Hi, there, everyone, im jj ramberg and welcome to your business, the show that gives you tips and advice to help your Small Business grow. In the past few months, we have taken you around the country to see what life is really like on main street usa, from galena, illinois, to alabama, ive been chatting with Small Business owners to find out whats working for them and whats not. Today, i want to tell you about a group of entrepreneurs who didnt like what they saw on their main street, and so they came together with a vision. With some help from their downtown manager, bedford, pennsylvania, has turned itself around. Today, were in bedford, pennsylvania, about halfway between pittsburgh and harrisburg, pennsylvania. This is a town thats been around since the mid 18th century. Were about two miles off the interstate, so bedford has always been a great place to stop, but about a decade ago, main street was in trouble. As one generation of Small Business owners retired or left, nobody was
Hi, there, everyone, im jj ramberg and welcome to your business, the show that gives you tips and advice to help your Small Business grow. In the past few months, we have taken you around the country to see what life is really like on main street usa, from galena, illinois, to alabama, ive been chatting with Small Business owners to find out whats working for them and whats not. Today, i want to tell you about a group of entrepreneurs who didnt like what they saw on their main street, and so they came together with a vision. With some help from their downtown manager, bedford, pennsylvania, has turned itself around. Today, were in bedford, pennsylvania, about halfway between pittsburgh and harrisburg, pennsylvania. This is a town thats been around since the mid 18th century. Were about two miles off the interstate, so bedford has always been a great place to stop, but about a decade ago, main street was in trouble. As one generation of Small Business owners retired or left, nobody was
in the revitalization here? one of the very first meetings we had, someone brought a picture that a local elementary student drew of our downtown, and it was a picture of walmart with the walmart parking lot. we just said we have to do something now. so what turned this town from a place where people didn t really come, to the little town that could? well, i think a lot had to do with getting a main street manager, somebody that their sole purpose was to make this downtown area thrive. the town needed a visionary, it needed a leader. people were okay to follow. i think we needed an organizer, which i love to organize, so that was fine with me. hi, my name s tammie wiley, i ve owned bedford candies for three years. what s changed? everything, street scape, facade, people come in and say