Making Connections, April 2021

Richmond Road Truck and Auto lead the pack for April, with 288 referrals received from our website, whartonchamber.com/whartontexas.com.

The 288 are from our on-line membership directory, where people click on a member listing to call on the phone, or click to their websites, to find the business or ask them more information.

Here is the top 20 for April

1. Richmond Road Truck & Auto Parts Co. (NAPA) — 288

2. Law Office of James Perez — 266

3. MFS Storage, Inc. East Bernard — 251

4. Rotary Club of Wharton — 251

5. McCreary, Veselka, Bragg & Allen PC — 250 

6. Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital — 246

7. Maxim Production Co. — 240

8. Friends of Wharton Animal Control — 235

9. H.E.B. Grocery Co. — 232

10. OakBend Medical Center — 228

11. Kross Wholesale Tire Co. — 226

12. Restoration City —225

13. St. Christina's EMS — 224

14. McDonald's — 223

15. Pekar's Body Shop — 222

16. Hollub Financial Services — 221

17. Paul Webb, Attorney at Law — 221

18. Simply Divine Event Center — 221 

19. Wied Realty — 220

And 20. Hinze's Bar-B-Que — 220

Keep them coming!

And remember, the chamber's Citywide Garage Sale on Friday and Saturday, June 4 and 5.

Reopening for business

 

You, me, us, our town — we are starting to enjoy this blooming of a new post-covid world. The Wharton Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture is no exception. 

We have been putting together the details inside of our calendar of events for the rest of this year. For those of you involved in such things, there's lots of lots of little steps to making big steps — decisions, manpower, risk management, money, volunteers, marketing, collaboration, and hard work.

And then some.

Anyway, this is what the rest of the year is shaping up for our events:

— Wharton Chamber Citywide Garage Sale, Friday and Saturday, June 4 and 5.

— Party Under the Bridge, Thursday, Oct. 21.

— The Haunted Tour, Friday, Oct. 29

— Christmas Holiday Parade, Tuesday, Nov. 23.

— Snow on the Square, Friday, Friday, Dec. 17.

We also have guided Wharton County Courthouse tours, 10 am and 11 am the First Saturday of each month co-sponsored with the Wharton County Historical Commission. We still operate our Antique Trail, too. Also worth mentioning is our Visitor's and Newcomer's Guide, our Official City Map, the Legends of Downtown tour. And other stuff.

Plus, there are the Lunch and Learn sessions, the next one July 20 on Identity Theft. And the monthly Business Breakfasts co-sponsored with the Wharton Economic Development Corp.

And we are thinking of other things. Some I don't want to say just yet. We have mentioned a fireworks show in the past, I will say. Anyway, your thoughts?

"Players win games. Teams win championships."

Eye Candy for the wallet

This is about eye candy — the kind that is delicious to your wallet if you own a small business.

Eye candy is an informal name of what's called "visual merchandising." It's how businesses arrange their products to guide customers through the store and to the cash register.  (Are they still called cash registers?)

Perhaps it is a combination of creativity, common sense, practicality, and even science. But whatever it is called, good visual merchandising results is sales and more sales.

For those who now toil at visual marketing, perhaps the "experts" may validate your experience, or maybe even give you a new idea or two. Here are 10 thoughts that I have mined from "The World Wide Web' and elsewhere:

1. An old mantra: "To light it is to sell it". A brightly lit store front can make a world of difference in shoppers deciding how inviting your business will be.

2. The great outdoors: Use the sidewalk, if you are allowed to (without disrupting foot traffic). It gives a street fair feel and sizzle. It is inviting. Flags, balloons, flowers, plants, and items you can readily see from the road too.

3. Explain: Use signage to identify your products and categories of products.

4. "The only constant in life is change:" Retail gurus say the same. Follow the seasons. Follow the holidays. Restaurants are encouraged to do the same. Specials are not special if they are the same too long.

5. The smell test: If you are not sure, you must know someone with very keen nose. Tell them they must be honest with you. What do they smell when they walk into your establishment? Do they smell inviting fragrance, or your musty attic? Appeal to all the senses. It is serous business.

7. I skipped Number 6 to see if you are still paying attention.

8. Like with like: Display products in groups that go together or are used together. Like you would be using them at your home or office.

9. Grouping by three: Group similar products in the same display by price, for instance — lowest, mediun, highest. Or size, —small, medium and big.

10: Traffic flow: This is a subject for another time, perhaps, as it is a biggie. Shopify says studies say 90 percent of customers turn right when they walk into a store, for instance. That right turn is where you put your premium demand items, Shopify says.  Shopify has a great webpage with stuff like that and the pros and cons of four basic floor designs: https://www.shopify.com/retail/the-ultimate-guide-to-retail-store-layouts.

Thank you. "Players win games. Teams win championships."

Dozens and dozens and more dozens of Garage Sales, June 4-5

Folks are starting to sign up for the 13th Annual Wharton Chamber of Commerce Citywide Garage Sale, Friday and Saturday, June 4-5. You can sign up here at the chamber office, 225 N. Richmond Road, and you can also download the form at whartonchamber.com/news.

The fee is $20, but you get $10 back after you return the official red and white sign after the sale is over.

There will be dozens and dozens — and more than that — of garage sales all over town on those two days. You can see the specific locations on an on-line map during sale days, and you can also see the specific hours and items in our driving guide.

The Citywide Garage Sales will help you get rid of unwanted items and put a little jingle in your pocket. And it is more than that.

The garage sale is a great way to get to know your neighbors and welcome the many visitors who will be in town those two days. We can showcase our town and use this opportunity to attract visitors into our restaurants and retail establishments. 

If they like what they see, they will come back. It's about business.

Moving right along, a big shout out to Miguel Santes, who is a new member of the Wharton Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture board of directors. Owner of Cutting Edge Haircut and Style, Miguel was appointed to fill an unexpired term. We are glad to have him on board!

Also, we want to thank those who attended the May 6 Business Breakfast at 9ers Grill sponsored by the chamber and Wharton Economic Development Corp. We want also show our gratitude to our presenters, Amy Morales of Kapeesh Marketing and Briana Valdez of the Sweet Spot. 

We learned why effective marketing is obtainable for small businesses from Amy and we were inspired by hearing a success story from Briana, a young entrepreneur.

More later.

"Players win games, but teams win championships."

Make connections, Wharton

Our website, whartonchamber.com, is a popular place where people discover where to shop, or find someone to renovate their house, repair their air conditioners, shop for a car, get their eyes examined, where to eat dinner, news media, look for a place to rent or buy, and lots of other stuff. 

These connections happen hundred of times, actually thousands of times. It's results from our on-line membership directory, within whartonchamber.com, where people click on a member listing to call on the phone, or click to their websites, to find them or ask them more information.

We will have April's shortly, but here's the top 10 businesses with such connnections for the month of March:

1. B&C Properties, real-estate, with 269 contacts.

2.  Merrymount Services, an IT company, with 173 contacts. 

3. Honey Do It LLC , construction and repairs, with 166 contacts.

4. Wharton Eye Associates, 164 contacts.

5. Roberson Air Conditioning, 163 contacts.

6.  Richmond Road Truck & Auto Parts Co. (NAP A), 159 contacts

7. Kings and Queens Homestyle Cooking,  157 contacts.

8. WC, agriculture, electrical services, construction,  154 contacts

9. S. Cochrane Insurance Agency - Farmers Insurance, 151 contacts

And, 10. The County Gin, news media organization,  150 contacts.

That's a lot, but we broke a record elsewhere. The board of the Wharton Chamber of Commerce approved application for membership for eight new members. That's a record as far as anyone can remember.

They are The Cutting Edge Haircut and Style Inc., The Sweet Spot, Run Your Race Leadership Consulting Services, Capital Farm Credit, Denny's, Big Country Home Inspections, PLLC, Anytime Fitness and Darlin Rose.  

We are so happy to add all these great businesses to our membership!

Make connections, friends, Wharton.

And remember, Business Breakfast at 9'ers Grill 8 am Thursday, May 6.