New Nonprofit to Provide Grants and Resources to Independent Retailers
Heart on Main Street is a newly formed non-profit organization focused on four main pillars to help independent retailers thrive: financial grants, education, mentorships, and partnerships.
“Independent retailers are the heart and soul of our communities,” says Patrick Keiser, executive ddirector and board member of Heart on Main Street. “Forty six percent of every dollar spent in an independent retailer goes back into the community. Yet, independent retailers have less access to resources — financial and otherwise — than their larger competitors. It is the mission of Heart on Main Street to give independent retailers the resources to thrive.”
Effective March 1, independent retailers can apply for financial grants to help them invest in their business. Retailers who have been in business fewer than three years will be able to apply for acceptance to the Heart on Main Street mentorship program, in which those accepted retailers will be provided with access to experts in different phases of retail to help them plan for long-term success. The partnership network, Friends of Main Street, will provide access to vetted resources that can help independent retailers improve their business in targeted areas. Starting in February, Heart on Main Street will launch its educational webinar series providing actionable information to retailers.
“Heart on Main Street fulfills an unmet need for independent retailers of all kinds,” says Bridget Brennan, CEO of Female Factor Corp. and Winning Her Business author and Heart on Main Street board of directors member. “Its mission is focused on providing a broad array of resources to help independent retailers adapt, grow and build sustainable businesses.”
Other Heart on Main Street board members are Crystal Vilkaitis, CEO of Crystal Media; Joan Ulrich, executive vice president of Dallas Market Center; Beth Rich, owner of Mix It Up Home; Mary Liz Curtin, owner of Leon and Lulu; Majda Rensberger, president of OneCoast; Thom Petrouski, vice president of tag; Jim Carlisle, partner Dinsmore & Shohl LLP; Stu Teller, retired CEO of Michel Design Works; and John Keiser, CEO of OneCoast.
For more information on Heart on Main Street or to donate, visit www.heartonmainstreet.org.
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