Past Webinars
Browse recordings of past webinars to catch up on valuable
information you missed the first time around.
Annual Planning
Presenter(s): Beth Rich and Mary Liz Curtin
Heart on Main Street is proud to present the first edition of our Main Street Matters webinar series. Joining us will be retailers Beth Rich (Mix It Up Home in Couer d’Alene, ID) and Mary Liz Curtin (Leon & Lulu in Clawson, MI) to discuss best practices for planning out the year with a retail store.
Recorded: February 22, 2023 View Recording
Social Media Strategies that Drive Foot Traffic
Presenter(s): Crystal Vilkaitis
Heart on Main Street welcomes the founder of Crystal Media, Crystal Vilkaitis to the Main Street Matters webinar to discuss social media strategies that drive foot traffic for retailers.
Recorded: March 22, 2023 View Recording
Job Postings for Retail Positions
Presenter(s): Bob Negen
In a recent survey of independent retailers, we found that the most pressing issue in today's retail climate is the ability to hire and retain help in the retail store. Bob Negen, founder of WhizBang Retail Training, joins Heart on Main Street's Main Street Matters webinar to discuss best practices in interviewing and hiring for retail positions.
Recorded: April 24, 2023 View Recording
Attending a Trade Show
Presenter(s): Beth Rich and Mary Liz Curtin
The Main Street Matters webinar welcomes back retailers Mary Liz Curtin and Beth Rich to discuss how they prepare for show season and their approach to visiting different vendors at a trade show.
Recorded: May 24, 2023 View Recording Download PDF
Winning Her Business Customer Experience Strategies for Independent Retailers
Presenter(s): Bridget Brennan
Bridget Brennan, the founder of Female Factor and world-renowned author, joins the Main Street Matters webinar to talk about customer experience strategies to appeal to your most influential customers, females!
Recorded: June 28, 2023 View Recording
Interviewing for Retail Positions
Presenter(s): Bob Negen
So, you have people that have applied to a job posting for your retail store; how do you construct interviews to ensure you make the best hire possible? WhizBang! Retail Training founder, Bob Negen, joins the Main Street Matters webinar to discuss interviewing for retail positions. This is a follow-up to our April webinar, where Bob talked about creating a "Red Hot Help Wanted Ad" to attract the right people to apply for your positions.
Recorded: August 9, 2023 View Recording
Visual Merchandising Techniques for Retailers
Presenter(s): Lyn Falk and Suzanne Rafenstein
Effective visual merchandising allows your products to stand out from the crowd and can set your store apart. But truly good visual merchandising is a skill that has to be learned. Lyn Falk and Suzanne Rafenstein of Retailworks Inc. join the Main Street Matters webinar to discuss visual merchandising techniques that all retailers should know about!
Recorded: August 23, 2023 View Recording
How to get your ERC Refund
Presenter(s): Toni Ivey
The ERC (Employee Retention Credit) is a stimulus government aid program established by the CARES Act. It is a refundable tax credit- a grant, not a loan- that businesses can claim and recoup up to $26,000 per employee. It is money that is set aside for you! However, because of the complicated nature of the filing process, most businesses have not taken advantage of this. Join Toni Ivey of OmegaNet Inc to find out how you can get your tax credit that you're entitled to. Use link https://ercfilenow.com/r/heartonmains... to schedule a call with an ERC expert.
Recorded: September 6, 2023 View Recording
Harness the Power of Live Video Selling
Presenter(s): Carolyn Williamson
Selling products through social media and live selling is the newest trend to increase sales and reach more customers. But it can be intimidating and difficult if you don't know how to do it effectively. Carolyn Williamson from Comment Sold joins the Main Street Matters webinar to talk about the power of live selling and why you, as a retailer, need to jump on this trend.
Recorded: September 26, 2023 View Recording
Achieving Financial Freedom with Management One
Presenter(s): Dane Cohen
Retailers start their businesses to make money, but a lot goes on behind the scenes to make that dream a reality. Dane Cohen of Management One joins the Main Street Matters Webinar to talk about how you can achieve financial freedom while running your retail store. Learn expert tips to manage your inventory and protect your bottom line even in difficult financial times. As Taylor Swift has taught us, people are willing to pay if we create a band that people want.
Recorded: October 11, 2023 View Recording
Creating Great Retail Window Displays for the Holiday Season
Presenter(s): Amy Meadows
Creating great window displays can attract eyes and bring in new customers, especially around the holidays. Join Amy Meadows of Windows Matter and the Main Street Matters webinar to learn about tips, tactics, and tools that can make your store windows stand out this holiday season. Amy started Windows Matter consulting firm after decades of experience in retail window design and visual merchandising, including being the head designer for the famous Marshall Fields windows in Chicago for 25 years.
Recorded: October 25, 2023 View Recording
Creating Consistent Branding for your Business
Presenter(s): Kaila Piepkow
As a passionate business-owner, you’ve poured your heart and soul into every detail of your brand. But do you feel like your current branding and design reflect that? Kaila Piepkow joins the Main Street Matters webinar to discuss the importance of design and branding for retailers and how to create consistency to help you grow your business.
Recorded: November 29, 2023 View Recording
More Than A Store: How Bick and Mortar Stores Can Gain Online Traction in 2024
Presenter(s): Josh Orr
Recent studies have shown that eCommerce is growing at a faster pace among independent retailers than any other type of retailer. Josh Orr, the founder of Capital Commerce and host of the Retail Initiative Podcast, joins the Main Street Matters webinar as one of the leading voices in eCommerce today. He specializes in helping brick-and-mortar retailers gain traction in their online sales. Join us to learn how you can grow your eCommerce presence for your retail store.
Recorded: December 13, 2023 View Recording
Emerging Trends with Erica Kirkland from GiftBeat
Presenter(s): Erica Kirkland
New fashions. New colors. New products. New trends. The beginning of a new year means everything is new again! Erica Kirkland, owner of GiftBeat Magazine, joins the Main Street Matters webinar to talk about new trends in products for the new year!
Recorded: January 24, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
More traffic does NOT mean more sales
Presenter(s): Cathy Donovan Wagner
Join Cathy Donovan Wagner from RETAILMavens as she debunks the myth that more people through your door automatically translates to increased sales. You’ll learn why focusing on more profit rather than more traffic is the solution you’ve been looking for.
Recorded: February 28, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
Maximizing Revenue Strategies to Boost Customer Purchase Frequency
Presenter(s): Nick McHenry
Transitioning a customer into a repeat customer is an easy way to secure increased revenue. However, it's also easier said than done. Nick McHenry of OneShop Retail joins the Main Street Matters webinar to talk about how to drive revenue by increasing the frequency at which your customers purchase and tips and tricks on how to do this.
Recorded: March 27, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
Insurance Needs for Independent Retail Owners
Presenter(s): Heather Ingersoll
Imagine that you've just lost your store to a natural disaster like a flood, hurricane, tornado or fire, and then you find out later that the insurance that you thought you had either doesn't cover that type of damage or doesn't provide adequate coverage to help you rebuild your store. This is the case for hundreds of retailers every single year. They all thought it wouldn't happen to them either. Join us to learn about what insurance retailers need to have and how to go about making sure you are covered when disaster strikes.
Recorded: April 17, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
How Retailers Can Utilize AI to Make Their Lives Easier
Presenter(s): Crystal Vilkaitis
Since it burst onto the scene over the last couple of years, AI has been positioned as a force that can completely change our lives. Yet, most people are still figuring out what AI is and how to incorporate it into their work. For retailers, the potential uses for AI are limitless, but they need to know where to start to take advantage of the possibilities. Crystal Vilkaitis of Crystal Media joins the Main Street Matters webinar to discuss how AI can help make retailers' lives easier!
Recorded: May 22, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
Unlocking the Magic of Tradeshows
Presenter(s): multiple participants
Heart on Main Street's Summer Sourcing Series kicks off with a panel discussion about the importance of attending trade shows this summer! Hear from retailers and representatives of Dallas Market Center and AndMore about why summer trade shows are so crucial for your business and how to make a plan to get the most out of your time at the market.
Recorded: June 5, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
Leveraging Relationships with Sales Reps
Presenter(s): multiple participants
Vendor sales reps provide much more to the retail business than catalogs. They can inform you about what they're seeing in the field, exclusive deals, and knowledge and insights to help your business grow.
Recorded: July 24, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
Faire A Wholesale Solution for Independent Retailers
Presenter(s): multiple participants
Heart on Main Street's Summer Sourcing Series concludes with a discussion with Faire.com. Learn more about Faire Wholesale - a marketplace focused on helping independent retailers simplify the way they find, finance, and manage unique inventory from around the world.
Recorded: August 28, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
Celebrate Pink Friday
Presenter(s): Samantha Conner
Pink Friday is a nationwide event dedicated to celebrating and supporting small and local businesses. Established in 2020, it takes place annually on the Friday before Black Friday, encouraging shoppers to discover and support small retailers first during the holiday season.
Pink Friday highlights the value of community, urging shoppers to invest in the vibrancy and diversity of their local economies before turning to big-box retailers.
Recorded: October 2, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
Maximizing Cash Flow - Facebook Live
Presenter(s): Kathy Cruz
Do you want to sell more during the holiday season? Do you want to clear out your inventory and put more cash in your pocket? The Savvy Shopkeeper joins the Main Street Matters Webinar to talk about how to leverage Facebook Live to create more sales, maximize your cash flow, sell more products, and ultimately be happier at the end of the year.
Recorded: October 23, 2024 View Recording Download PDF
Community over Competition
Presenter(s): Ashley Alderson
Ashley Alderson will join the Main Street Matters Webinar to discuss the company she founded. With her motto of community over competition, Ashley has pioneered the Boutique Hub to become one of the largest retail communities in the United States. Whether it is to connect to other retailers, learn better business practices, grow your business and confidence, or even find new lines, the Boutique Hub has something for every retailer. Learn more from the founder herself!
Recorded: November 6 2024 View Recording Download PDF