Podcast: Main Street Matters
Terresa Zimmerman, the founder of the Wood, the men’s underwear brand, has launched a new podcast that focuses on the many benefits to the community of specialty stores. She calls it Main Street Matters. The intent is to educate both retailers and members of the public. In this interview BODY publisher Nick Monjo talked with her about the project.
MONJO: What kinds of shops will you be covering?
ZIMMERMAN: Main Street Matters is focused on independent retail stores, single or multi-door. The intent is to cover a specialty stores broadly. We have started with men’s apparel and expect to extend to other categories over time, especially intimates. As quickly we can get guests scheduled, we can add categories.
We believe independent retailers can learn from each other, regardless of category. And also that, within categories, there are differences that make it important to have input of a direct peer group, e.g. skill sets that significantly affect the business such as tailoring for better men’s, and bra fitting for women’s intimates. Peer group input is important.
Given that the mission of Main Street Matters is to share experience and expertise amongst store owners and operators, every effort, once we get started within a category, will be made to keep a concentration within that category.
MONJO: How do you select a store for interview? Should stores reach out to you?
ZIMMERMAN: The criteria to be a guest on Main Street Matters is relatively simple: you must be an independent store owner or operator. We would love to hear from you if you’d like to be a guest. Contact us: terresa@mainstreetmatters.co and you can go to our Guest Center for more information – link: https://www.mainstreetmatters.co/guestcenter
MONJO: How do you see these podcasts being appreciated? By stores? By consumers?
ZIMMERMAN: Main Street Matters is first, and foremost, BY and FOR independent retail owners and operators. Our mission is to provide a platform to tell their stories and to hear from real-life peer experience, and open a place to share, grow and build as a community.
Our focus is the store owner and store. Each episode, we discuss how they do what they do, the challenges they face, and how they overcome them. Real experiences. We already have early input that these stories are inspiring each other to incorporate new ideas into, and expand their thinking about, their own stores. Our guests are sharing their stories more broadly. These stories can and will be used with staff, for training and alignment. The episodes are being used in local marketing by our guests wanting to share their histories and specialness directly to their customer base, broader consumers and their communities.
Knowing the stories as a consumer and relating to the people in your community, strengthens the bonds of relationship-based businesses that are Main Street businesses. This is a way we help ensure a future-ready Main Street.
MONJO: How often will you be putting these out?
ZIMMERMAN: Main Street Matters is scheduled for a twice monthly release currently and we expect that to multiply as we grow and expand. Please subscribe – you can watch and/or listen anywhere you get your podcasts. All links are here: https://www.mainstreetmatters.co/episodes Reviews, likes, shares and follows are all welcome and appreciated.
MONJO: What else would you like to say about the podcasts?
ZIMMERMAN: Main Street, our shorthand for independent retailers, are the very hearts of our neighborhoods, towns and cities. The meaningful difference and added value is that they are relationship driven. They are local. They share the flavor and local culture of their community. They add a specialness that a mass approach cannot. The more we can amplify the voices of our Main Streets, the stronger we can be as a community, and the stronger we can help each other be as businesses in our communities. We look forward to having you join the conversation with Main Street Matters.
All the links:
Website: https://www.mainstreetmatters.co/
Episodes page: https://www.mainstreetmatters.co/episodes