(DDA) Newsletter

City of Ionia
Downtown Development Authority Newsletter
October 1, 2016
Ionia Farmers’ Market
Main Street News
As the chill of autumn arrives, local vendors are
gearing up for the last month of the Farmers’
Market season. Scheduled through the entire
month of October, you can still stop by the
market to purchase fresh baked goods, pumpkins,
fresh fruits and vegetables. Looking for the
perfect holiday gift? Vendors offer a wonderful
selection of bees wax candles, maple syrup,
jewelry, soaps and lotions. The market is open on
Wednesday from 2pm - 6pm and Saturday from
9am - 1pm. Vendor spaces are only $3 each.
Downtown business and property owners have
been busy at work completing façade upgrades,
interior renovations and even changing their
locations to better serve customers.
Small Business Saturday
Join us as we celebrate the annual “Small
Business Saturday” event by shopping local
on November 26th in downtown Ionia. Area
businesses will be offering in-store specials,
giveaways, and home town customer service all
day long. In between the world of on-line mail
orders and the crazy mall syndrome, take a stroll
through beautiful downtown Ionia and support
our local businesses. Become an inspirational
shopper and create a “tourist in your own town”
experience for you and your friends.
Street Closure Requests
If you have an upcoming event or activity that
may require street closures, use of barricades or
planned use of the Fred Meijer Grand River Valley
Trail system, you must complete the proper
application forms and receive prior approval. For
more information, contact the DDA office at
(616) 527-1420.
Life EMS has expanded their parking area and
added a landscaped tiered slope to the property.
Several new parking spaces will ease congestion
and allow staff to utilize the full lot for vehicles.
Coldwell Banker Wier Manuel Hoppough moved
their offices to 154 North Dexter. Extending the
office services to seven days a week in addition to
the latest technology for home searches will aid
customers and their sales agents.
Brick Street Photography Studio is now open for
business and scheduling for all of your special
photo occasions. You are invited to visit with
Karlee and Marisa at 217 West Main Street or on
Facebook at BrickStreetStudio.
S & K Printing can now be found at 414 West
Main in the former Main Street Treasures shop.
Stop by and congratulate Tyler and staff on their
recent move to downtown.
The Law Offices of Duff Chadwick & Associates
recently placed the final touches on their new
building façade and entryway.
Restore Church recently celebrated the ground
breaking for the new facility with an official
ribbon cutting.
2016 Board of Directors
2016 Meeting Schedule
Mike Kirgis, Chairperson
Brett Patterson, Vice Chairperson
Rich Thompson, Secretary
Tim Hemenway, Treasurer
Dave Cook
Jenny Dinehart
Jim Killion
Ron Wilson
Mayor Daniel Balice, ex-officio
Regularly scheduled meetings of
the DDA are held on the third
Wednesday of each month at
8am at City Hall located at 114
North Kidd Street.
Contact Information
Director: Linda Curtis
Office: 203 W Main Street
(east of the Ionia Theatre)
Mail:
P.O. Box 496
Ionia, MI 48846
Phone: (616) 527-1420
Fax:
(616) 527-0810
[email protected]
www.ci.ionia.mi.us
October 19
November 16
December 21
DDA Committees
The Downtown Development
Authority welcomes new
members to their respective
committees. If you have an
interest in special events,
promotion / marketing or
community / business
development, please contact
the DDA at (616) 527-1420.
Upcoming
Special Events
Farmers’ Market season
Wednesday from 2pm to 6pm
Saturday from 9am to 1pm
Ladies Night Out
Tuesday, October 11th
Autumn Celebration and
Chili Dawg Challenge
Thursday, October 27th
Haunting at the Ionia Theatre
Saturday, October 22nd and
Saturday, October 29th
Small Business Saturday
November 26th
“Ladies Night Out”
Tuesday, October 11th 5pm to 8pm
All vendors will be showcased in
Steele Street Hall
located on the corner of
Steele Street and Adams Street.
Event supports the
Tom Louck’s Cancer Prevention Fund.
For more information,
contact Sue at 616.527.2800
Looking for lunch on the run? Try the Commission on Aging “Lunches to Go”. For $5, you get a bowl of
delicious soup and the scrumptious sandwich of the week plus dessert. Feel free to chose either a
sandwich or soup plus cookie for only $3. While enjoying a great lunch, your purchase also supports the
area’s Meals on Wheels program. Lunch served from 11:30am to 12:30pm at the Commission on Aging
facility. For more information, call 527.5365.
Soup: Beef Chili
Wednesday, October 5th
Sandwich: Roast Beef and Swiss on fold-it-bread
Soup: Chicken Noodle
Wednesday, October 12th
Sandwich: Egg Salad on a Croissant
Monster Cookie
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Wednesday, October 19th
Soup: Beef and Barley Sandwich: Roast Beef and Swiss on fold-it-bread
Molasses Cookie
Wednesday, October 26th
Soup: Ham and Potato Sandwich: Ham and Cheddar on a Croissant Sugar Cookie
Thursday, October 27th from 4pm to 7pm in downtown Ionia
In-store “Trick & Treating” from 5pm to 6:30pm
On Thursday, October 27th at 7:30pm
following Autumn Celebration.
Presented at the Ionia Theatre
and sponsored by
Live Local Realty.
Small Business Saturday - November 26th
Small Business Saturday
Seven Ways to Get Your Business Involved
By Tiffany Monhollon
1) Use Small Business Saturday Marketing Materials. There are a variety of materials that you can use to promote the
shop small movement for Small Business Saturday. On the American Express site, they offer printable signage, logos,
sample social media posts, ad templates, post card printables, and even a digital banner. Merchants who accept their
card and register can access even more materials and will appear on the Shop Small Map. You can kick start your
involvement by using these materials to get in on the buzz. The DDA will be providing materials for you to use as promotional tools!
2) Publicize a Discount, Coupon, or Promotion. Offering a special offer or promotion on Small Business Saturday is a great
way to help drive buzz about your involvement — as well as traffic to your business. Start by thinking about the types of
customers you want to reach during the holidays and craft a promotion, offer, special, or package that will resonate with
this audience. For example, do your target customers just want deep discounts, or are they more interested in supporting
businesses that give back to the local community? Are your target customers looking for services to help them have more
time over the holidays, or are they buying gifts for friends and family? Creating a special offer available during Small
Business Saturday can be a great way to participate in this event.
3) Host an Event. Events are a great way to drive business, so why not host something fun on Small Business Saturday? It
could be as simple as offering treats, customer appreciation gifts, or drawings and door prizes for shoppers who leave
their name and email address throughout the day. Events are also a great way for non-retail small businesses to generate
buzz, traffic, and interest on Small Business Saturday. For example, an automotive repair shop could offer a customer
appreciation event that day and along with offering food or refreshments, do giveaways, and offer discount coupons that
patrons could use to redeem services later in the year.
4) Collaborate With Other Local Businesses. Another way to participate in Small Business Saturday is to take part in it
with a group of local businesses and make an even bigger effort. For example, community events bring local businesses in
an area together to celebrate Small Business Saturday while also creating additional buzz in their local area and offering a
fun community event for local consumers. Nothing like this in your area? Why not spearhead something or reach out to
local organizations like your Chamber of Commerce to see if other area businesses might be interested in building a
community event around shopping local? Watch for updates from the DDA to boost your Small Business Saturday.
5) Integrate it Into Your Online Marketing. Getting into the Small Business Saturday spirit should also mean integrating
your efforts into your online marketing. Use the resources offered by American Express to put the Shop Small logo on
your website, and consider running a special series of search engine ads, social media posts, and display ads to help
publicize your special offers and involvement.
6) Create a Compelling Series of Emails. You can also generate buzz about your Small Business Saturday involvement by
using email marketing to let your customers and leads know what you have planned. This is a great way to bring old
customers back — and could also entice a lead to convert into a customer. Need some help thinking of emails to use?
The DDA will provide samples for you to use as promotional emails.
7) Capture & Nurture Small Business Saturday Leads. To ensure that your efforts around Small Business Saturday continue to pay off throughout the year, make sure to capture the email address of everyone who visits your business so that
you can nurture your leads and continue to share offers, specials, news, and insights with them. Make sure you’re
capturing leads from your website through call tracking and web forms. Have visitors to your business sign up to receive
emails from you and then hold a giveaway to all subscribers. Make sure to document the email addresses and then input
them into your system, or use a tablet to have people directly submit their email into a form so you can upload them
later.