Main Street Business Insights

Continuously Improving & Adapting to Change with Nicole Fleetwood and McKinzie Hodges, Scratch Made Bakery

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Nicole Fleetwood and McKinzie Hodges, co-owners of Scratch Made Bakery in Amarillo, Texas. Scratch Made Bakery was selected to be featured on the podcast through a nomination from Beth Duke, Executive Director of Center City of Amarillo, an Accredited Main Street organization. 
 
Nicole Fleetwood opened the bakery in 2012 on historic Route 66 in downtown Amarillo. She came to Amarillo with her family soon after she had won an episode of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network. Since that time, she added her bakery partner, McKinzie Hodges. Together, Nicole and McKinzie have had to pivot the business several times: When the cupcake craze peaked, they started selling macarons, cookies, and decorated cakes. In 2016, they added a brunch menu to grow their business. In the years since, they pivoted away from offering brunch items to focus more on what they love: providing baked goods and decorated cakes to their community. 
 
In their conversation, they discuss Nicole and McKinzie’s path to entrepreneurship, how they support one another, and ways they’ve had to adapt to unexpected changes.

Creating Accessible and Welcoming Spaces with Tiffany Fixter, Brewability

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Tiffany Fixter, owner of Brewability, an inclusive craft brewery and pizzeria that employs adults with disabilities based in Englewood, Colorado. Brewability was also awarded a Backing Small Businesses grant in 2023 through American Express and Main Street America.  
As a former special education teacher, Tiffany has a heart for creating welcoming, inclusive, and fully accessible spaces for people with disabilities. Coupled with a passion for wanting to make a difference in her local community and a strong work ethic, she developed the concept for Brewability back in 2016 with the intention of providing employment opportunities and a welcoming gathering space for those with disabilities and the community as a whole. 
In their conversation, they discuss Tiffany’s path to entrepreneurship, how the Backing Small Businesses grant funding has impacted the business and community, and her advice for how all business owners can create more accessible and welcoming spaces.  

Why Retail Real Estate Matters with Bobby Boone, &Access

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Bobby Boone, founder and Chief Strategist of &Access. Based in New Orleans, &Access creates data-driven and design-centric retail real estate solutions for historically excluded entrepreneurs and under-invested neighborhoods. 
Bobby has a strong background in economic development and real estate. Prior to founding &Access, Bobby led an effort to attract and maintain small businesses in Detroit and tackled wide-ranging retail challenges as a senior strategist at Streetsense. 
In this conversation, they discuss how retail can be a key economic development driver, ways small businesses add social capital to communities, challenges facing retailers and the solutions offered by &Access. They touch on anti-displacement solutions for business owners, how digital commerce is impacting local retailers, and how business owners can acquire properties in ways that meet their own unique goals. 

Breaking Into a New Community with Jennifer Jones, Good Times Coal Fired Pizza & Pub

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Jennifer Jones, co-owner of Good Times Coal Fired Pizza and Pub in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Located in historic Big Stone Gap Main Street, Good Times is a coal-fired pizzeria and pub, music venue, and community gathering place. In the heart of Appalachian coal country, the coal-fired pizzeria also nods to the area’s unique heritage and geography. 
Jennifer and her husband Brian purchased the business from the previous owner in 2021, soon after relocating to Big Stone Gap from northern California. The move from California to Virginia had been a long-time dream of Jennifer’s, who has an affinity for the Appalachian Mountains, but landing in Big Stone Gap was largely due to coincidence. When Brian and Jennifer were visiting the area looking for a town to put down roots, they stopped in Big Stone Gap (at the very restaurant they would later own) for a bite to eat. They were met with such a welcoming atmosphere and kind people that they stopped their search then and there. “It was like Big Stone Gap was saying, ‘Pick us!’” said Jennifer. 
Brian and Jennifer have a background in entrepreneurship and were interested in starting or purchasing a business once they got settled. When the previous owner of Good Times announced they were selling, Brian and Jennifer jumped on the opportunity. Since taking over, they have completed a kitchen renovation, added community events, and more. 
In this conversation, they discuss why Jennifer and Brian chose to relocate to Big Stone Gap, their experience of owning a downtown business in a new community, and how they’ve grown and expanded the existing business into something unique to them. 

Embracing Digital and Demystifying AI with Janet Hurn, Future Ready Consulting

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Janet Hurn, co-founder of Future Ready Consulting in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
Future Ready Consulting is a technology-focused marketing consulting firm, specializing in supporting small business owners with digital skills. Janet was also one of 10 small business coaches who provided free training to small business owners in rural areas through Main Street America’s Grow with Google Digital Coaches program in 2023.  
In their conversation, they discuss Janet’s background as a physicist, and her path from the world of academia into entrepreneurship. Janet’s gift for making complicated subject matter understandable has helped her successfully bridge her professions: teaching university-level physics and coaching small business owners to use AI and other digital tools.  
Janet breaks down how small business owners can use technology to streamline and optimize their administrative processes and marketing efforts, the importance of continuing to adapt your marketing strategy, and simple ways business owners can use artificial intelligence to save time and money. 
Further Reading: Future Ready Consulting | Main Street Ohio | Main Street Digital Coaches | Grow with Google Training with Janet Hurn | Virtual Co-Working App, Focusmate

Coping with Isolation and Building Community with Derrick Braziel, MORTAR & Pata Roja Taqueria

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Derrick Braziel, owner of Pata Roja Taqueria and co-founder of MORTAR, in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
In their conversation, they discuss Derrick’s origins as an entrepreneur, which began in 2014 with the launch of MORTAR, an organization that enables historically marginalized entrepreneurs to access the resources needed to start and run successful businesses.  
Out of his participation in a MORTAR program, Derrick was able to test out his own business idea: a taco truck. A decade later, Derrick’s food truck, Pata Roja Taqueria, is thriving – and he’s actively working towards setting up a brick-and-mortar restaurant expected to open this year. 
Matt and Derrick also discuss the rarely discussed but prevalent issues of burnout, isolation, and loneliness facing many business owners, and how Derrick has learned to cope, adapt, and learn from his own experiences with them.  
Further Reading: Pata Roja Taqueria | MORTAR | Main Street Ohio |

2024 Predictions for Main Street Businesses

Welcome to Season 2 of Main Street Business Insights! In our first episode of the season, you’ll hear from host Matt Wagner about his predictions for the small business landscape in 2024. This episode focuses on the macroeconomic technology and societal trends that he believes will impact the work of Main Street leaders and the businesses we seek to nurture and support. Given the topics and guests coming up in Season 2, this episode is meant to lay out the issues, trends, and shifts that our business owners are likely to experience in the coming year.  
Matt will break down his predictions from last year – the misses, the wins, and a push prediction from 2023. Plus, he’ll use data, stories, and anecdotal evidence to make his six predictions for 2024.  
Further Reading: 2024 Predictions Blog | 2023 Predictions Blog | 2022 Predictions Blog 

Tips for Connecting with Community

We’re hard at work on season two, capturing fresh conversations with business owners around the country. In the meantime, we wanted to put out some bonus episodes with highlights from season one. Each of the three bonus episodes will focus on a different theme, and will be released in the weeks leading up to the launch of season 2 in late January.
In this bonus episode, you'll hear from small business owners from our first season who make connecting with their community a top priority. They share tips on how to build strong relationships with local people and organizations -- and build the case for why other small business owners should consider integrating community development into their core practices. 
This episode features:
Christine Hollerbach, CEO of Hollerbach's German Restaurant in Sanford, Florida.
Listen to the full episode here.
Jamie and Jerry Baker, co-owners of Trendy Teachers in Rome, Georgia
Listen to the full episode here.
Martha Moore and Ashley Owens, co-owners and founders of Martha & Ash in Camden, South Carolina
Listen to the full episode here.
Kenneth Bentley, co-host of The Barbershop Conversation podcast, based in Goldsboro, Florida.
Listen to the full episode here.
Harvey Williams, co-founder and CEO of Delta Dirt Distillery in Helena, Arkansas
Listen to the full episode here.
Terrand Smith, founder and CEO of 37 Oaks in Chicago, Illinois
Listen to the full episode here.
Danny Reynolds, owner of Stephenson's of Elkhart in Elkhart, Indiana
Listen to the full episode here.
Lindsay McDonald Goodson, CEO of Keith McDonald Plumbing in Milledgeville, Georgia
Listen to the full episode here.
Amber Lambke, co-founder and CEO of Maine Grains in Skowhegan, Maine. 
Listen to the full episode here.
Anette Soto Landeros, co-owner of Casa Azul Coffee and President and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Fort Worth, Texas
Listen to the full episode here.

Advice for Other Main Street Entrepreneurs

While we work on season two, capturing fresh conversations with business owners around the country, enjoy the second of three bonus episodes, featuring some of our favorite moments from season one. This week’s episode we’ve gathered some of the best advice we heard from entrepreneurs and community leaders across the country. First up is Christina Hollerbach, second generation owner of her family’s restaurant in Sanford, Florida. She shares some great insights into how Main Street businesses can create and foster strong brand identities.

Working with Your Local Main Street Organization

We’re hard at work on season two, capturing fresh conversations with business owners around the country. In the meantime, we wanted to put out some bonus episodes with highlights from season one. Each of the three bonus episodes will focus on a different theme, and this week we’re hearing about how local entrepreneurs have leveraged the power of a Main Street community to establish, maintain, and grow their ventures.
 
This episode features:
- Amber Lambke, co-founder and CEO of Maine Grains in Skowhegan, Maine. Listen to the full episode here.
- Kenneth Bentley, Davion Hampton, Emory Green Jr., The Barbershop Conversation podcast team in Goldsboro, Florida. Listen to the full episode here.
- Christina Hollerbach, CEO of Hollerbach's German Restaurant in Sanford, Florida. Listen to the full episode here.
- Harvey Williams, CEO of Delta Dirt Distillery in Helena, Arkansas. Listen to the full episode here.
- Anette Soto Landeros, co-owner of Casa Azul Coffee and President and CEO of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Fort Worth, Texas. Listen to the full episode here. In this episode, Anette refers to the GM on Main Street grant. To learn about this program, please click here.