK'S FEATURED ARTICLE |
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New Data Details a Changing Market |
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Consumer preference evolution drive new opportunities for local businesses. |
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Third party data can offer us a glimpse into changing segments of the marketplace. In our region, consumer preferences are often tied to the psychographics of our local population. Understanding how people think, what they value, what they aspire to, and how they choose to interface with the world can provide local businesses the opportunity to tailor their concepts to the existing populace.
Psychographic groups are broken down into groups, and each group contains subgroups that vary slightly in affluency and values. We can track the changes in psychographic groups within the local area over time, and we can compare groups to the national average. Each group name is linked to more comprehensive descriptions. For our purposes today, we will highlight our psychographic groups, detail the percentage of our population that fits the group, show the group percentage change from 2017, and report the national average percentage of the group for US Households. So, let's get started:
College Towns is our top ranked psychographic group. This group represents 20.3% of our population, up 1.5% from 2017. Nationally, this group makes up 1% of the population (note that our rural designation means that most of our groups will represent a small percentage of the total US population).
Rustbelt Traditions is our next most common psychographic group. This group represents 12.1% of our population, down .2% from 2017. Nationally, this group makes ups 2.2% of the population.
In Style is our third most populated group, and it represents a subgroup of the Gen X Urban Group. This group makes up 9.7% of our population, up .1% from 2017. Nationally, this group makes up 2.2% of the population.
Set to Impress is next on our psychographic list. This group makes up 8.8% of our population, a decrease of .6% from 2017. Nationally, this group represents 1.4% of the population.
Hometown Heritage rounds out our top five groups. This group also makes up 8.8% of our population, and represents a .3% increase from 2017. Nationally, this group represents 1.2% of the population.
Our next five groups are:
The final five groups represent between 3.6% and 2.1% of the population for each categorical group.
If you click through the linked psychographic groups, you should get a sense of our relative youth, diversity, and opportunity within the area. For member businesses, we have several different tools that can help further define the market within your business category. If you are interested in talking through the data that may be specific to your industry, please contact Emporia Main Street.
Business decisions have an emotional component to them. An attractive setting, the ability to communicate effectively, and a welcoming atmosphere are important to business success. Identifying your market potential through statistical data is also important. Emporia Main Street works to help businesses that want help on both the data/resources, and marketing/atmosphere fronts. If you need assistance, please let us know. We are here to help!
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Last week we attempted to put the office back together after the Unbound Gravel event, hosted a Central Region Retreat for Network Kansas, held a Promotions Team Meeting, presented to the Lyon County Commission concerning EDA Grants and Appropriations, met with a local individual concerning the reconstruction of Christmas decorations, hosted a Design Team meeting, worked with Rural Rise planning committee members to finalize some details for the September conference, hosted an artist and Fab Lab Open House for the First Friday event, assisted with elements of various PRIDE festivals, and worked with the Center on Rural Innovation for EDA Grant submission. It was a week full of catching up and moving forward, but we still received some great questions and feedback from all of you last week! |
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1. "So can the Fabrication Lab help anyone build things?" From a person that stopped by the office. We have technology and staffing to help people prototype items and assist businesses in diversifying product lines. There are limitations to the development process, but we can help people in the region build things to support business growth.
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2. "Are you going to carry more PRIDE shirts?" From an attendee at the parade. Emporia Main Street often acts as an intermediary with organizations and businesses for product production. Sarah Bays asked if we could assist with shirts this year, the local PRIDE group created a design, and Uncommon Threads produced the merchandise. We acted as a retail outlet. Future production of shirts will be decided by local advocacy groups and the production company.
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3. "Do you rent out the incubator space for events?" From a call to the office. Sorry! We generally don't rent out the incubator space for parties. And, we are getting ready to fill the space within the next few weeks. We do have several great event venues in town that we can happily point people to.
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4. "When will you know about the tech accelerator grant?" From a few government officials. The EDA Grant was submitted to assist Lyon County in generating tech based businesses and jobs. We will wait for review of the highly competitive process, but it will be a while before we know if we were one of the few accepted concepts.
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5. "The Gravel Race must be a boon for all the local businesses?" From an out-of-town visitor to the office. Unbound Gravel benefits local businesses in a variety of different ways. Some businesses (bike shops, food vendors, bars, hotels, locals that rent out housing, etc.) receive obvious direct benefits. Some businesses receive residual benefits because of the extra money circulating in the community that is spent within their business. The tax base receives a boost in the form of guest tax and sales tax. But, we have to understand that different events impact different business types in a variety of ways. We will never have an event in Emporia that makes everyone happy, but now that we have a "normal" year under our belt again, we can start talking about how to maximize positive impacts for businesses while minimizing negative disruptions. Unbound Gravel is great for the region, but we can always find ways to improve the potential for the local economy.
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Join us, September 10th, for our annual downtown treasure market- a true community favorite. Find clothes, antiques, collectibles, food, and other unique items in downtown Emporia. Vendors can register at emporiamainstreet.com
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What we do proves what we believe. |
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