grayling main street

Grayling Main Street
Newsletter
October, 2014
Shop Local
Small Business Saturday November 29
Saturday, November 29 is Small Business Saturday. Help
make a lasting impact in the place you call home on Small Business
Saturday®. Founded by American Express in 2010, it's a day to
celebrate the local businesses that make your neighborhood great —
and anyone can join in, from business owners to shoppers to
government officials. This year, the big day is Nov 29. Make sure to
Shop local in Grayling, MI and support your local businesses. Why
should you shop local? Check out these top 10 reasons why it is
important to keep its local.
1. Local Character and Prosperity
In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve
their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an
economic advantage.
2. Community Well-Being
Locally owned businesses build strong communities by sustaining
vibrant town centers, linking neighbors in a web of economic and
social relationships, and contributing to local causes.
3. Local Decision-Making
Local ownership ensures that important decisions are made locally
by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts
of those decisions.
4. Keeping Dollars in the Local Economy
Compared to chain stores, locally owned businesses recycle a much
larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching
the whole community.
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5. Job and Wages
Locally owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than chains do.
6. Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship fuels America’s economic innovation and prosperity, and serves as a key means for families to move out
of low-wage jobs and into the middle class.
7. Public Benefits and Costs
Local stores in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services
relative to big box stores and strip shopping malls.
8. Environmental Sustainability
Local stores help to sustain vibrant, compact, walk-able town centers-which in turn are essential to reducing sprawl,
automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution.
9. Competition
A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the longterm.
10. Product Diversity
A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based, not on a national sales plan, but on their own interests and
the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.
Christmas Walk 2014
The 2014 Christmas Walk will be held in Downtown
Grayling on November 22, 2014. Come out and enjoy the
Christmas Cheer in Grayling, MI. There will be a live Nativity
Scene at Michelson Memorial United Methodist Church. Mr.
Mrs. Santa Claus Pictures, Live Reindeer in front of North
Country Corner. Along with an old fashion trolley, pony
rides, street vendors and IN-STORE Specials & Sales. The
GPA’s Festival of Trees will be from 10:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. at
the Grayling Mini Mall.
12:00 p.m.: Children’s Movie, Disney’s “Frozen” at the
Crawford County Public Library (FREE)
2:00 p.m.: Christmas Show at Michelson Memorial United
Methodist Church (Donation Only)
5:00 p.m. Christmas Walk Parade on Michigan Avenue 3:00
p.m.-8:00 p.m.: Trolley & Horse Carriage Rides 10:00 a.m.8:00 p.m.: GPA Festival of Trees at Grayling Mini Mall
CHRISTMAS WALK 2014
!
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 22
3:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.
DOWNTOWN GRAYLING, MI
!
Schedule of Events
12:00 p.m.: Children’s Movie, Disney’s “Frozen” at the Crawford County Public Library
(FREE)
2:00 p.m.: Christmas Show at Michelson Memorial United Methodist Church (Donation
Only)
Xbox Challenge at Trust Fall Records & Coffee sponsored by
Q100
If you have any questions please contact Pam Barr at
[email protected] or at (989) 344-6000.
5:00 p.m. Christmas Walk Parade on Michigan Avenue
3:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.: Trolley & Horse Carriage Rides
10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.: GPA Festival of Trees at Grayling Mini Mall
Xbox Challenge at Trust Fall Records & Coffee sponsored by Q100
!
Live Nativity
Stree t Vendors
In-Store Specials
Live Reindeers
Pony Rides
Old Fashione d T rolley
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Organization
Chair: Therese Kaiser
CONTACT INFORMATION
OFFICE: LOCATED AT THE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE /
GRAYLING CITY PARK
The Organizational Committee has been busy making a volunteer
database, working on getting volunteer T-shirts and creating a traveling
information booth. Anyone wishing more information should feel free to contact
213 North James Street
PO Box 406
Grayling, MI 49738
me at [email protected] or at (989) 348-1340. VolunteerSpot is a great
place to see where we need help and can be found at http://vols.pt/m663M2 for
signing up for specific events. Next Organization meeting is November 12, 8:30
a.m. at Grayling Restaurant.
CURRENT OFFICE HOURS
MONDAY- 9-12 PM
Therese Kaiser
TUESDAY- 8:30-12 PM
Design
Chair: Dave Vargo
WEDNESDAY: 8-12 PM
THURSDAY: 8-12 PM
FRIDAY: 9-12 PM
Hello Grayling. I wanted to take a minute to explain what the Design
OR BY APPOINTEMENT
Committee is working on at this time. The Design Committee is focusing on the
*Also while my office hours are
during times in which it is difficult to
meet with business owners most of
my time I will be downtown
Grayling.
relationships with the business owners and getting them the information they need
to see how the design services could benefit their business. We will continue forge
the relationship with each business in hopes to educate them on the importance of
the services we offer. Second, the committee will be involved and work with the
Planning and Zoning Commission on creating blight laws for our community.
CURRENT CONTACT
INFORMATION
These laws will help improve the overall look of our community and create eyeappealing space as opposed to areas of blight. If anybody has questions, concerns
or would like to be apart of the committee, our next meeting will be November
5, 2014 at 5pm. The meeting will be at Paddle Hard Brewing. I hope to see some
EMAIL:
[email protected]
new faces at the meeting.
Cheers,
Office-phone: (989) 390-7689
Dave Vargo
Owner, Paddle Hard Brewing
www.facebook.com/paddlehardbrewing
Life's Short, Paddle Hard!!
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Economic Restructuring
Chair: Shannon Sorenson
The Economic Restructuring committee is now assembled and is begin to create work plans for future
projects. The Committee is looking at business retention & assessment of our downtown business needs. This includes
assembling an inventory of the all of the downtown buildings that are occupied and vacant. The Committee is also
beginning at looking into the Redevelopment Ready Community. The committee is currently beginning to create
future projects and would like others in the community to participate in creating future ideas for the committee to
complete. There will be trainings for the Redevelopment Ready Communities on November 5th & 6th in Traverse City.
The Next Economic Restructuring committee will have its next meeting on November 13 @ Grayling City Hall
at 7:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m.
Promotion
Co-Chairs: Pam Barr/ Patti Bonamie
The promotions committee is working on establishing a marketing committee that will look into how to market
the current assets of downtown Grayling, MI. Along with creating a marketing strategy, the promotions committee is
beginning to looking into branding downtown Grayling as a destination for tourism. One project that will evolve from
the marketing and branding strategies is a detailed shopping guide specifically for Grayling business that will allow
potential shoppers to know what is available in Grayling and where they will be able to locate these products or services.
The promotions committee is beginning to work plan for next year on potential projects. Next Meeting November
18, 2014 at 7:00 P.M. Grayling Nature Center.
Thank you for all that attending Ladies Night out!
Pam Barr
[email protected]
(989) 344-6000
*Grayling Main Street operates as a sub-committee of the Downtown Development Authority that follows the National Main
Streets Four-Point Approach.
Check out our NEW Website! downtowngrayling.com
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraylingMS
Twitter: @GraylingMainSt