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The Treasure Hunt Economy: exciting retail experience for small towns

By Small Biz Survival 2 Comments

Becky McCray and Jason Duff smile for the camera

Guest Post by Jason Duff, Small Nation I’ve been noticing something interesting happening across the small towns we work in, and I don’t think it’s temporary. In a time where inflation is still pinching wallets, customers aren’t just spending less, they’re shopping differently. They’re hunting. Not just for cheap, but for value, uniqueness, and the […]

April 10, 2026 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, shop local Tagged With: effective marketing, experience economy, guest post, marketing, retail, rural

More experience-based retail: the Charm Bar, Valentine’s Rose Bouquet Bar

By Becky McCray

Ad for Daisy Village Valentines sweets popup and rose bouquet Bar

Following up on the trend of rural experience-based retail, I spotted these Valentine’s Day offerings from my local women’s boutique, The Daisy Village. I’m seeing more and more use of the term “Bar” to refer to any assemble-your-own type experience. Think like a salad bar, where you pick just the parts you want, but for […]

February 14, 2026 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, shop local, trends Tagged With: customer service, experience, experience economy, retail

Start smaller: Any local business can be your incubator

By Becky McCray

Clothing displayed on one wall, with a salon in the back.

Are you starting a business that could use retail space, but you can’t justify renting a storefront? Find a tiny space inside another business that can be your incubator. Who could display This can work for all kinds of physical-display businesses: Artists Crafts Authors Resellers Photographers Shelf stable foods and beverages Small manufacturers Agri-products like […]

June 26, 2025 Filed Under: rural Tagged With: economic development, entrepreneurship, experience economy, non-retail, retail, service businesses, shop small, small business

From Finance to Creativity: A Journey to Building an Experience-Based Business in Bellefontaine

By Jamie Beasley

A young girl carefully pours her own candle.

In today’s fast-paced world, many individuals find themselves stuck in careers that fail to ignite their passions. For some, the journey to rediscovering creativity can lead to unexpected and fulfilling paths. This is the story of one such entrepreneur who transitioned from a corporate finance job to creating a vibrant experience-based business in downtown Bellefontaine. […]

April 7, 2025 Filed Under: economic development, entrepreneurship, rural, success, trends Tagged With: building a business, entrepreneurship, events, experience economy, retail, rural, shop indie local, shop local, shop small, small business success, take small steps

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