December 2022 - Downtown Wabash, Inc.

2022: Andrea’s Version

Posted on December 21, 2022December 21, 2022 by Adrianna Town

Holy macaroni, it’s the end of 2022! Is anyone else in denial?! I just celebrated my four year work anniversary with the organization and I realized some of you don’t know my origin story!

My husband and I moved to Indiana in 2007 from our hometowns in Wisconsin and Ohio. Downtown Wabash was a different place before the renovation of Charley Creek Inn and construction of the YMCA. Many storefronts were vacant. It’s almost hard to remember. People often asked us why we moved to Wabash, as if it was a horrible place to be. We saw the trajectory–the arts, the historic buildings, the people. We saw the vision. Since then, we have built a wonderful life in Wabash. We have two kids, a house within walking distance of downtown and a robust network of people that make this place feel like home.

Fast forward to 2018: Wabash Marketplace, Inc. (now rebranded as Downtown Wabash, Inc.) asked me to join as a temporary part-time employee to help move projects forward with my experience of three years on the Board and 10 years as the chair of the Design Committee. Within two weeks, I was asked to serve as interim project coordinator. After several months, I was hired as the full-time Project Coordinator at the end of 2018. Steve Downs was the Executive Director and we worked together for nearly a year before he retired and the board appointed me as the Executive Director in October 2019.

*The vibrant colors and new facade work on this strip of Wabash Street are just snippets of dollars reinvested into Downtown Wabash*

Since then, we’ve seen a lot of projects come and go: a global pandemic with unprecedented impact on small businesses, new office at Wabash Landing, hiring a second full-time position for marketing and PR, celebrating 40 years as a nonprofit, rebranding to Downtown Wabash, Inc., adding a part-time position and more! I am proud to have brought consistency, stability, professionalism and change to the organization.

I say all this… but why does it matter? So why is this organization important? Why do we need a vibrant downtown? I think my origin story helps shape this dialogue. Downtowns are important because they provide quality of place.

Place.

Imagine One85, the new county-wide strategic plan, says this.
The State of Indiana’s READI program says this.
The Wall Street Journal says this.

People want a place.
And we want people.
We NEED people.
We need people to grow our population.

*This lively crew meets nearly every morning in the summer for coffee (even when there are Downtown improvements happening!)*

Downtowns across the country are experiencing new investment fueled by demographic changes, remote work capability and desire for walkable, mixed-use places. Wabash is no different with developers, residents and tourists rediscovering Downtown over the past two decades. Since the year 2000, more than $73 Million have been invested in downtown projects. That’s $3 Million per year. Continued growth and development is necessary in Downtown because of the role it continues to play in shaping the city’s culture, identity and quality of place.

So that brings us back to this organization. Our vision is a downtown district that is vibrant, every day and night. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Where Downtown is the go-to place for arts, shopping, dining, entertaining and living.

We are place makers. And we do this as a Main Street Organization. We’re not a downtown business association, or a business improvement district, or a chamber of commerce. A Main Street is an organization working day in day out to transform communities, celebrate historic character and revitalize local economies across the country.

*We hosted a large group of Downtown property owners in our office with Main Street America and Indiana OCRA representatives to talk Downtown Wabash trends, improvements and reinvestments*

We’re one of the 1,200 programs across 45 states with Main Street America.
Within Indiana, we’re one of 118 programs evaluated by Indiana’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
And of the 118 in Indiana, only 17 are nationally accredited.
We’re the only nationally accredited program in Northeast Indiana.
Other communities in our tier include Kokomo, Noblesville and Muncie.
Did you know in Wabash County alone, there are 3 Main Street programs–Wabash, North Manchester and Roann?

So we lean on our network across the state and across the nation. Trends in Main Street include prioritizing housing and doubling the current inventory; championing small-scale development projects under $5 Million; identifying a transformation strategy (in other words picking one topic for a district to laser focus its programing efforts).

*Andrea toured Denny Spinner, Executive Director of the Indiana Office of Rural and Community Affairs, around Downtown Wabash*

So is this revitalization model working?

In 2021, Indiana reports $203 Million in investment. We contribute $3 million dollars of that.

594 new jobs. We contribute 19 of those jobs.

At the national level, Main Street America reports on the investment of $5.7 Billion and 6,600 jobs as a whole network. This is our work as a single community in the network of nearly 2,000 communities doing the same thing.

Did you know every $1 to support our mission leverages $19.24 in new investment in our community? $1 becomes $19. That’s our return on investment in Downtown Wabash.

*Aubrey & Kyle Williams of KWA Holdings, who recently restored the old Stinson’s Trading Post building on the corner of Miami & Canal Streets*

We could never do this work alone! We need our Board of Directors to vision-cast; our volunteers to turn big projects into bite size portions; our donors to amplify the investment; our downtown business community to bring smiles to customers; our partner organizations to share the impact with stakeholders. We need a community and the Wabash community sure is a beauty.

My, how the conversations have changed in 15 years! Now, people see Downtown Wabash with beautifully restored buildings, so many storefront options and they wish they could live here! They tell us why we are lucky to be here.

*The Dream Team posed for a photo at the Grow Wabash County annual dinner*

Our next phase is growth which means it is new, challenging and a little scary! With our deep roots in the community and support from our network, I know we can accomplish big dreams. I see beautiful things on the horizon.

Lots of love from Downtown Wabash,
Andrea

2022: Morgan’s Version

Posted on December 21, 2022January 12, 2023 by Adrianna Town

It’s me, Morgan, the PR & Marketing Manager and magician behind the screens. Fancy meeting you here (I’m the writer behind most of our Downtown Buzz Blogs)!

I’m super lucky to be working for an organization that’s devoted to the health and prosperity of its 2.5 mile Downtown footprint, which also happens to be where I live. I came to Downtown Wabash on a whim with a communications degree in hand and lengthy arts background to share. Now, I live, work, play and dine in Downtown Wabash every single day and I wouldn’t trade it for anything at this time in my life.

*That’s me on the far right with some amazing friends and local artists like Kristy Church & Kaleigh Middelkoop*

As this nonprofit organization’s brand, public relations and marketing manager, I’m still sitting on cloud nine from all of our rebranding efforts that we accomplished this year. Early this year, Monday, Feb. 21 to be exact, Downtown Wabash, Inc. successfully accomplished one of the most important things an established nonprofit organization could do: a full rebrand from Wabash Marketplace, Inc. to Downtown Wabash, Inc.

*Our community partner Visit Wabash County featured our rebrand in their 2022 Visitor’s Guide*

Let me explain to you why executing a full rebrand is so important for any established brand and most important to this organization.

As Wabash Marketplace, Inc., there was community confusion around what our organization did, who it served, who was involved, what the mission was, what a Main Street organization was and how it was successful.
Wabash Marketplace, Inc., a 40-years-old nonprofit organization, had lost its sparkle. The public was used to the same product, same language, same color, style and overall tone in the community.
Our team had grown to two full time and one part time team members after years of employee turnover. Our Executive Director Andrea, myself and our Downtown Coordinator Carly were ready to grow locally, in the Northeast Indiana region, the State of Indiana, the Midwest and at the national level.
The mission and vision of Wabash Marketplace, Inc., a Nationally Accredited Main Street organization, needed some updating to better-tell the story of our impact in Downtown Wabash. Sprucing up the mission and vision statements meant changing the imagery and storytelling that’s current with national trends in many other flourishing downtown districts.

Wondering how we accomplished this?

For starters, we changed the 40-years-old name from Wabash Marketplace, Inc. to Downtown Wabash, Inc. And with that came new logos, colors, fonts, tone and style; new imagery; new website; new and improved mission and vision statements; new organizational values; new internal staff protocols; new event execution standards; new organization methods; new small business opportunities; new transformation strategy; and many other new things.

As that magician behind the screens, I’ve touched nearly every aspect of this rebranding with the knowledge and history of Andrea and Carly, of course. Planning, executing and maintaining this rebrand has, by far, been the most exciting, yet challenging piece of my 2022 in Downtown Wabash.

*One of our iconic branding photos of Downtown Wabash! Check out those shade sails–look familiar in our new logos?*

There’s more than just the rebranding in 2022 that I’m excited about! For example, our website received the Nonprofit Standard of Excellence Award in the Web Marketing Association’s 2022 WebAwards Competition. This accolade wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the rest of this team and our developer, Javon Bell of Bellaire Studio.

This organization was able to plan and execute more than 40 public events including 11 First Fridays, 20 Downtown Wabash Farmers Markets, Sidewalk Sales, Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza, Jingle Jubilee and Holiday Shopping campaigns. We’ve estimated that between all three of us, we dedicated more than 800 hours of womanpower to these events this year.

In March, we hosted our first-ever Leprechaun-Con Bar Crawl in Downtown Wabash and in September, we launched our first-ever Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration honoring Mexican artists and Hispanic culture in Northeast Indiana. In June, we welcomed Miah Michaelsen of the Indiana Arts Commission and Senator Andy Zay to our Wabash Cultural District celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony while simultaneously launching the inaugural Wabash Cultural District Coupon Booklet, exclusive to businesses residing within the district. During the warmer First Fridays when sections of the district were so packed with family-friendly activities and attractions, we were able to activate Paradise Spring Park with food trucks, vendors, live music and kid-friendly opportunities.

*One of the coolest public relations tactics of my career completed yet: The Whatzup special edition Wabash Cultural District insert*

Carly, while being a full time student at Indiana University Kokomo, executed 20 weeks of the Downtown Wabash Farmers Market for her first year as Market Coordinator. In 2022, she helped more than 45 local vendors bring in more than $150,000 in sales. (If you’ve been following our messaging, that’s $100,500 that stays in the local economy with every 67¢ on the $1.)

The Downtown Wabash Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza had gorgeous weather for the coveted candy dump of a LITERAL TON of candy, which brought more than 4,000 people to the Downtown Wabash district. Despite the bitter cold and questionable travel conditions during our annual holiday kickoff event, Jingle Jubilee brought families into Downtown Wabash from states like Arizona, Illinois and Michigan.

I sit here to write this reflection on 2022 and wow, everything has blurred together. A few things I will never forget that came out of the Downtown Wabash, Inc. office in 2022 are the team environment we’ve cultivated, the constant drive to be a socially responsible organization and the impact we have on Downtown Wabash, as well as recognition received from our regional, state and national partners and fellow Main Street organizations.

I’m humbled by the work we’ve achieved, goals we’ve reached, people we’ve met and stories we’ve heard in 2022. If these are the lasting memories of 2022, I’m thrilled to see what memories come out of our office in 2023.

*A magical rooftop view not often captured from Downtown Wabash*

Cheers to a great ride in 2022 and cheers to the new year! I’m excited to continue to share the stories and mission of this organization with you in 2023.

Much love,
Morgan

2022: Carly’s Version

Posted on December 21, 2022December 21, 2022 by Adrianna Town

I officially have nearly one year under my belt at Downtown Wabash, Inc. as Downtown & Farmers Market Coordinator! I am not a new face to the team, as I was a high school intern, and then a summer employee. Now, as I strive toward obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from IU Kokomo, I am happy to continue to work for this organization part-time. I have learned, experienced and grown so much in my position in just one year’s time. I love reflecting on a year full of accomplishments during this season; it’s like taking a trip down memory lane. Come for a walk with me!

When I rejoined the team in January, the organization was just about to launch its rebranding to the public; going from Wabash Marketplace, Inc. to Downtown Wabash, Inc. The year was off to an exciting start and I was thrilled to be a part of it!

*First Friday event staff, winning at all things First Friday*

During the early months of 2022, I prepared to coordinate the Downtown Wabash Farmers Market for the first time. The 15th season of the market called for celebration and all things new: new coordinator, new logo, new opportunities.

As the market season approached, I, who have never been a morning person, silently dreaded the thought of waking up at 6 a.m. every Saturday for the next 20 weeks. I had many mixed feelings. I was so excited, yet so nervous to be the new coordinator. The season became one of the biggest highlights of my year. (I’d like to add, I never once overslept, and am now a morning person!)

*Lots of Farmers Market shoppers gathering for fresh produce in the 15th season*

Over the 20-week season, I met many new faces. I got to know the vendors who have been part of the market for years and brand new ones, too. I listened to their stories, their favorite things about the market and what they hoped to see happen during the season. I watched the vendors connect with one another. I loved the supportive community that the vendors had built; it was like a little farmers market family! The market-goers added to this community feeling and showed out week after week to support local growers, makers and artisans. Our market reached record-breaking attendance and I enjoyed photographing the memories being made at the market each week by families, friends, vendors, and dog moms and dads.

For the first time, we held vendor social media trainings welcome to all Downtown Wabash Farmers Market vendors to demonstrate best practices to grow their business online. We hosted a Kids Corner with different activities nearly every week including: seed starting, a taste testing stamping map during National Farmers Market Week, live farm animals at the market and many more. With this new addition, the market was happy to partner with BABE of Wabash County to offer BABE coupons to families with children aged 0-5 who took part in these activities. We moved the market to Paradise Spring Park for the first time during the Kunkel Cruise-In and despite the rain, enjoyed the change of pace.

Our market grew in size and hosted 47 vendors throughout the 20 week season who curate handmade, homemade and homegrown goods only. The variety of goods found at the market catered to all audiences with products like fresh produce, meats, flowers, artisan and baked goods, hot breakfast, specialty coffee and much more.

Tracking vendor sales was another first for our team and we found that among those 47 vendors, $150,000 in vendor revenue was generated! A season of success cannot be done alone–I’m thankful for the vendors, the community, the rest of the Downtown Wabash team and the handful of volunteers for helping make the season fantastic. The Downtown Wabash Farmers Market continues to serve as a gathering place on Saturday mornings from May – September for the community to shop, eat, come together and play. Overall, the market season exceeded my expectations and went by too quickly. I cannot wait for the 2023 season to get here!

*The Dream Team with our community partner, Rosalina Perez of WEOC*

With eleven First Fridays in one year, it’s hard to pick a favorite! I’d have to say my top 3 favorites were April’s ‘Hop into Spring’ featuring the egg hunt at Paradise Spring Park, June’s ‘Downtown Wabash pARTy’ featuring a ribbon cutting ceremony of the Wabash Cultural District and the beloved Paint the Plow event, and September’s ‘Fiesta Friday’ in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

*The Sanderson Sisters (JUST KIDDING, it’s the Dream Team again)*

“The greatest spectacle in candy,” AKA the Downtown Trick-or-Treat Extravaganza, was a sight to see! My dear sisters (or boss and co-worker dressed as the Sanderson Sisters) and I enjoyed seeing all the families trick-or-treating in Downtown. The event brought nearly 4,000 people to Downtown!

*Look at that, The Dream Team, but make it holidays*

I love experiencing Downtown Wabash during the holiday season. I’ve heard many say “it’s like a town you see in a Hallmark Movie,” and I completely agree: it’s so magical! I’ve spent the last couple months of 2022 soaking in all this holiday magic. I got to experience my first Jingle Jubilee on-staff in November and Cookie Walk at December’s First Friday. I also made it my mission to buy nearly every present for my family and friends locally this year during Small Business Saturday! Lights at Paradise has become a holiday must-do. (If you haven’t experienced Lights at Paradise yet, you have until January 8th!).

*Morgan with my presentation on her for my PR class*

School and work came together this year for me when I got to job shadow Morgan for my Public Relations class. I learned more in-depth about her professional background and was able to see materials I learned in class be brought to life through her projects. At the end of the semester, I created a presentation with all that I learned from job shadowing Morgan (which got an A)!

It has been a memorable year, for sure. All the experiences, relationships and memories that the year has brought leave me feeling so blessed to be part of this hometown of mine while in college. I love being part of the Downtown Wabash team with Andrea and Morgan. There’s never a dull moment in the office or in downtown! With almost an official year under my belt, I’m eager to hit the ground running in 2023.

What a ride it’s been! Cheers to 2022! I’m excited to see you all at events in Downtown in 2023.

Best wishes,
Carly

9 reasons why shopping small makes a difference

Posted on December 16, 2022February 20, 2023 by Adrianna Town

According to CNBC, America’s largest holiday in terms of spending is Christmas by far, which is why so many retailers rely on the fourth quarter retailing season to drive their earnings. You may have noticed more pressing language in the marketing stratosphere for holiday shopping and holiday-themed events like: Shop Small, Support Small Businesses, Support Independently Owned Businesses, Support Local Businesses and lots more.

Schlemmer’s Fire & Outdoor // Warming Indiana homes since 1903, locally.

But how can we do that, really?

Shopping, ordering local take-out, tipping generously, buying gift cards and shopping now to use for later are the first, no-brainers of supporting small businesses. For every $1 spent at a small, local, independently owned business, 67¢ stays in the local economy.

While spending your dollars locally is important, there are other ways to support small businesses through digital and personal avenues. Supporting small businesses, beyond shopping, is easier than you think.

On the digital front, consider following your favorite small businesses on social media and sharing their content to your feed for your friends and followers to see. Don’t have social media? Write an outstanding Google or Yelp review sharing all the reasons why you love those businesses so much. Subscribe to their e-newsletters (you might snag good shopping deals there, too!).

Are you someone who makes it a point to be personal with someone? Consider doing things for your favorite small businesses like going out of your way to show your appreciation or delivering lunch to the whole team. Know a small business owner personally? Check in on them and see how they’re doing and if there’s anything you can do to help support them. Refer your friends and family members to those small businesses for their shopping needs too.

Kaleigh M Photography // Capturing carefully curated moments, locally.

What’s the financial impact on the local economy when shopping at small businesses?

According to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), there are at least four financial impacts that shopping local has on a local economy. Apart from 67¢ on every dollar staying in the local economy, here are four more financial impacts.

By shopping local, you…

Create Local Jobs | 1.2 Million Hoosier jobs come from small businesses in Indiana. When you support small businesses in your neighborhood, you’re helping to create higher-paying jobs for your neighbors and even creating jobs for essential professions such as educators and first responders.

Help the Environment | By shopping locally, you help to conserve energy and resources in the forms of less fuel for transportation and less packaging, which reduces your personal and communal carbon footprint.

Conserve your Tax Dollars | Taking your hard-earned money into small business districts in your community means less infrastructure, less maintenance and more money to be used to beautify your community. And, spending your money locally and in-store means that your sales taxes are being reinvested where they belong: your community.

Invest in Entrepreneurship | Investing your dollars back into your community supports the creative, entrepreneurial dreams of small business owners, wanting to make their community a better, more vibrant place to be.

Badger Tool Belts // Designing Blue Collar Briefcases®, locally.

Is there more than just a financial impact when shopping at small businesses?

We look to Indiana’s OCRA for the base of this information, but we see it happening at the local level here in Wabash, Indiana, too.

By shopping local, you…

Embrace what makes your Community Unique | Each defining characteristic of a downtown district is unique to itself. When you support the small businesses that make up that district, you’re celebrating its uniqueness.

Nurture Community | The downtown district is more than just commercial and retail spaces. It’s also a neighborhood full of dreams and everyday lives of small business owners, who make a difference in your community.

Create More Choice | Shopping at small, local businesses allows small business owners to pick items and products for their racks and shelves based on what you, as the shopper, like.

Take Advantage of their Expertise | When you shop small, and support those neighborhood businesses, odds are, you’re connected to those business owners somehow. You are the friend and neighbor of business owners vested in getting to know how to serve you as the customer (and you somewhat take on an ambassador mindset when you refer your friends and neighbors to that small business).

Make your Community a Destination | As a snowball effect prompted by fellow local shoppers, the more interesting your community, the more attractive it is for people outside of your community to explore why it’s so great. This benefits everyone.

Borders & Beyond Gallery // Uniquely framing art and memories, locally.

And as a bonus, here’s our take on why it’s important to shop small and support local, independently owned businesses.

Over the 41 years that our nonprofit organization has been working toward reaching our Main Street goals, we’ve heard stories of how Downtown Wabash has changed through the decades and now it’s back to a place of bustling amenities, events, nightlife and weekend destination fun. From all shopping establishments, restaurants and bars, arts and culture amenities and outdoor recreation opportunities, we have more than 100 small businesses and things to do in our 2.5 mile footprint.

In short, Downtown Wabash has grown and continues to grow, thanks to the people who shop locally, invest in small businesses, fund our arts organizations, shape economic development projects, beautify the district, bring interactive art to the district, build new businesses, live in the district and champion the downtown district of our micropolitan city of Wabash, Indiana.

That’s our take on why shopping small and supporting small, local, independently owned businesses is important, especially for Downtown Wabash, Indiana.

Consider keeping your holiday shopping (and year-round shopping trips, date nights, coffee runs, family weekends, outdoor excursions and immersive art activities) local with small businesses in your neighborhood.

Want to add an easy way to keep your dollars local? Purchase Downtown Dollars from the Downtown Wabash, Inc. office (or online!) to spend at more than 30 businesses in the district! Treat them like cash but flex where you spend them.

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Month: December 2022