Oklahoma main street news : the newsletter of the Oklahoma Main Street Program.

              A quarterly newsletter published by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce
Fall 2011
From parades, to visits with Santa, to
jingle bells, to presents. The holidays
mean one thing: money. Whether
you are in business, or shopping in
a business, you can’t escape the
holidays.
So, why not join them? We have
asked around to Main Street
communities across the state for their
best holiday money makers, ideas and
wish lists. And we received quite a
few interesting ones.
Parades
One thing we know for certain.
Oklahomans love parades! Especially
holiday themed parades. Christmas
parades are an institution on Main
Street in Oklahoma. Parades are
traffic-building events and take a
great many
volunteers to pull
off successfully.
While not usually
a great retail
day for your
merchants, there
won’t be an option
to make money if
the stores are not
open. Parades
are great for your
town’s image
because they
promote the idea
that downtown is
a fun and busy
place to be.
And who doesn’t want that?
There is a lot to consider, though,
before hosting a parade. First, you
want to establish a theme. The
best ones are centered around your
community’s particular personality.
For instance, Stockyards
City has a cowboy
themed parade complete
with a cowboy Santa
because that fits their
personality.
If you have a particular
flavor in your comunity,
then you should theme
your parade around that
flavor. Most are aimed
at children so it could be
a candy-centric theme,
toys, bears, sesame
street ... the list goes on.
Much like a child’s Christmas wish list.
It could be centered around a patriotic
theme, the 12 days of Christmas,
Christmas at the Movies, let your
imagination run wild!
The Holidays are Upon Us
continued on page 5
Ponca City Main Street Holiday Pet Parade contestants
Okmulgee Main Street Inc. hosts a
parade centered around a Festival
of Lights with a different theme each
year. Prior to the parade,
they host a pre-show
concert in front of the
Creek Council House
Museum.
It could even be centered
around pets! Ponca
City Main Street has
an annual HolidayPet
Parade and Contest.
Winners receive ribbons
and all participants can
enjoy refreshments and
donated doggy treats.
Some parades divide participants
into commercial and non-commercial
classifications. If you do this you
might want to charge for commercial
entries to boost your award payouts.
However, you may decide to keep
your parade non-commercial. If so,
don’t allow businesses to enter an
undecorated float or vehicle. All
entries should be decorated per the
theme of the parade.
You may also have enough of a
certain category to add the entry as
its own category, beyond the floats,
bands, animals, vehicles, walking
units, etc. For example you may
have several area fire departments
participating and want to have a
separate competition with them.
If you plan to have a competition, then
you need judges. Three to five will
work. Give them a great viewing area
Ponca City Main Street Holiday
Pet Parade contestant
Main Street has enthusiastically adopted the recent Shop Local movement. However, Main Street has been promoting local
shopping for 25 years. We understand where our sales tax dollars come from and how much of it stays in the local econo-my.
We understand the benefit of supporting your local entrepreneur because he is your neighbor, your kid’s soccer coach
and your Sunday School teacher. We “get” it and we have “gotten” it for a long time. Unfortunately, it took a recession for
many others to climb aboard.
Many of you have been to the website of the 3/50 Project. It started as a blog from a local business woman in Minnesota.
She had an idea, posted it on her blog and it went viral. She said, “What if you as a consumer picked the three local busi-nesses
in your community that you would miss the most if they weren’t there and you vowed to spend $50 a month in those
businesses. What kind of an impact would that have on the economy?
If half of the employed population spent $50 a month in locally owned independent businesses, it would generate more than
$42.6 billion in revenue. And, for every $100 spent in locally owned independent businesses, $68 returns to the community
in the form of taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend it in a national chain, only $43 stays here and if you spend
it online, nothing comes home. Pick three, spend fifty and save your local economy.
Now it is a national movement. They have posters, stickers and all kinds of marketing ideas free to use from their website.
One of the reasons this has been so effective is that it doesn’t shame you for occasionally shopping at the big box store. All
of us are going to go to WalMart to shop at one time or another. The movement promotes reason. Think about your local
businesses when you are shopping. If you can purchase the same thing from a local retailer at a comparable price, then
make that purchase locally. There are things you need that you can’t purchase locally. Fine. But if you can and it doesn’t
hurt you financially, purchase those that you can at home. You may need to do a little research to figure out what products
you can reasonably purchase locally and it may be a little inconvenient but it is the right thing to do.
Eating local has really taken off. I even saw a vanity plate that read “EATLCL” the other day. There are many arguments for
eating local but again the emphasis is on “reason”. I really liked a quote from Melissa Scaramucci, a local restaurateur, who
said, “Do I eat at Chick-fil-A? Of course. I am not a saint. I think it is like recycling and everything else. You do as much as
you can. You can’t let it dictate your life, but you can let it lead your life.”
Wishing all of Main Street a very merry and local holiday season.
Shop Local
by Linda Barnett
Two national campaigns to encourage local shopping.
Start planning now on how you will use them next year.
For your own signs and images visit
facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday and shiftyourshopping.org.
Scan to learn more.
No smartphone? No problem.
Visit facebook.com/shopsmall
Page 2
Page 3
Make the holidays extra special for your
local businesses this season. Help them
create and manage the momentum in
their stores through a combination of
special events, visual enhancements,
community ties, special services, and
an enthusiastic staff. Create a “buzz” to
assure your community that shopping
at your local businesses will be fun and
hassle-free.
Here are some stellar holiday-season
starters that are low-cost and easy to
implement for the businesses in your
area. Share with them!
1. Start with a kick-off the holiday party
for the staff. Use this as an opportunity
to communicate the marketing strategies,
advertisments, public relations, etc., to
which your business is committed.
2. Play up the value of shopping at your
store, ie. create groups of price-point
items by clustering them by price tiers.
3. Have a selection of grab-and-go pre-wrapped
items to assist time-starved
customers.
4. Make the store appeal to all the
senses through smell, sight, sound,
touch and taste. think of how you can
elaborate on each sense.
5. Advertise early shopper programs.
Next year, get started with early shopper
programs even before Thanksgiving.
6. Hire runners and/or doormen to help
people get their packages to their cars.
7. Use a photo of Santa with a different
child every day in your ads.
8. Write a “thank you” note to Santa’s
visitors. Include a store coupon fo a
return visit.
9. Offer delivery to nearby offices. Put the
runners in big shirts or sweatshirts with a
large store logo, carrying oversized bags
that also feature your store’s logo.
10. Set up a temporary cart or table
offering package wrapping and shipping.
11. Create an event to communicate via
Facebook.
12. Make a joyful noise -- carefully select
small musical groups to perform in your
store, donate to arts/musical council, etc.
13. Invite customers to create an
ornament to bring in to place on the
charity tree. The store can choose two or
three charities to support through a $2-$3
donation for each ornament received.
Cap the number of ornaments at 50-75.
Select a combination of promotions and
ideas to give your business a competitive
edge this holday season. MAKE
BUSINESS HAPPEN -- don’t wait for it to
happen!
Holiday Tips for Retailers
In part by Margie Johnson, President, Shop Talk
Page 4
As Christmas draws closer, an inviting
window display becomes a priority
for smart small business owners. For
many of them, having a window display
that attracts customers is essential for
holiday sales success. As potential
customers drive or walk by, the window
catches their eye and tempts them to
stop and browse. This doesn’t have to
expensive or overwhelming.
Window Display Basics
No matter what display theme is
chosen, there are a few basic display
decorating tips to follow to create a
good foundation for the store’s holiday
display.
• Start with a clean window.
• Cover the entire floor of the display
with a cloth in a solid color that
coordinates with the intended theme
color. Artificial snow or white batting
makes a good foundation for a display,
too.
• Don’t forget to dress up the walls of
the display area. If the theme will be
outdoor related, consider a sky blue
backdrop.
• Anchor a large window display area
with something large, such as a big
artificial tree or a comfortable looking
chair. Trying to fill a large area with
many small pieces can make it look
messy or empty.
• Remember to look at the display
from the outside during the process.
Sometimes, a display that looks good
from inside doesn’t look good from the
street.
Holiday Window Display Themes
Holiday window themes can be a
more generic winter display or a very
religious nativity scene. There is no
right or wrong answer, but a business
owner needs to carefully consider
their customer base and the type of
merchandise or service the business
offers before making a decision. For
example, a Christian bookstore without
a religious themed display would seem
a little strange to customers.
One great theme for a holiday window
display is building a snowman. A
sledding, ice skating or ice fishing
theme would also work well. These
outdoor winter displays are a good
option for stores that don’t want to
change out the entire display as soon
as Christmas is over. Most of the
display can remain for several weeks
after the holiday without seeming out of
place.
With a little planning, a little creativity,
and a little patience, you can create a
great window display.
Create a Holiday Display: Ideas for Dressing a Window with a Winter Theme
by Tracey Cox
Page 5
and then select a great area to
present the awards.
If you would like a list of some
possible rules and regulations,
contact the Okahoma Main
Street Center and we will get that
information to you. There is an
booklet, prepared by Main Street
Director, Linda Barnett, that
covers this very subject and we
are happy to share.
Ball Drops and Money
Give-Aways.
Another popular activity is the ball
drop and/or money give-away
around the holidays. Whether
you drop them from a helicopter,
shoot them out of a cannon,
sling-shot them, drop them from
the roof of a building, or hand
out a ticket from each business,
these little items garner an
audience.
With ball drops, participants wait
for their opportunity to receive
discounts, gifts, and money from
participating merchants around
town.
Some cash give-aways require a
purchase at
participating
businesses
to qualify for
large prize
money. Most
require you
to be present
to win thus
enhancing
your Main
Street
area twice.
Once from
the initial
purchase
and another
from the foot
traffic of those waiting to see who won.
But if the thought of picking up
thousands of discarded tickets leaves
you a little cold, Sapulpa Main Street
came up with the great idea to give
another give-away on Monday through
the local radio station, therefore
people had another chance to win --
and take their tickets home with them
to throw away later and not around the
town square.
Santa Visits
We can’t forget about Santa
throughout all of this. The kids love
Santa. For the past 14 years Miami
Main Street, Inc., along with numerous
local organizations, has teamed up to
bring Christmas to local youths. What
started as a breakfast with Santa,
has turned into “Santa and a Movie.”
In 2007 the event moved from the
historic Coleman Theater to the Miami
Cineplex, enabling the group to show
a current first run movie. Free 5x7
photos are taken with Santa and the
first 300 children receive free entry
into the theater for a speciall showing.
Each child comes away with an armful
of gifts, including books, fruit, candy,
small toys, and the chance to win a
bike (with safety gear) and other great
prizes.
Sulphur Main Street has an annual
Cookies and Milk with Santa after
their Christmas Parade and includes a
photo opportunity as well.
This time of year lends itself to many
great opportunities for your Main
Street program. All it takes is some
willingness to brave the weather, some
creative thinking about your area, and
volunteers!
Lined up and ready to see Santa Claus during the Miami Main Street’s Santa and a Movie event
Miami Main Street and Santa Claus!
Continued from front page.
Holidays
Page 6
For many retailers, the sound of this
year’s holiday season may be less
“Ho, Ho Ho!” and more “No, No, No!,”
as in no customers, no revenue, and
no end in sight.
Many indicators foretell that this is
going to be a tough retail season
for small merchants. But, as a Main
Street professional, you are in an
ideal position to help your downtown
business owners and show them
the true value of Main Street in the
process.
We all know that one way for Main
Streets to stay competitive during the
upcoming shopping season is to host
special events. They are a great way
for Main Street businesses to find new
customers and generate extra revenue
while spending almost nothing to do
so.
Merchants and Special Events
by Todd Noon
There’s just one problem, though --
merchants who can best be described
as “business prevention experts” or
BPEs.
For savvy business owners, well-planned
and well-executed special
events are a smart and cost-effective
way for them to get “more through the
door” when there are plenty of “feet
on the street.” Unfortunately, however,
in almost every downtown across
the country, there seems to be no
shortage of BPEs -- business owners
who say they want more customers
but who close during your special
events and don’t make a single sale.
These BPEs then typically get angry
at you for “making” them close, all the
while ignoring the hundreds of even
thousands of potential customers you
brought to their closed doors at no
cost to them.
But, don’t despair. Here are a few
tips to work with your downtown
merchants (including BPEs) so that
they can tie in to your holiday events,
make some sales and see the benefit
of working with your Main Street
program on other events.
Tip #1: Determine
Your Event. Sounds
pretty obvious, doesn’t
it? Certainly, it doesn’t
take an advanced degree
to come up with ideas
for special programs,
but developing successful events --
ones that bring lots of people to your
downtown and into your businesses
-- does require some critical thinking
and observation on your part. Assess
the mix of businesses you have in
your downtown, see if they might have
some common theme, then develop
an event that will attract their interest.
is as easy as possible
for your merchants
to participate in your
special event.
Tip #4:
Stay in
Touch.
Remember to keep in
contact with the “good”
BPEs that you’ve
decided to help tie in
to your event. If it’s a
one-day event, check
with them throughout
the day to see how
they are doing and
adjust the game plan
if necessary. If it’s a
multi-day event, talk
with them each day
and find out what’s
working, what’s not
and, again, adjust the
game plan accordingly.
In either case, always conduct
a post-event meeting so
you can talk about how your event
went and ways to improve it. It is so
important that you demonstrate to your
downtown business owners that you
and your Main Street program really
are partners in their success. Staying
in touch with them, holding their hand
and walking them through it will show
that better than anything else.
Tip #5: Encourage your
“Good” BPEs to Help
Plan Other Events. By
helping to plan events,
business owners have
a unique opportunity
to organize them in ways that best
meet their needs. When merchants
are part of the planning process, they
have a real stake in its success and
will be far more inclined to put some
effort into tying their business into the
event. Tell your merchants when the
Promotion or Events Committee meets
Tip #2: Separate
Good BPEs from
Bad BPEs.
Once you’ve
determined your
special event, the
next step is to get your downtown
businesses involved. Don’t waste
your time and energy, however, with
a scatter-shot approach that aims to
help every business whether they
want it or not. Here’s where your
powers of observation come into
play again. Not all BPEs want to be
BPEs. Some of them really want to
be better business people (these are
called good BPEs), but they just don’t
know how or don’t have the time to
devote to it. The key is to figure out
who those people are, then separate
them from business owners who wear
their BPE title as a status symbol (bad
BPEs).
Tip #3: Help your
“Good” BPEs.
After you’ve analyzed
your downtown and
identified your “good”
BPEs, concentrate the
efforts of your Main Street program on
helping these willing merchants tie in
to the event. Start small and work with
only a few at a time so that you can
really devote the time and resources
necessary to ensure their success.
What does this help look like?
It really depends on the kinds of
events you’re doing, but you might
want to try some of the following:
offer to design and print day-of-event
coupons, bounce-back coupons, or
fliers announcing a sale or in-store
special; suggest inexpensive ways
to beautify the store during the event
(by using balloons, flowers and such);
offer to set up cross-promotions
with other downtown merchants;
help them develop ideas for in-store
contests; and offer to create and send
an email newsletter for them; or help
them create and send their own. The
list is really limitless, but the key to it
and encourage them to get involved.
If many business owners can’t make
your meetings, provide them with a
copy of the minutes so they know
what’s going on.
Holding successful downtown
events that your merchants embrace
is not always easy. In fact, it can
be downright difficult. Whatever
challenges you face -- closed doors
during special events, merchants
angry because you’re closing the
street, complaints that special events
hurt business, or any number of other
frustrating issues -- you are not alone.
These issues are everywhere.
With some hard work and creativity on
your part, and with the cooperation of
“good” Business Prevention Experts,
you can get your merchants to view
special events as a cost-effective way
to grow their business rather than an
inconvenience.
Stockyards City Main Street’s Ladies’ Night at the Mercantile
Page 7
PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
PERMIT NO. 41
Return Service Requested
A product of the Oklahoma Main Street Center
at the Oklahoma Department of Commerce
Secretary of Commerce and Tourism
Dave Lopez
Director, Oklahoma Main Street Center
Linda Barnett
Main Street Staff:
Tracey Cox, Larry Lucas,
Kelli Yadon and Jeremy Zeller
For information or mailing list adjustments, call
(800) 879-6552 or (405) 815-5379, or send e-mail
to Kelli_Yadon@OKcommerce.gov. Check out our
website at www.OKcommerce.gov.
The Oklahoma Main Street Center provides training
and technical assistance for preservation-based com-mercial
district revitalization. The communities in the
Oklahoma Main Street Program actively implement
the 4-Point Main Street ApproachTM to commercial
district revitalization developed by the National Main
Street Center. The Oklahoma Main Street Center
also administers DesignWorks, a community design
assistance program in cooperation with the Oklahoma
Arts Council.
This publication printed by B&S Quality Printing, Inc.,
was issued by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce as
authorized by the Secretary of Commerce and Tourism, Dave
Lopez. 2,400 copies were produced at a cost of $1,104. Cop-ies
have been deposited with the Publications Clearinghouse
of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. December 2011.
900 N. Stiles
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Page 8
Thank You!
The Oklahoma Main
Street Center staff
wishes all of you a
very happy, and safe,
holiday season.
We thank you for all
your hard work on
behalf of your
communities and
look forward to work-ing
with you in the
coming year.
See you in 2012!
Left to right: Jeremy Zeller, economic restructuring; Kelli Yadon, marketing and social media;
Linda Barnett, director; Tracey Cox; design and promotions; and Larry Lucas, designer.