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Main Street Reimagined Podcast
This is a podcast for dreamers, creators, developers, and entrepreneurs to learn, share, and be inspired to change your community through small business.
Main Street Reimagined Podcast
Episode 51: Ohio Road Trips; The Hidden Power of Tourism with Brandy Gleason
Have you ever wondered how a simple visit to a town can spark economic transformation? In this captivating conversation with Brandy Gleason, founder of the 1.3-million-member Ohio Road Trips Facebook group, we discover how tourism creates ripple effects that reshape communities.
Brandy shares her remarkable journey from homeschooling mom documenting family adventures to influential travel writer whose recommendations have helped small businesses thrive across Ohio. What began as a modest blog in 2018 evolved into multiple published books and a social media empire that connects travelers with hidden gems throughout the state. With charming candor, she reveals how reluctantly she stepped into the spotlight, motivated by a desire to showcase the places and people that make Ohio special.
The power of social media emerges as a central theme throughout our discussion. Brandy recounts how a single post about a farm stay generated over a million views, creating bookings through 2026 and allowing the owner to quit her day job. This pattern repeats across small towns where visitor discoveries translate into sustainable business growth. We explore what makes communities attractive destinations—passionate entrepreneurs, collaborative promotion, unique "love notes" like twinkle lights and music, and the power of authentic storytelling.
Restaurant owners earn special recognition as Brandy discusses her upcoming book featuring 84 unique Ohio eateries. She's gained profound respect for these hardworking entrepreneurs who often source ingredients locally, creating economic multiplier effects beyond their own establishments. The "naturally crafted" approach not only delivers distinctive flavors but strengthens entire regional food systems.
Whether you're a small business owner, local government official, or simply someone who loves discovering new places, this episode offers valuable insights into how tourism creates pathways for community development that begin with a single visit. Join us for this journey through Ohio's hidden treasures and the remarkable people preserving their stories.
Guest Links:
https://www.facebook.com/gleasonfamilyadventure
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2642861779333257
https://gleasonfamilyadventure.com/
Main Street Reimagined:
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The Main Street Reimagined Podcast, Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqfkmF5bRH0od1d3iiYKs3oEn_gvMYk7N
Henry Development Group:
Facebook: facebook.com/henrydevelopmentgroup
Website: www.henrydevelopmentgroup.com
Developing News Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/33110524eb5c/developing-news
Luke Henry:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/luhenry
Facebook: facebook.com/luke.henry.148
#TravelWriter #OhioTourism #GleasonFamilyAdventure #SupportLocal #MainStreetMatters #CommunityRevitalization #EconomicDevelopment #ExploreOhio #SmallTownCharm #OhioRoadTrips #LocalBusinessLove #VisitOhio #TravelBlogSuccess #DowntownMarion #TourismMatters #ShopLocal #HeartOfOhio #StorytellingThatMatters #WomenWhoTravel #PodcastEpisode
Economic development, in my opinion, starts with a visit. So many times we think that, oh, people are just going to be here, it's just going to happen when somebody comes to a community and they come and they check it out and they spend some time. I have a lady who was on Ohio road trips. She went and visited Mount Vernon, for example, fell in love with Mount Vernon. She went home back to Columbus, sold everything packed up and moved to Mount Vernon because she fell in love with Mount Vernon. She went home back to Columbus, sold everything packed up and moved to Mount Vernon because she fell in love with it. And so it was a visit. And so I think sometimes we think you know it's just about the community, it's just about providing services to our community. Like your community can grow because a visitor comes. And if you get somebody who comes and then they're a business owner and then they open their business from wherever they were in your community, I mean that's pretty amazing.
Speaker 2:This is the Main Street Reimagined podcast, a show for people ready to turn visions into realities and ideas into businesses. Hey, I'm Luke Henry and each week I lead conversations with Main Street Dreamers who took the leap to launch a business, renovate a building or start a movement, their ideas, their mindsets and their inspirations, as well as some of the highs and lows along the way. This is a place for dreamers, creators, developers and entrepreneurs to learn, share and be inspired to change your community through small business. Enjoy the show. Hey, friends, this is Luke Henry. This is the Main Street Reimagined Podcast. Thanks so much for being with us once again. This is episode 51, and I am very excited to have with me today Brandy Gleason, with the Ohio Road Trips group. If you're in or around Ohio, you are very likely one of the 1.3 million members of this wonderful Facebook group community, and she and her husband, matt, have been with us today in Marion, spent a little bit of time and she agreed to sit down for a podcast. So thanks so much for being here, brandy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so Brandy hails from just down the road in Plain City, ohio, and we're going to hear all about her story here in a minute. But if folks haven't seen the Ohio Road Trips group on Facebook I know it's we're going to hear the whole story about it. But, as of today, tell us what that community is, what it's focused around and just really kind of what impact it's having around Ohio.
Speaker 1:Okay, Well, that's a loaded question, you know it's kind of a big one. So, um, Ohio road trips Facebook group is a community of people who have come together to share the things that they're doing around the great state of Ohio and I call it user generated content, because they are out there creating the content, sharing the stories, finding the gems and then sharing that with all of us on the group. So that's kind of the driver, that's kind of what happens, and I just get to to find new things to do myself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and so, uh, you and you and your husband, matt, and your family, uh, you're also big travelers and uh, so, yeah, you're also adding content on occasion, but I love that you're you're, you know, like kind of like the hair club for men, like you're also like a client, right, you're a member of the group too, so you're getting to see what's out there and being inspired to go visit these places, just like everybody else in the group.
Speaker 1:Absolutely we. Actually one night, probably about three or four years ago, matt was like, hey, let's go to this place called Gervasi Vineyard. And I was like what? And it's this huge, beautiful winery. It's got a casa to stay at, like three restaurants on property. I had no idea it existed in Ohio.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and it was a result of user-generated content.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Somebody posted about it and we got in our car, we booked our room and off we went. Yeah, yeah, and, and today that's happening literally thousands, if not tens of thousands, of times a year, with people that are stumbling across different coffee shops and restaurants and retail places and wineries and breweries and and entertainment venues all around Ohio that are being shared about in this group.
Speaker 2:So if somebody is not a member, we're going to plug it now and probably later again, just to get on there, search out Ohio Road Trips on Facebook and request to be a member. There is a little bit of a process. You've got to read the rules and all of that and make sure you're abiding by them so you can stay a member. But they're just all the time really fascinating things going on in there and, quite frankly, downtown Marion, ohio has been the benefactor of a number of different folks that have come to Marion and have come to maybe explore the Harding sites or the Cardinals around downtown or one of the local restaurants that they've seen advertised or, you know, shared about not advertised but shared about on the group. And then that leads to another and another and you know it's just been. We've seen the benefit here, so we're so grateful for you for creating that. I know it's become again altogether more than what you set out to do, but it's awesome, so thank you again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, the fun, fun. I think the best story about Marion that's come out is from Bucci's Italian kitchen the scratch kitchen and someone from Alaska had come and eaten here and did this amazing post and Matt and I wrote it down and he said we got to get there and that's a driver for what brought us to Marion for the first time in a long time to come and eat at the restaurant.
Speaker 2:At Bucci's and, as fate would have it, my wife and I were also dining there and had the opportunity to come by your booth and we started chatting and we stood there for 45 minutes and talked. I said tell you what. We're going to get you back here on another time and we'll go see some more places.
Speaker 2:So that's what we've been spending the afternoon doing so. We had a great lunch together here at Attaboys and Chef Chris even had a few tricks up his sleeve that he rolled out to us. So if you've not heard Chef Chris's story, it's back on, I think episode two or three of the podcast here. But he was able to share that and his story and some of his food and I think we ate too much but then we got lots of steps in after that walking around downtown and seeing some of the shops here.
Speaker 2:So that's that, that's the Ohio Road Trips group of the shops here. So so that's so. That's that, that's the Ohio road trips group. But your story is is so much more than that and is becoming so much more than that, and so I'd love to you know kind of rewind several years and, you know, hear about your story growing up in central Ohio, right, and, and what has led you to to where you are today. So take us through that journey.
Speaker 1:Okay. So in 2018, I started a blog called Gleason Family Adventure because we were doing a backcountry hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park as a family and I just wanted to keep track of what we were doing. You know the tent that we purchased, you know the jet boil, the food that we were trying and just kind of wanted to chronicle it, just for fun, and we were homeschooling at the time. So I thought, oh, this is a good way to share that information with our assessor at the end of the year and I started a little Instagram account and thought I'll just download that into chat books and then we'll have like a little yearbook of all the cool things that we did.
Speaker 1:Within a couple of weeks, the Metro parks of Columbus had reached out to do an interview. The news had started reaching out like, oh my gosh, we love what you're doing. You know, tell us the story. And I was like, oh, boy. And so we had a family meeting and we sat down and I said, okay, kids, who wants to be on the news and who doesn't? So that's kind of where the beginning started.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's incredible. So then I mean you started writing a little bit more about traveling, and then where did the group come in? And then there's a book and all of this as well.
Speaker 1:So at that point it was like, oh my goodness, people are reading my writing. And then I had to go back and edit my work because I was writing for myself, Right? So I wasn't worrying about commas and I wasn't worrying about grammatically correct, and so I actually started to say, oh boy, people are actually reading my stuff. So it's now GleasonFamilyAdventurecom, but when I started it was Gleason family adventurewordpresscom, Cause it was free.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And so that, just kind of, we did our trip and we just started. I just kind of kept going and just was enjoying the fun of what I was doing, as a hobby really, and some lady named Sarah Brewers from the Midwest travel network I was on Twitter, they were talking about national parks, and so I kind of engaged in the conversation like, asked a couple of questions and she must've done some research about me and she reached out and said hey, you need to join our group, you're a great writer, you need to do this, you need to do that. And I was like Whoa, that's, I'm not interested, but thank you, I appreciate the compliment. Like whoa, that's, I'm not interested, but thank you, I appreciate the compliment. And she had a writer's workshop.
Speaker 2:She was doing in Gulf.
Speaker 1:Shores, alabama, and she said you should come. And so I talked to Matt, my husband, and said okay, it's this expensive. I had to pay for the conference, had to pay for my airline ticket, I had to pay for a rental car, and so my dad had some points on Delta.
Speaker 2:So he bought my airline ticket.
Speaker 1:Matt said, okay, you can rent a car. And I went down and went to this conference and met some people and they said, oh yeah, you need to. You need to step up your game. And that's when I decided to. I had to make a decision Like am I going to stay a hobby writer or am I going to make that transition to author?
Speaker 2:And I mean, what was that journey like, trying to make that decision? I mean, that's, you know, we talk about the leap around here, you know, and kind of taking the leap into a business or a venture for the first time I mean, I'd say, a book is very much the same thing you have to get to the point where you're comfortable and courageous enough to take that leap, to say, yes, I'm going to commit to this. And it's going to be a long process and probably frustrating and aggravating and uh, but at the end of it I I think I'll be proud of what I've created. And so, yeah, how'd you get there?
Speaker 1:So that's kind of funny, because there was a lady there. Her name's Eva Faircloth. She is a lady who runs a PR company called Front Porch Network and she and I just really hit it off. And after I left, we stayed in touch and she had said to me Brainy, you should come back to Gulf Shores, alabama, with your family. We would love to hire you to write this article. And I was like you want to pay me to write? And I was like, okay, so we talked about it and we decided to make that trip and she kind of was a catalyst into saying, okay, you can get paid to do this and we want this article written. It was on like things to do with kids and Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, and so we went down. We stayed in a beautiful condo right on the beach, you know, we did all the things, I wrote the article, and then she and I have stayed in touch and she continues she just pushes me all the time to like keep doing the things.
Speaker 1:And then the book 2020 hits. So right, I started in 2018, 2020 comes and all of a sudden, like I was writing for the RV industry, like every contract I had like was put on pause because it was to stay home, stay safe, right. So travel kind of paused for a minute. And so Sarah Brewers, who I mentioned earlier was all of them lost their writing contracts because they couldn't write. Well, they could, but you really, how do you write about travel when everything shut down? So they decided to write a book called Midwest Road Trip Adventures and Sarah reached out and said will you write the Ohio section? And so that it just kind of fell into my lap. It wasn't, it was just kind of here you go. And so I drove, I don't know probably 3000 miles to do the scenic byway. So we did the scenic byway up on Lake Erie, the Ohio river scenic byway, we did the Appalachian byway and then every scene, every state route in Holmes County is a scenic byway. So yeah, that's kind of how the first book kind of started.
Speaker 2:It's incredible. And did you find that you really enjoyed the process of writing? I mean, it's like one thing, when you take something we talk about this with small business sometimes that you take something from like the hobby phase we're kind of doing it for fun to now you have to do it, you have deadlines, you have clients, you have expectations. Sometimes it takes some of the joy out of it. Did you find that? I mean, how has that process been.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to, I'm going to tell you I'm I'm over 50. And so we have already um prepared for our retirement. Right, matt's been working, we've invested, we have some rental properties. You know, we kind of are.
Speaker 1:This is just like a a great time for me as an older woman who started a business after she got past raising children, and so I told him when I started writing professionally if I ever hate this, I'm quitting, and so I don't take on clients or projects that don't resonate with me as a person. So I've really protected the work that I do. But I also think that really lends itself to the authenticity to the. You know I'm writing about things that I really love, things that I really have found and connected with. So I just don't, I just don't write and write and write. So if somebody came to me and said, hey, can you write me an article about the fabrics and curtains in this building, I'd say, no, that's not my, that's not my thing. But if you come to me about a destination or a unique lodging, now that I can get by, that's great.
Speaker 2:Yes, and so where? And so that book, tell us about that book you did. You did the Midwest book and then you did your own book. Yes, yes, a hundred places, right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I did the first book that I did did your own book.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, a hundred places right, yeah, so I did.
Speaker 1:The first book that I did standalone was a hundred things to do in Ohio's Amish country before you die, and that was written in 2020 and 2021. And the reason so they had wanted me to write the a hundred things to do in Ohio before you die first and I said, well, like nothing's open, like how do you write a book about things to do when they're just starting to get back to so Amish country? Kind of stayed open the whole time, and so they were a little rebellious up there.
Speaker 1:And so I decided that would be a good place to write a book about at that time.
Speaker 2:So that's how that one kind of came to me. I didn't know that that came first.
Speaker 1:They actually told me, like if your book flops, like you can't write the next book. So fortunately it didn't flop and I got to write the second book. But it was a little stressful because I asked them to do something smaller, you know, more niche down and then, you know, took a risk, that was a risk.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. Well, that's small business. So, yeah, you understand the plight of those that you interact with daily. So I mean that's great perspective. And then how did the Facebook group?
Speaker 1:come about.
Speaker 2:You know that we haven't even touched on that yet.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So what happened is again, it's 2020 and the book Midwest Road Trip Adventures is coming out, and I'm thinking, how do you market a book in this timeframe? And I thought, well, maybe I can start a little Facebook group. And I knew, like, here's a great place to take your family on a picnic, right? I knew a lot of places because we had taken our kids all over the state from the time they were little Like I joke, they were birthed into car seats. You know, we just love to do things. And so I had all the places and I knew all the things that they, that people, could do. So I thought, oh, I can just share my knowledge. And I thought, if we get a couple thousand people in this Facebook group, that'd be great. Never imagined it would have become what it is today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. And so was there like a specific inflection point that you remember, that it was like kind of steadily growing and then all of a sudden it just like hockey stick right.
Speaker 1:So I'm the one sharing all the content, at first Like hey, here's a great place to have a picnic here. I know this place is open, where you can go get subs and then go play at this park. So just sharing. And then all of a sudden it was like okay, now there's 10,000 people. Oh my gosh, now there's 20,000 people. And I think when it hit about 50,000 people, I was like I can't do this by myself anymore. And Matt did not have Facebook. Matt was anti-social media. He's like not into it at all. I was like, hey, you have to join Facebook and you have to help me with this group. And so I made him join Facebook and start helping. And then, you know, just kind of kept going and going and going. And then we had to bring on some of the kids, like okay, I need you when I'm out of town to moderate the group to make sure you know things don't go sideways.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's just continued to grow and grow and grow.
Speaker 1:We probably have about 1,500 people right now waiting to be able to comment, so we approve each person Like we just don't. You know, just people can't just be commenting and we highly manage. You know this is a place for positivity. Be commenting and you may highly manage. You know this is a place for positivity. If you have something negative to say, there's plenty of other places out in the social media world where you can be negative, but in Ohio road trips we are very positive forward. You know, no negative, literally there's no negativity allowed period. That's just not going to happen, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, um, I can appreciate that, especially because, uh, in 2018, I also started a uh Facebook group uh think local first for Marion County, and the goal was just to promote local businesses, and that was our goal too was to just help people see and be reminded of things, keep them top of mind that they haven't heard before, and it is amazing, uh, how many people don't know what's right in their own backyards right you know.
Speaker 2:So we don't the county level, you're looking at it on the state level and I know that even in in that context we talked about earlier today, where people are like somebody shares something about their community and they're like, oh my gosh, I live right down the road. I've never been there before.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so people are discovering things, not just across the state but like across the street, about where to go, what to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So one of the things Matt and I joke about is we'll get done working like finding things just running around the community, sit down for dinner and our waitress will come up and be like hey, how was your day, what'd you get? You know, how are you today? We're like, yeah, we just totally did this jet pack water adventure on this little tiny Lake right outside of Lancaster Ohio and she's like a white and I was like a jet pack water adventure, where you get? And she's had no idea. So then she went and told everybody in the restaurant that she worked with and they're all like coming up and we showed them pictures and they were. Nobody knew it was there it's incredible, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:So you know and I know that you could share story after story after story and this has become again. I think last time I checked it was like 1.3 million members, and so it's a lot of people to try to corral Again. I know you have some occasional bad actors in there, but also you know there's a lot of content being shared, there's a lot of things going on. You're sharing and trying to just promote various things, and your writing, I mean. I guess, if you say, like, your real job is the writing, yes, right.
Speaker 2:Yes, but you're doing this really as a kind of a goodwill thing. And what keeps you doing this? Because it's become a lot of work, you and Matt.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we probably on the minimum. It takes three hours a day just to moderate, allow questions, and when we were walking around with you downtown I had to mentally tell myself, don't stress out, it's going to be okay. You know, we'll try to check it every hour, just to kind of. You know, sometimes things do go sideways and you get somebody say something off the wall and then everybody else has something off the wall. I call those keyboard warriors and they're just over there, they're just typing away all the things they shouldn't be saying on social media. And so, um, what keeps me going is knowing that it's impactful to small business, to communities.
Speaker 1:Uh, like you said, I have story after story. Um, one is Westminster farm. They're up in near Mansfield and somebody posted that they went there in the group. It had like over a million views and the wife was working full time, the husband was working full time and because of that post they have no availability into 2026 already. Right, they're booked all the way through this year. And we went up to meet them recently and she said, like because of Ohio Road Trips is why I was able to quit my job and do this full time. So it was their passion project and now she gets to do it full time and that just I don't know, there's something really cathartic about that. Like it just like makes your heart just be like, oh my gosh, this is so worth the three hours a day dealing with all the little things that I have to deal with.
Speaker 2:Oh, exactly, and um, and I mean you're truly seeing at a micro level, all over the place, the impact of tourism on a community, local and, you know, regional and so forth. So let's spend a little bit of time like unpacking that, especially for people that are listening. They're trying to revitalize their community, they're trying to drive traffic in their community, downtown small business, restaurant, Airbnb, like whatever it is that they're working on. What are some, first of all, what are some pieces of the recipe for success that you really see working in communities that you're studying?
Speaker 1:I mean, this could be anything.
Speaker 2:I mean you can go wherever you want with this. We can, you know, wander, you can give a list whatever, but what are some pieces that you really see working that are drawing people to communities and being places that are? You know, maybe they're showing up a lot more on the group and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Well, I think, if let's just look at Marion, for example, so you guys have become this revitalization. I mean there's the heart of the community. We walked up on a group of business owners while we were walking and just the passion they have for what they're doing for their business. So at a micro niche down, that's the number one piece is the person who is investing into their community. I mean that's huge. They're taking, like you said, that leap of faith. So those are the first ones. Also, the investors who have revitalized, redone the building, so like that, at the first level, that is number one. And then number two is just getting out the story and that is where I feel like communities who understand the value of social media. Um, you know, every day posting a little bit of something each, and mcconnellsville, you just had amy and dan on yes and they're great at being cheerleaders for everybody in the community.
Speaker 1:it's's not just about them. Mcconnellsville is out there talking about everybody, and everybody is talking about everybody else, and then in a good way.
Speaker 1:It's so inspiring. So when you have a community that loves itself, that wants everybody to be successful every restaurant, every shop, every store you know that is that's the next step, right. And then it's getting those people to show up, people to walk in know that is that's the next step, right. And then it's getting those people to show up, people to walk in the door. And so that's where I think those social media again is.
Speaker 1:Another great driver is when you see a piece of content that somebody in your community made, like a store that you love, then reshare that on your page and then somebody else may see it. You just never know what that little tiny share will do. So, like I think those are some of those things that I see. I think little unique spots. I love coffee shops, having a coffee shop in a town. I mean, I'm not kidding. We were driving home from Lake Erie yesterday. I was at the governor's fishing day for fish, ohio. I was tired, I was like I need some coffee, so we got online, you know, did a little search, found a Ballywix coffee in Tiffin, ohio.
Speaker 2:We pulled off, got myself some coffee thought what a cute downtown.
Speaker 1:Okay, we got to go as the only place we stopped.
Speaker 2:But you know, I think a coffee shop that stays open past like two o'clock, maybe like five or six, would be great two o'clock maybe, like five or six, would be great, yeah, yeah, yeah, there's we were talking about this a little bit earlier that you and I, and Matt as well just that you start to study all these different communities and there's so many commonalities between the ones that are doing things well, and I think you've outlined a lot of these, starting with passionate people that care about their place.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then people that are willing to put dollars at risk in small business in renovating buildings, redeveloping places and spaces, and then it's kind of the community coming around to infill all the other pieces and parts you know from the. You know we were talking about this kind of as a case study as we were walking around our own community here with you know flowers and park benches and public spaces and just all of those different elements, and I know that you're you're seeing those and you're encouraging people as you're traveling around to just keep doing those things that are showing that they love their place. Are there other things that come to mind that you've seen that are just like those little like? I was reading a book recently that calls them like love notes that are just like you know the twinkle lights in the alley or the little like public art things or you know, are there any that stand out that you've seen recently?
Speaker 1:Actually there is. So, uh, in the zip code four, four, four, four, four is Newton falls, which is up in Northeast Ohio. There's a guy named Tom. He has a like a antique shop and he is like the most passionate guy you would ever meet. I mean, he is I don't even know I, he just he says community, we're going to do this. So I was coming up, he knew I was coming, I was just coming to see Newton Falls for the first time and just check it out. He made sure that there were pumpkins out, they freshened up the alley, right, they had just everything was so fall forward and it just felt like opening up your car door into a Hallmark movie, right.
Speaker 1:And so sometimes, when you get to a small town too and you open the door, they have some music playing. I don't know if you've been to Troy, ohio, there's some music playing and that always I don't know it creates a feeling, as you kind of get into that community, of oh my gosh, this is going to be great. And one time I opened up a store again, coffee shop, because I'm kind of addicted to caffeine. We opened the door out and it started snowing and then the church bells started ringing and it's just, there's a feel that you need to bring to your community. It's just not, oh, we have some stores open, but there's really like this community feeling. There's something that you've put together and everybody's working together to bring all those puzzle pieces, to make it someplace that somebody wants to come and spend some time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and you work a lot with tourism bureaus, convention visitors bureaus and the opportunity to chat with Bev Ford, our local executive director here, and I know you've been acquainted with her through organizations before. But those people are really doing good work trying to promote their communities. What are some best practices that you're kind of seeing in those spaces as communities are promoting themselves both internally and externally? Again, are there some that you've seen that you're like man, they are just really killing it in the way that they're spreading the word? Is there, you know, any kind of like secrets that you can share?
Speaker 1:So if you're a business owner and you're listening to Luke's podcast right now, so my number one piece of advice for a business owner is please go introduce yourself to your visitor convention visitors bureau. They are there for you. If you have an event that is getting ready to happen, please let them know. They're going to share it on their social, they're going to put it on their website, but what they don't know, they don't know. So they need you, as a business owner, to reach out to them and tell them what you have going on Like right now.
Speaker 1:You guys have Christmas in July going on down here and you know letting Bev know. I don't know if she knows, but if she doesn't know she should know right, because then she can be sharing that and they are your voice in the community and then they're your, they're your voice outside to bring visitors in. So they're looking for ways to promote you and so being involved with them, knowing who they are, what they've got going on, that is like huge for your community and I don't think people realize, like business owners I find I've said have you talked to your local CVB? And they'll say what's a CVB? Right? So they don't even know what it is, and so if you don't know what a CVB is, this is your moment to pause the podcast. Open your phone, google your community, you know, find your CVB and get in touch with the director. They would love to know about your business. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, really good advice, really good advice, really good advice. I know that. You know I mean Bev is downtown and so we I see her a lot and we're in different circles together and I know that she's just all the time calling Facebook and and all the you know different publications and groups and trying to find out what's going on and she's kind of piecing this together and yeah, I mean she's she's missing things as much as she's trying because she can't be everywhere or sometimes people aren't doing a great job of marketing their stuff, but she will help. Her equivalent in other communities are also doing that too. I know something that that I just love that she's done here in Mary and I think other communities do this too, but if they haven't, it's a great idea.
Speaker 2:She's aggregated that into a community calendar that's all hosted on the CVB website and so anyone can go on there and they can look, you know, two months ahead hey, I'm going to have family members here on September 13th. I wonder if there's a show at the Marian Palace Theater or you know any kind of you know music event going on or something like that, and you can look ahead. You can, you know see what's this weekend, two weekends, you know whatever, and so that's really really a handy resource.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so. Economic development, in my opinion, starts with a visit. So many times we think that, oh, people are just going to be here, it's just going to happen. It's just, you know, when somebody comes to a community and they come and they check it out and they spend some time. I have a lady who was on Ohio road trips. She went and visited Mount Vernon, for example, fell in love with Mount Vernon. She went home back to Columbus, sold everything, packed up and moved to Mount Vernon because she fell in love with it and so it was a visit. And so I think sometimes we think, you know, it's just about the community, it's just about providing services to our community. Like your community can grow because a visitor comes. And if you get somebody who comes and then they're a business owner and then they open their business from wherever they were in your community, I mean that's pretty amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I mean it's such a fantastic point that I think that until you said that actually in our conversation earlier today, I never exactly thought of it that way before, because we definitely pay attention to tourism, we value tourism, we know that those dollars are making a significant impact in our community, but we don't necessarily think about people turning from tourists into residents.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:And that conversion happens all the time.
Speaker 1:Yes, it does.
Speaker 2:Like you said, I mean it starts with a visit. How many people have you know went to Florida on vacation and said I want to retire? Here Exactly, and then all of a sudden, you know, a few years later they're living there, right. But the same thing happens in small towns and cities and, you know, in the Midwest, here as well, where people say gosh, I just, I really have a feeling that I like when I'm here, I like the people I like the people, I like the amenities, I like the shops or the restaurants or whatever, and I could see myself living here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, happens all the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, those are. That's really fascinating and, I think, again an inspiration for just continuing to create places that are people centric, that are focused on just being special and unique and something that can be only found in in your specific town.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And, uh, that's worth celebrating and it's worth sharing. And you know those stories are getting shared all the time in groups like yours. Yeah, so so um tell us about, tell us about some other great you know, as we're just kind of talking about places that you've visited and enjoyed and had experiences, what are some that are top of the list here?
Speaker 1:recently here in Ohio, man, that is such a loaded question. You guys always ask me that question hey Brandy, where's your favorite restaurant? Hey Brandy, where's it? Oh my goodness.
Speaker 2:I promise you not to be easy. I promised.
Speaker 1:Matt, that I wasn't gonna be easy on you. So one of the favorite things that I have done recently, oh goodness.
Speaker 2:It's most recent, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I think one of the places I really enjoy going in the summertime is Lakeside Chautauqua. It's kind of on my radar so I haven't been there yet this year, but it's highly on Brandy Gleason's. I got to get their list because you it's a gated community during the summer and you can go in. There's ice cream. It just like feels like you've stepped back into the 1950s.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, yeah. And the sunsets there are. Just I can't. I mean there's no words for how beautiful as the sun sets and the sky turns, you know, red, purple, blue, and you're just sitting there and the breeze off the lake is coming and I just love it. It's just like a real win, I think. Troy, ohio, I really enjoy going to Troy. They've got a great walkable downtown and the food is really great. I like to eat, so I've been working on a book about restaurants. So you know Troy is another town that I like to get to.
Speaker 1:There's tents that you can sleep in on the great Miami river. So if you ever wanted to sleep on a tent in the middle of a river, well, they got you covered.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, those are some great ones ones. I enjoy those places as well. Speaking of great coffee, we've got friends that own purebred coffee over in troy, um he actually taught me how to taste coffee no, it did did you know?
Speaker 1:there's like really a way to do that, like you take a coffee and you slurp it in and you yeah, it's like I had no idea. There's this whole coffeeology.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, so interesting, and being around somebody like that, that's like really such a master of it and can teach you, like how to fully appreciate all the different flavors and everything, it's a yeah, that's a really special experience. So let's like do a little plug for your friends.
Speaker 1:So, like he teaches classes, so if you ever find yourself in Troy and you want something to do, book one of his coffee classes and he'll teach you how to feel the flavors, taste the flavors, I mean. I think people think that travel is just oh, you go to this place, you do this thing, you know, you eat some food, you go to sleep, no, like you can really get down into what the community has to offer, and so having a coffee tasting class in your town is kind of a unique thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, well, and I'm going to just drop a little something that Noah may have something brewing in or around Marion, so we're just going to put that little teaser out there?
Speaker 1:I hope so, noah. If you're watching this like listening, please come to Marion. It's closer to me than Troy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, noah's fantastic. He's become a friend and just somebody that, honestly, seven or eight years ago we were just wandering around Troy and we were sitting in their play in purebred having a coffee, and you can always like pick out the owners right, you're good at this, yeah, exactly. He, uh, he and his wife Megan were both just, you know, working away and you know it's like we get where. You know, Lindsay and I look at each other like they're the owners.
Speaker 2:So you know we waited for the place to kind of clear out and we struck up a conversation and you know we've got all these commonalities. You know he's such a nice guy and he used to be a landscaper and all this, so we had all this in common and we just stayed in touch and anytime we're in Troy we have to stop by there and get a coffee.
Speaker 1:I've never done a class, though, so that is, I need to go a little deeper, obviously. Yeah, well, it actually will change how you drink coffee all over. You know, I travel all over the United States and into Europe even so, now how I taste coffee is like thank you, noah, because now I take a minute and I do his little thing and then I taste the flavors and it's really different.
Speaker 2:That's awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's crazy. Okay, well, some good, some really good destinations and ask a little bit about again, as you've become such a student of traveling and going to different communities and picking out, like where some of the kind of hidden gems are. What are some little tour takeaways for Marion today? We did some hoofing around downtown to burn off some of our cheesecake, and so we saw not everything but a lot of the different shops and different spots, and so what were some tour takeaways from today that you think that are notable about Marion Ohio?
Speaker 1:So I think Marion is one of those overlooked hidden gems. Right, it is. So I was telling you downtown. So, like, for example, Bellefonte we talked a little bit about, I mean that's only a couple blocks, right. The Marion is block after block after block.
Speaker 2:It's big yeah.
Speaker 1:There's so much to see and I just loved how this large space is becoming more and more filled with shops and shop owners. I think your Cardinal project is very okay, cliche, but it's super cool.
Speaker 1:I love it because every time I wanted to stop, I wanted to read the sign, I wanted to see you know who painted it, cause it's all like. Did you say it was all locally created, right, and so that was very, very stoppable, right? Instagrammable moment is like what I like to call those. When we went to Atta Boys, just the stories that come out of small town America are just heartwarming. So the food there was off the charts. So if you haven't been to Atta Boys and you're listening to this, that's definitely something I would say, you should probably stop at.
Speaker 1:Ended up with some chicken and shrimp gumbo and I'm not joking right, the bowl was as big as a casserole dish. I mean, I was like oh my goodness, there's no way I could have eaten all that, and so his portions are super generous just like the community was.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, those are some things that I took away immediately. Yeah, yeah, I appreciate that. I, I agree. Uh, I love, you know, in our own town and others just meeting the people and and really hearing the stories, and I think that, as we're talking about tourism, as we're talking about marketing and PR, it's the stories that that sell the places right you know, and so I'm sure that, uh, you would encourage folks to to, would encourage folks to tell that story right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, don't hide it. Now, matt, do as I say, not as I do, because Matt's always like hey, brandy, you need to put yourself out there, you need to share a little bit more. And I'm always like, I like to be the woman behind the camera, I'm the woman behind the story, but the only way people are going to know about you is, if you share that story, why you is. If you share that story, why did you end up in Marion? Why did you end up in that little store front? How did that store front come to be?
Speaker 1:Is it an incubator store? Was it a pop-up store? Like, nobody knows that. But when they start to find out, oh my goodness, this is how it happened, and then they'll come in and they'll share with you hey, we'd like to see this in your shop, or a little bit of this. And then they'll kind of help you curate some of the things that the community is looking for. And so if you don't tell your story, nobody else is going to be right Unless you email me and say hey, brandy, come tell my story.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, so, uh yeah, speaking of storytelling, so right now you're telling the story of a whole bunch of restaurants around Ohio, and I know this is a little bit of a touchy subject because you're on a deadline, that's looming here very soon, but I know that this has been a labor of love for you.
Speaker 2:Tell us a little bit about, especially just focusing on restaurants. What have you learned about the restaurant world, the small, locally owned restaurant, what? What did people not know that you've learned? What did you not know that you've learned? I learned so much.
Speaker 1:I learned number one, that restauranteurs are probably the hardest working people that work in America. They are if. If a dishwasher doesn't show up, they're the dishwasher. If a waitress isn't there, they wait the tables. If the host doesn't show up, they're seating you at the table. If they run out of milk, they're running to the grocery store to get some. They are I'm speechless Like they are so hard, they work so hard, and so this book has probably been the most challenging thing I have ever written in my life.
Speaker 1:My poor publisher. I have I've written emails that like, how, why would you have me write this? This is the worst thing I've ever had to do in my life, because you know you send an email and they don't email back because they just don't have time. Right, they're. They're out there getting the restaurant ready for the day, and so there's a restaurant called Broken Rocks. They're in my book and he ended up in the hospital and then he had this going on and that going on, but they're trying to reach out, and so they, my goodness. So, yeah, that's one thing I learned that they still have time to talk to you. And so if a business owner, a restaurant owner, stops and talks to you at your table and asks you how you're doing and how your food was like. That's precious time and they really do care about their business if they take time to talk to you. So, yeah, that's one thing I learned.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's really good, and so I mean you've seen just every shape and size of different restaurant and those with history and longevity and you know, are there certain again kind of like things that you've recognized in the really successful ones that have kind of been the thread that you've seen through all of them? Are there certain ingredients?
Speaker 1:So that's a great question, because one of the things that I have found, when a restaurant is kind of new or they haven't been around a long time, one of the incubator things that have been happening is they're using locally sourced ingredients and so they're bringing in that you know, the butcher shop or a local baker, and so they're sourcing from within their own community, and so they're not just getting stuff from Gordon Foods, they're really looking for that person who's going to bring that unique flavor or that unique taste into their restaurant, and so they're collaborating and that is not only is their restaurant successful, but then the butcher shop successful and the bakery successful and then the cake decorator successful or whoever they're bringing in.
Speaker 1:Um, I also know like they're bringing in like milk products, right, so there's dairy farms that are you're able to get products from. So I'm seeing people love that farm to table or field to table experience, and so that's that's really huge. In union County they like to say that they're naturally crafted, and so that's that's really huge. In Union County they like to say that they're naturally crafted, and so that's a whole driver just down in Union County is naturally crafted products, things that are made within the community.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so when restaurants can be the curators of those and then making those into unique dishes?
Speaker 1:absolutely.
Speaker 2:Again, that's something that it just kind of like layers the local flavor and the uniqueness. That are really what people seek as they're looking for places, especially if they're traveling, and then everybody wins, everybody's winning.
Speaker 1:So it's not just the restauranteur winning, but everybody. And then everybody's like oh, that food, say that steak was delicious. Well then they're going to go when they're doing their cookout and they're going to go buy one from the butcher, cause they knew how good it was when they had it at the restaurant. So, it just continues to build that community.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So if people are excited about this book and they're like, hey, I'm a foodie, I'm, you know, looking forward to restaurant, these are all in Ohio, yep, and there's how many? 84. Okay, and so not quite one from every county, I guess. So it's uh, but uh, they're spread out all over. You've got them, you know. You've picked from tiny towns and big cities and everything in between.
Speaker 2:Right so and uh, and so this is going to be coming out. Do we know the timeline? And uh, and so this is going to be coming out.
Speaker 1:Do we know the?
Speaker 2:timeline, so late spring 2026, so next year.
Speaker 1:Okay, so due date is in four weeks. I mean, how many times do you have to text message me to like respond when are you going to come? It's like, oh, when can I fit this in Right? It's like, okay, I'm gonna take a break on this day. So, um, once it's at the publisher, then hopefully it'll be out by late spring it's at the publisher, then hopefully it'll be out by late spring.
Speaker 2:Yeah and so, uh, that's that's your final deal, or or will you be going through an editing?
Speaker 1:process. Tell us non book people, right? I mean what other?
Speaker 2:pain has to occur. There's a lot of pain and suffering.
Speaker 1:So authors, I, you know that you've ever heard the term starving artists? That's like legit. Um, so it will go to the publisher. They will look at my work and then they will edit it. And then they'll send it back to me and say, here's our edits and I see those as suggestions.
Speaker 1:Um, so sometimes I put my foot down and say no, that changes the tone of of how I'm writing it and, um, so I'm pretty a stickler, like I take everything through my own process before I send it in something called Grammarly Pro. So I just take it through my own. You know, make sure the commas are right, the words are right, make sure. You know I kind of am picking myself. I run it through my own plagiarism detection system, like I don't turn something, I'm type A, it's like. So usually my edits aren't horrible. But yeah, this book's a little different because they have this, they want the story and the history behind the restaurant. So it's not always, it's not super food forward, it's story forward, and so sometimes I've added a little more food than I think they want.
Speaker 2:But I'm the author right, yeah, yeah, but we'll see like it's a little bit of an arm wrestle between now and the finished product, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So we'll see if all of that stays or how much you have to fight to keep it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have one thing. I think that they're probably going to fight a couple things they might like be like oh, that's not really a restaurant or that's not really. I don't want to be like. It's unique. It says unique restaurants and eateries of Ohio. So I have creative liberty, right, Okay, so I'm going with it.
Speaker 2:I'm with you. I'm with you on this. I think it's great and I'm looking forward to to, to seeing it when it comes out and hearing those stories. I mean not just to you, know, go and have the experiences, but also just to hear the stories and, like, I think, those of us within the, the small business community, just we need, like, steady doses of inspiration and and also knowing hearing other people's stories, being inspired by them and then knowing we're not alone in some of the challenges and struggles and hardships that come with with any business and, but especially, hospitality.
Speaker 2:you know, small retail restaurants, some of these main street businesses. I'm with you. These are some really hardworking folks and just some of the very best people, because they're doing it not to make a billion dollars.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:It's because they love the work, they love the people they get to serve.
Speaker 1:They love the community in which they're working and they're the for some kids, ballet lessons. You are, you know, you're not just, you know, shopping big bucks, you're actually shopping local and it's keeping those dollars within that community and you're supporting a family. It's huge, it's huge.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I. I think that there is a growing number of people that are becoming more and more discerning with some of those types of things. I think you know, we all buy the occasional thing on Amazon, some more than others right.
Speaker 2:But I think, the more and more that we continue to hopefully beat the drum and just remind people, keep it top of mind that truly like, without these local places we wouldn't have communities. And you know, spending a couple extra bucks on a meal or a couple extra bucks for a gift, uh, and you're probably going to get something way more unique, way more specialized, way more personalized. It's worth it for one and two. You're really it's, it's an investment in in our communities to shop at these places you know versus going to Walmart.
Speaker 1:I went shopping. I bought something at the little store that had the kitchen stuff and the charcuterie boards. I mean, you know I shop local all the time and I, like you, I'll spend the extra couple dollars because it matters. It matters.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. And again I mean I feel like never sacrificing, because it's always something that would have been better than what I would have found on, you know, amazon or Walmart, or you know Hobby Lobby or whatever you know gift or something like that, that we really want to like be able to impart our desire to give something special.
Speaker 2:These are the places you know, and the shop owners and and even the just you know, not the owners, but the folks that work some of these stores. I mean, they're just wonderful people and they know their products and they're so willing to to with you to be able to make your gift really special.
Speaker 1:The word I like to use is they've curated the best of the best, so they curate these things that you just don't find anywhere else, and so that's a great word. Is their curators? Yes?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I agree, yes, yeah, I agree, and I really feel lucky because I get to see, like behind the scenes a little bit, some of these retailers, restaurants, the folks that you, the small businesses that they're buying from, that they're going to sell in their store, right, and all of this, and just being able to see that whole story and how it happens and how they're bringing so much care to what they're even selling in their store in the first place and then to help you, you know, drill that down to what's going to be really special for you specifically, yeah, is really cool, you specifically.
Speaker 1:Yeah, is really cool.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yeah. Or even to the point of us going into the, the, the Belenus creations today and seeing the 3d printing process and that whole thing 22 3d printers. They've got set up and they're just ripping off left and right, all these you know little gadgets and gizmos and whatever. I mean. They're just fascinating.
Speaker 1:It was. It's like you, just kind of I don't know. It gets on your tism side because you just want to touch them and squiggle them and play with them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they have so much texture and all the different movements and stuff. So if you don't know what we're talking about, we've got to visit and see. You'll see it for yourself, see behind the curtain, so so, so kind of wrapping up a little bit, brandy, I mean this has been so fun. Just you know being lovers of small towns and you know having a lot of these experiences and and and traveling and seeing the benefit of that in our own community and other communities. What is it that you're excited about as you look ahead for Ohio? Some of the communities that you've gotten to see. I mean, from 2018 until now, you've been seeing progress in some of these places.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and that has to be a lot of fun for you too.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. So I have so much stuff on the head. I mean I have so much stuff on the head. I mean I am, I have so much on my radar. It's it's crazy, and so I look forward to. So my one of my favorite things is the holiday season. So when you talk about small business and things like that, the holidays is is a great time to explore and really towns pull together. For some reason, christmas seems to bring everybody together. So you guys are doing Christmas in July and just listening to Christmas music it's like, oh, that's just.
Speaker 1:It's not that far away, I'm just going to go listen to some Christmas music and you know, christmas just brings that togetherness for a community. So, looking ahead for Christmas time, I'm doing a bus tour to Frankenmuth, michigan, and a bus tour to Ohio's Amish country, like celebrating some Christmas stuff. So there's like watching all of these things kind of come together for me is pretty incredible. But I am busy. I'm already booking into 2026 like projects that I'm working on. So yeah, it keeps me hopping.
Speaker 2:It's so exciting and, of course, the daily investment of time in Ohio road trips and just continuing to encourage people to share their experiences.
Speaker 1:So if somebody is out there.
Speaker 2:They're already a member or they're going to be a member of the group. What are some things that you would encourage them in order to help their community or others that they're traveling to? What are some best practices around that?
Speaker 1:So if you are a traveler and you go to a restaurant and you have probably one of the best meals you've ever eaten, you should take a few pictures and you should share it in Ohio Road Trips and even if you're so, if you live in Michigan or wherever you're listening to this podcast at share that on your social media. Social media is it's a beast. You never know what it's going to do. Sometimes I work really hard on something and I write this beautiful blog piece and I make some content for it and I share it and it's like well, well, right. And then other times you know you make some content and it does great. But don't give up Like, just share that stuff over and over, because it it will get people to go and do and experience the same things that you've gotten to experience. So if you live and you love your community, you should be consistently posting about your small ice cream shop. I'm doing the Brandy Summer of soft serve right now.
Speaker 1:So, I know, right, thank God I'm training for a half marathon because Matt's like, oh, let's stop and get some soft serve and. But I always order the large one because it looks so cool, you know it's so big and you know I've been sharing those. And then people are like, oh my gosh, I love soft serve ice cream. You know it evokes childhood memories or whatever. So you know, if you have an experience or you have something in your community that's unique, share that on your social media. Share it in a Facebook group. If media, share it in a Facebook group. If you're in Ohio, please share it in Ohio. Road trips. We would love that and people would love to see that too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, well, so exciting. So if, uh, besides coming into the group, if people want to follow along on on, you know, follow Brandy and and the Gleason family adventure and ongoing here and the other things that you're doing, I mean, where can they kind of find you and follow along and look for your upcoming book and future books I'm sure are already brewing?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you can just follow Brandi Gleason on Facebook or you can go to Gleason Family Adventure. I also have Ohio Road Trip's Facebook page and the group and then I'm on Instagram as well and GleasonFamilyAdventurecom is my personal blog. I like to say it's my passion project so I don't advertise on there. Like, there'll never. Like. When you go to a website and then an ad pops up and then the you know, and then a movie like I, it drives me crazy Cause I'm trying to like read a recipe or something, and then all these things are popping up.
Speaker 1:So Gleason Family Adventure is literally just a blog you get. If you get on there, you can actually read it, and so that's been a passion project of mine so you can read some different things there. There's a search option you can look to see if I've written about it, and one of the things you and I talked about is I'm thinking about doing like lodging blog about like Brandy's list. You know, here are my top 10 places to stay in Northeast Ohio or Northwest Ohio, Central, Southeast and Southwest. So it's kind of something I'm working on. So it's like I always keep busy. I'm always finding something to write about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that and I love following along as well and getting those ideas and being inspired by you know, what you're seeing and doing, and others as well in the group.
Speaker 2:So so thanks again for that and thanks so much for spending some time with us at Marion and also on the podcast here. I know that this is going to be a popular one. People are going to love hearing your story and what you've done and just how this all came about, and some of the stories you shared too, and some of the places that are now adding to our list of places to explore in Ohio.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, absolutely so. And to our listeners, thank you so much for tuning in again. I'm so glad that you did. I hope that you love this content as much as I've enjoyed producing it, and so if this is interesting to you, it'd probably be interesting to somebody else. You know, I'd love it if you'd share with someone else and certainly if you'd leave a rating and review. It would mean the world to me personally to help us get the content out to more people and help tell these great stories. So thanks again for being with us and we will hopefully see you back here next week. Mainstreetreimaginecom If you want to connect or if you know someone who we need to interview, shoot us an email at info at MainStreetReimaginecom. Until next time, keep dreaming and don't be afraid to take the leap.