Since 2022, the gift and home business has benefited from funding, educational materials, and other services offered by Heart on Main Street, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting independent retailers. Following natural catastrophes, the charity has assisted a number of retailers in rebuilding, notably The Mix Mercantile in Oklahoma following a deadly tornado. Additionally, the charity is currently looking for other grant winners who were impacted by Hurricanes Milton and Helene.
In an eblast announcing its grant program, Heart on Main Street stated that it was dedicated to helping independent merchants in difficult times. We are aware that unforeseen catastrophes can seriously impair organizations and put a strain on finances. We have set up a catastrophe relief fund exclusively for Heart on Main Street companies to aid with the recovery of our town.
Grants are available to qualified companies to assist with disaster-related costs such inventory loss, equipment replacement, and repairs. Businesses must have been in operation for a minimum of one year in order to be eligible. Retailers who are interested can apply here.
According to Heart on Main Street’s website, “Our Main Streets serve a central part of our communities and local economies.” “Independent retailers hire local businesses for services, purchase goods from local artisans, and employ local people.” But since the majority of small shops only make three to five percent of their sales, they find it difficult to make the necessary expenditures to adjust to shifting consumer preferences and the economy.
In the United States, locally owned, independent retail has declined by 23% since 2003. Retailers lack the resources, expertise, and contacts to make the adjustments required to compete in their local economy, not because they lack the will, savvy, or desire to adapt. The goal of Heart on Main Street is to alter that.
In addition to disaster relief funds, Heart on Main Street gives yearly awards to shopkeepers who want to invest in their companies to make adjustments that will help them adapt and prosper.
Along with a retail mentorship program where award-winning retailers and retail professionals assist newer retailers by offering advice on how to get their business off the ground and how to avoid the pitfalls that many retailers encounter when they first start, the nonprofit also supports retailers by hosting annual conferences and monthly webinars on how to be a more successful retailer.
Last but not least, Heart on Main Street’s Friends of Main Street network links stores with businesses that offer services that a retailer might require, ranging from visual merchandising and interior design to branding, marketing, and social media.
