Small Business Big Heart
Diverting a bit from our usual dog metaphors, we wanted to highlight a local small business, new to us. And without a certain type of marketing, perhaps it would have taken us longer to learn about them.
We have discussed many types of marketing strategies over the years on this Blog. Ad Campaigns, Email, Cards, Candy, and sponsorships to name a few. We have discussed choosing local charities to lend a sponsorship or an auction gift. And, this method, is how we heard about The Shabby Shrub.
Being new to the immediate local area of Jamestown since moving here a few months ago, we are still discovering all the gems this area has to offer. An adjacent town, Lakewood, has much to offer on the retail side. There are many small businesses. And those are the stores and shops we prefer to focus on when shopping.
Last weekend we attended an event, the second year for us, at one of my sister’s larger clients in town, St. Luke’s, and their Empty Bowls fundraising event. AI defines this event as follows: ‘An Empty Bowls fundraiser is a global grassroots event where artists create unique ceramic bowls, which are then sold to raise money for local charities fighting hunger, with attendees receiving a simple meal (soup/bread) and keeping the handcrafted bowl as a reminder of empty bowls in the community.’ St. Luke’s had an additional raffle component. You received one raffle ticket for your total purchase and could buy them as well.
Well, much to our surprise, we did have the winning ticket for a basket donated by The Shabby Shrub. In it, this lovely sweatshirt with a great small business phrase on it: ‘Small Business Big Heart.’ We love the shirt and all the components of the basket and now follow them on social media and have told our friends here about them as well. We hope to visit them in the next week or so, before the holidays.
Donating a basket of your goods and/or services is a strategic move to support great causes and market your business. It can reach people your normal marketing efforts haven’t yet and it places you front and center as a firm that supports your local community and wonderful charitable causes. How can you not want to shop at a place like this?
If you are in the local Western NY or Erie, PA communities, please look them up on social media, like their pages, and stop by for a visit. Empty Bowls is a great effort and thanks to all the volunteers and businesses who donated their time and/or goods to make it such a success!
