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Boost your rural retail business with this trick

By Deb Brown

Shoppers at a furniture store find temporary displays of jewelry and skin care products.

By Deb Brown The old way of doing business is one building, one business. What if you could test an idea and have a business inside a business? Anyone of us either knows or can find someone who is making things from their home and selling it. What if you encouraged already existing home-based businesses […]

November 5, 2021 Filed Under: economic development, entrepreneurship, ideas, rural Tagged With: building community, Deb Brown, economic development, entrepreneurs, guest post, pop ups, retail, rural, store

Downtown is your town’s core: How to make your case

By Becky McCray

Why does downtown matter? I’ve been asked why downtowns matter to small towns. Why should you invest your time and money into revitalizing your downtown? What makes it more important than any other area of town? What about that highway frontage? Or the edge of town where the discounters locate? In our Survey of Rural […]

February 22, 2021 Filed Under: Best of, community, economic development, rural, shop local Tagged With: building community, community development, downtown, economic development, Joe Borgstrom, main street, opinion, Place and Main, rural

Communities Need All Types of Businesses

By Glenn Muske

Small communities often are looking for ways to enhance and expand their local economies. A commonly used tool in this effort is encouraging the building and expansion of local businesses. Communities want jobs and dollars, and they usually want them relatively quickly. Often development plans look towards high-fliers and/or large firms. Yet, the local business […]

November 12, 2015 Filed Under: community, rural, Small Biz 100 Tagged With: building community, economic development, entrepreneurs, small business

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Best of Small Biz Survival

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Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

Holyoke Hummus Company cart

How one food business keeps adapting, from table to cart to truck, to restaurant and back again

Make extra money from extra workspace: co-working and 3rd workplaces in small towns

Newspaper story headline says, "Made in Dorrigo Markets a bustling success"

Boost your maker economy with a “Made in” day

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