Main Street Business Insights

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...

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Jamie and Jerry Baker, co-owners and founders of Trendy Teachers, a teaching boutique and educational toy store located in downtown Rome, Georgia. A “unique boutique” for teachers, Trendy Teachers provides classroom supplies, décor, custom clothing, and educational toys and materials both through an online store and their brick-...

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with 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.   Prior to her current roles, Anette spent 12 years working in federal government, first as an analyst in the Inspector General’s Office of the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washing...

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Danny Reynolds, owner and president of Stephenson’s of Elkhart , an independently owned high-end fashion retailer in downtown Elkhart, Indiana. For more than 90 years, Stephenson’s has undergone several transformations – from custom tailoring to everyday fashions to special occasions – always with a strong focus on customer serv...

In this episode, Matt sits down with Harvey Williams, Co-Founder and CEO of Delta Dirt Distillery in Helena, Arkansas. Delta Dirt Distillery is the only black-owned farm-to-bottled distillery in the United States, and is a family-owned craft distillery, producing high-quality vodka out of sweet potatoes grown on the Williams family farm.  Harvey grew up working on his family farm in Helena. He mar...

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, host Matt Wagner sat down with the CEO of Keith McDonald Plumbing in Milledgeville, Ga., Lindsay Goodson McDonald.   In their conversation, Lindsay discusses her path to small business ownership. Lindsay began her work in plumbing in 2009. After losing her job in Athens, Ga. during the national recession, she moved back home to Milledgeville to hel...

In this week’s episode of Main Street Business Insights, host Matt Wagner sat down with the CEO of Hollerbach’s German Restaurant  in Sanford, Fla., Christina Hollerbach. In addition to providing an authentic German food and beverage experience to guests, Hollerbach’s also includes a German market, art gallery, outfitters, and an entertainment venue. In 2019, Hollerbach’s founded the Hollerbach’s...

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, host Matt Wagner sat down with The Barbershop Conversation podcast team, co-hosts Kenneth Bentley and Davion Hampton along with executive producer Emory Green Jr., in Goldsboro, Florida.   Launched in 2021 to encourage local and regional voter turnout, The Barbershop Conversation podcast is focused on delivering current events and political news, a...

In this week’s episode of Main Street Business Insights, host Matt Wagner sits down with mother-daughter duo, Martha Moore and Ashley Owens, co-owners and founders of the custom drapery business Martha & Ash in downtown Camden, South Carolina.  Since 2003, Martha and Ashley have been making and supplying hand-made draperies, shades, and hardware for residential and corporate clients out of the...

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, host Matt Wagner sat down with the founder and CEO of 37 Oaks, Terrand Smith. Located in Chicago, Illinois, 37 Oaks is a commerce development and learning laboratory for entrepreneurs. The business is comprised of three platforms: 37 Oaks University, with over 30 courses that build retail, commerce, and distribution knowledge for product-based entr...

In the inaugural episode of Main Street Business Insights, host Matt Wagner sat down with the co-founder and CEO of Maine Grains, Amber Lambke. Located in downtown Skowhegan, Maine, Maine Grains is a grist mill that processes locally grown and organic heritage grains for bakers, brewers, and chefs throughout the Northeast. What's more, Maine Grains has created a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem...

Welcome to Main Street Business Insights, where host Dr. Matt Wagner, Chief Program Officer at Main Street America, travels the country and takes a deep dive into the personal journeys of downtown and neighborhood entrepreneurs. Tune in Wednesdays starting August 16 to get inspired, get informed, and get in motion with Main Street Business Insights.