Elevate Springfield featuring Westside Market: Elevating Through the Power of Local Business

Summary

The episode features interviews from the West Side Market, showcasing local vendors and their contributions to the community. Robert also delves into the mission of Local First Springfield, emphasizing the significance of supporting local businesses and the benefits of community collaboration.

Takeaways

• The West Side Market showcases diverse local vendors.
• Supporting local businesses keeps money in the community.
• Local First Springfield promotes the importance of local spending.
• Networking opportunities are essential for small businesses.
• Members of Local First Springfield receive promotional support.
• Community events foster collaboration among local businesses.
• Building relationships is key to business growth.
• Local First Springfield aims to strengthen the local economy.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:00

Welcome to Elevate Springfield, where we will dive into strategies and stories that help you rise to your full potential. Each episode, we'll talk about how you can take intentional steps to elevate your life and your business while making a meaningful impact on those around you. Along the way, we're gonna bring in the change makers from our community that are already elevating. We'll bring the actionable strategies, you bring the discipline and follow through, and together we can elevate Springfield. Alright, let's go, Springfield. Time to 10X your life, your business, all of it. Time to crush those goals, time to get after it. Let's go. You are listening to the Elevate Springfield Podcast. Robert Farrell here, certified 10x coach, speaker, and mentor here to bring you actionable strategies. You bring the discipline and follow through. And together, we're going to Elevate Springfield. We're coming to you again from beautiful downtown Springfield in the Big Dog Construction Studio. Hey, we've got so much going on in Springfield right now. Make sure you are participating. Get out there, network with folks, be a part of the community, support local businesses, support local nonprofits, and let's go, we can all grow together. So, hey, another great episode for you today. We're gonna get right to our guest after the break. Hey Springfield, when it comes to reliable, high-quality roofing, you don't want to leave things to chance. That's why you should reach out to Acosta Angeli Ruffing, your local roughing expert serving Springfield and surrounding communities, from quick, dependable repairs to full replacement, from residential to commercial. They are your trusted pros. Call them today at 217-993-2748 or visit their website to book your free quote and inspection. Don't wait. A little leak now could lead to major damage later. Trust the local experts, protect your home, and get peace of mind with Acosta Angeli Roofing. And we are back. Hey, this weekend I spent some time at the West Side Market. Spent quite a bit of time actually at the local first Springfield booth there. Ran that booth for a few hours. So gonna be a little bit different episode today. Might recall last summer I did something similar to where I had some of the businesses from the West Side Market on the podcast while I was out there. So on Sunday, while I was there, banning the local first Springfield booth. We had a really cool battle axe game there, by the way, if you missed out on that. But I spoke with quite a few folks that came around and a few of the businesses there at the market. So hope you enjoy these quick snippets of interviews from a handful of folks that I met with there. And then we're gonna close out with a quick deep dive on local first Springfield. We'd love to have you be a part of Local First if you're not already. So let's get straight to the West Side Market. All right, I am not in the studio today. As you can see, I'm hanging out at the West Side Market at the Local First Springfield booth right now, but we have Olivia Hyde with me, one of the, I guess you could say masterminds behind the West Side Market. Sure. That'd be a good enough term, right? Yeah. So, Olivia, what's going on today at the market?

SPEAKER_03 3:27

Uh today is our July market. We've got about 42 vendors here today. It's a beautiful day, and the weather literally couldn't have been more perfect.

SPEAKER_05 3:36

It's absolutely gorgeous. Of course, we got the farmer's market stuff where you got the food and everything, but what else is going on out here today?

SPEAKER_03 3:42

We've got anything from like recycled jewelry made from utensils to bath and body stuff right behind us. Soft serve, we've got t-shirts, we've got all of the produce, jams, jellies, peaches, everything that you could imagine, clothes, candy, freeze-dried candy is great. It's delicious. And then we've got the beer garden in front too.

SPEAKER_05 4:03

Absolutely. I know we've been here since about a little before one o'clock setting up, and there's already been people walking around. So I think it's gonna be a great crowd today.

SPEAKER_03 4:10

Yes, yes. Last month was our most attended market that we ever had, even in last year. So we're hoping with the beautiful weather, it will be an equally amazing turnout.

SPEAKER_05 4:20

Absolutely. What do you love most about this market?

SPEAKER_03 4:22

I think from all of us, all four of us, we love just giving an opportunity to the vendors to come out, make more money, and for community support.

SPEAKER_05 4:32

Absolutely. Yeah, and if they didn't make it out this Sunday, it's always the second Sunday of the month, correct?

SPEAKER_03 4:38

Second Sunday of each month, June through November, two to five.

SPEAKER_05 4:41

Awesome. Right here in the Papo's uh parking lot.

SPEAKER_03 4:43

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_05 4:43

Cool. Thanks, Olivia. Appreciate it. All right, and we're back. Hey, I'm rolling around the West Side Market still, and I stopped in to see Kaylee at Spiritus Art. Kaylee, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_02 4:52

I am wonderful. How are you?

SPEAKER_05 4:53

Oh, fantastic. So, how's the market been so far for you?

SPEAKER_02 4:56

It's been a lot of fun, actually. The weather's not too bad, and we are staying pretty cool inside of our tent. So no complaints here.

SPEAKER_05 5:02

Is it your first time at this? Yep, it is, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:04

First time here. First time selling my art actually, too. So this is a new thing for me entirely, but we're having a good time.

SPEAKER_05 5:09

Oh, so the whole thing's new, selling your art in general. So, how long have you been doing it then?

SPEAKER_02 5:12

Um, I started making art in high school, but I got away from it. You know, I had a big girl job and then I came back to art. Sure. So I'm trying to dive back into it and see what I can do with it.

SPEAKER_05 5:21

Okay, well, tell me a little bit about your stuff. What kind of art do you do?

SPEAKER_02 5:23

So I do a lot of uh postcards. It's kind of something new for me that I've started with. I think it's important to reach out to the people that you care about, put down your phone and then send a postcard rather than a text message.

SPEAKER_05 5:33

Um, let's show, let's show them.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Absolutely. So we got my cowgirl, got my cowboy, kind of fun, kind of go with the horse theme. I own horses and I love horses, so that's why you can kind of see. I've got my horses here.

SPEAKER_05 5:43

So I've always been into horses?

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Yes, yep. I grew up riding horses with my mom and it just kind of stuck with me for life. It's kind of a cool thing that we have together.

SPEAKER_05 5:50

Okay. Walk us through your process, your artistic process. What you know, your inspiration and all that good stuff.

SPEAKER_02 5:56

Well, I love animals, so you'll see a lot of my animals here. I got a lion there and a frog here. Love animals, love nature, um, love a little bit of the funky stuff. Oh, yeah. If you'd like to have a good time.

SPEAKER_05 6:05

There you go. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 6:07

Um, obsessed with cats too. If you like cats, that's kind of just my process. I like to paint things that I love.

SPEAKER_05 6:12

Awesome. All right. Well, if they didn't see you out here today, where else can they go and buy your art?

SPEAKER_02 6:18

You can find me on Instagram at lovely spiritus. I'm also on Facebook as Kaylee Morgan. Um, you can send me a message and that's how you can find me.

SPEAKER_05 6:25

Awesome. Well, have a great rest of the market, Kaylee.

SPEAKER_02 6:27

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_05 6:27

All right, we're gonna keep rolling around the West Side Market. We'll be right back. Hey, I stopped by the Inspira booth with Rachel. Rachel, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_01 6:34

I'm good. How are you guys?

SPEAKER_05 6:36

Fantastic. How's the market been so far?

SPEAKER_01 6:38

It's been so fun. It's always a blast. Yeah? How many other things have it been to so far? Um, this is our second. We did June and now it's July's.

SPEAKER_05 6:44

All right. Well, I see a lot of clothes around me. Tell me what you do.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

So everything is high quality and affordable, and we are partners of the lupus foundation of America. Okay. My mom had lupus, so we joined the lupus research, and butterflies remind me of my mom. That's why it's our logo and why we'll see it on everything, and everything is see-through-proof, sweat-proof, and won't pill on you either.

SPEAKER_05 7:01

Love it. How long you been doing it?

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Since 2020.

SPEAKER_05 7:03

2020, all right. And it's all the athleisure, is what we're looking at.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

There's something for everybody to say the least. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 7:08

What's your favorite piece? You have a favorite? What you're wearing? This right here. So, what's that cover?

SPEAKER_01 7:13

It's our Jumpstart Zoop jacket. It's a centimeter shorter in the front than it is in the back. So when you see it on a hangar, it looks cropped, but it's not. It's UPF 50 and it looks great on everyone. We've had over 2,000 sold with 100% satisfaction.

SPEAKER_05 7:26

Okay. So outside of, of course, the what it benefits, Lupus Foundation works that so what are some other reasons why this is what you wanted to do as a company?

SPEAKER_01 7:34

I wanted to close the gap in the market where a woman could find high quality and affordable pieces. And yeah, we've been able to close that gap, I believe.

SPEAKER_05 7:41

I love it. Well, if somebody's not here at the market or they haven't seen you at the market, where can they buy your stuff from?

SPEAKER_01 7:47

So, first, we're known for our jackets, joggers, long sleeves, leggings, and sports bras. So, definitely I would reference those first. And then we do two collections, roughly a quarter, that like I'm wearing what we just launched today. But once it sells out, it's it sells and it sells pretty fast. You can go to inspirahtlb.com. We're always online, and then you can come to our flagship store, which is on Wabash at 3848 Wabash Avenue, right next to Hayes Coffee and Bakery.

SPEAKER_05 8:14

Love it. Why is it important to have events like this for local businesses?

SPEAKER_01 8:18

It's important to bring the community together. I love seeing new faces, familiar faces. And sometimes you just, you know, connecting with businesses, doing collaborations. It's all just really important.

SPEAKER_05 8:28

Love it. Well, Rachel, appreciate you spending a few minutes with us.

SPEAKER_01 8:30

Well, thank you guys so much.

SPEAKER_05 8:32

All right, I'm gonna keep rolling around. We'll see you in a minute. Hey everybody, I'm still hanging out at the West Side Market, ran into a friend of the show. You've seen him multiple times, Michael Thomas from Express Employment Professionals. Michael, how are we doing today, man?

SPEAKER_06 8:43

Doing great, man. What a beautiful day to be out here with so many local vendors and a bunch of different products. And uh, yeah, a lot of people are out already.

SPEAKER_05 8:50

Anything in particular that brought you out today?

SPEAKER_06 8:52

No, you know, I just always like to see local businesses coming together, local people getting out and supporting one another. Just makes the community stronger, and uh we all benefit because of it.

SPEAKER_05 9:00

No doubt about it. And it is great to see such a large crowd at this thing. Every single time I've been out here, there's people all over, people all over checking out all these different local businesses. So it's really cool.

SPEAKER_06 9:09

Yeah, the variety is crazy from homemade jewelry to baked goods to everything you could think of. I even saw some dumplings and uh Nidos down there.

SPEAKER_05 9:16

So my girls both already went to the Nidos place, and I believe it was before she was officially opened, so they got a little sneak peek. So I think they were pretty happy with what they got before everybody else even got here.

SPEAKER_06 9:27

Has anyone got the gold glitter one yet? That's the big question.

SPEAKER_05 9:30

You know what? I think my oldest daughter got one. Not here, but she got one when we were down in Florida. She was lucky enough to grab one of them. I didn't know they were a big deal, but apparently they're a big deal.

SPEAKER_06 9:38

Big deal, yes, sir. So anything new going on with Express? Lots of jobs, hoping lots of good people find employment. You know, just a quick testimonial. I heard from a woman this morning, her daughter worked at a place for eight years, had a great career, some changes happened. She met with my team Friday and she starts a new job Monday. Oh, come on. That's the power of Express, man.

SPEAKER_05 9:59

How important is that to Express to have those relationships with our local businesses?

SPEAKER_06 10:03

Yeah, you know, when you think about a job search, it can be stressful, difficult. You don't know what to do, how to navigate it. You upload your resume, where does it go, right? Right with Express, we had those relationships, Robert, already established. We've been working with some of these local employers for 40 years. In fact, I met with our founder the other day, and our very first company that we served was Marine Bank, way back in the day. So it was just funny to learn that. But yeah, it's it's imperative to have those relationships. And really, one of our other business partners talks about we help applicants get to third base, right? They're already ahead of the game, they're meeting with local employers and they have a foot in the door, and we're able to represent them and help them go to work faster and in a more professional way.

SPEAKER_05 10:44

Love it. Well, if somebody's out there standing at home plate right now, looking at, hey, I'm looking for my next opportunity or I'm looking to grow, how do they get a hold of you guys?

SPEAKER_06 10:51

217-528-3000.

SPEAKER_05 10:53

There we go. Michael, appreciate it, brother. Thank you. All right, we keep rolling around the West Side Market. Hey, we're back at it. Still rolling around the West Side Market. Noah Schlosser stopped by to see us over at the local First Springfield booth. He is with Noah Schlosser Media. Noah, how you doing today, man? Doing great. It's an awesome Sunday and the weather's fantastic. Can't beat it. No doubt about it. What brings you out to the market today?

SPEAKER_04 11:13

I was actually having a small group with my guys over at uh the corner pub. I figured I'd mosey on over and check out all the small businesses doing their thing over here.

SPEAKER_05 11:20

Heck yeah, you get anything yet today?

SPEAKER_04 11:22

Uh not yet. I'm buying some ice cream, some honey from Witty's honey over there. Who knows? We'll have to just have to see.

SPEAKER_05 11:27

Yeah, that honey's good. We've got that before. My girls, I think they can attest. They just had some of that ice cream, and I'm pretty sure it was good. I'm looking at one of them right now. She's shaking her head. Cool. All right. Well, Noah, we haven't had you on the podcast before. Tell everybody what you do, what your company does.

SPEAKER_04 11:40

Yeah, for sure. Noah Schlosser Media specializes in video production for local businesses, Christian ministries, and nonprofits in the Springfield and Sangaman County area. Drone certified, got a couple cameras and ready to help out with all the local businesses and Christian ministries and nonprofits in the area.

SPEAKER_05 11:55

I love it. I know you do a lot of work with West Side Christian Church. We go there a lot. We see you out there a lot. What's your favorite part about media production in general?

SPEAKER_04 12:03

That's really hard. B-roll capture is a lot of fun. There's a lot of freedom in being able to run around with a camera, get some really interesting angles of people talking, conversing, eating. I've done some sort of like sports as well. Sports b-roll videography is very fun. But I'm really into also into like the nitty-gritty of the details of the editing. Oh, yeah. Like that's something that some people are like, oh, it's really it's so tedious. I'm like, yeah, that's what makes it so good. Right. You know, if you get into the weeds, that's where you can really get the good stuff to come out of.

SPEAKER_05 12:29

No, I love that you say that because I'm the same way. A lot of people, when they're doing their meeting, they think that is the tedious part and they don't maybe not like to do that so much, but I like doing it. Because, like you said, that's really what creates a phenomenal product. Is that is that time you spent on the editing floor, I guess you could say. So you talk about working with Christian ministries. So is that just a passion for you? You've always been part of that or what?

SPEAKER_04 12:49

Yeah, it's been a passion. Growing up in the church, furthering the mission of God has always been something that's been close to my heart. You've mentioned Westside, I've been working with them for a few years. Also, drum there. Have you ever seen me on the drum set there? We do. I've been working a little bit with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, working on a few videos for them in these last few months. So it's been fun. It's a it's it's a passion of mine, and I feel like I'm furthering the kingdom of God in that way, too.

SPEAKER_05 13:10

Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Didn't they have just a uh some kind of conference or some kind of camp or something here recently?

SPEAKER_04 13:16

They just had the uh total athlete training camp. And so I was there for one of the days capturing some of the worship time they had, the athletic training that they had, the spiritual training that they had. It was very all-encompassing of what it means to be a total athlete. So really cool. I'm putting that together liter, like literally at not as we speak, but right, but I thought that's what I took a break from to come here and do.

SPEAKER_05 13:35

So love it, man. Very cool. Well, I'd love to have you on a podcast sometime. We'll do a full episode of what you do, man, really get into it and how you've grown and everything. But if there's a church out there, business out there, whoever that might want to do some business with you, might want to work with you, where do they go?

SPEAKER_04 13:48

Yeah, they can find me at noaschloser.com, N-O-A-H, S-C-H-L-O-S-S-E-R.com. It's literally just my name. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram at Noah Schlosser Media.

SPEAKER_05 13:59

There you go. Keep up the great work, brother. Thank you. All right, we're gonna let Noah get back to the market here, and I'm gonna keep rolling around. We'll see you in a minute. So we had a great time at the West Side Market talking to all the folks there. But as I mentioned, I want to talk a little bit deeper about what Local First Springfield is and what we do. So currently I'm the president of the board of directors at Local First Springfield. And if you haven't heard of us, or if you've just heard of us and don't really know what we do, Local First Springfield is essentially a community-focused organization dedicated to highlighting the importance of supporting locally owned businesses right here in Springfield, Sangaman County, and all the surrounding counties. See, Local First Springfield really emphasizes that where you spend your dollars matters, and that choosing local businesses helps keep money circulating within our local economy. You might have heard me mention that if you buy from a locally owned business, 67 cents of every dollar stays here locally. If you don't, it's more like 43 cents. So the more we can do that here locally, the more we can support our friends and neighbors, and the more we can grow together, just like we always talk about. We do have a phenomenal board at Local First Springfield. You've heard me talk about how great our board is over the last few months. Just a lot of hard chargers, a lot of heavy hitters, a lot of people that are doing great things in the community. Such a great group of folks really putting in the work to help support and grow local businesses here. So, what are some of the benefits of being a local first Springfield member? Well, first off, we have our business directory on the website. You can be featured on there. We have events throughout the year. So many great opportunities for you to be able to network with folks within the small business community. You can go there and as we talk about all the time, find those collaboration points, maybe find some referrals, find some ways to work together to help all of us grow. We also have a robust social media arm. We like to promote our members heavily. We have a good following on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, things like that. And we promote our members on there as much as possible. And as a member, you get two posts a year, promotional type posts. And you can also share other items with us that we could we could push through there as well. In addition to that, we have a VIP program where you can have monthly posts about your business. You could be featured on our website with a video and be a named sponsor at some of our events. So, again, what we're trying to do is promote our members as much as possible and then give them the opportunity to network throughout the year. So this combination of networking and marketing exposure can certainly help small businesses reach new customers because maybe you're a small retailer out there and a couple of posts through our network could go a long way to driving some business to a new shop, right? So check us out over at localfirspringfield.com if you want to become a member. It's $175 for a business is one hundred dollars if you're a nonprofit. If you are a franchise but still locally owned, that's two hundred and fifty dollars. So three price points all with great benefits attached to it. So we'd love to have you join us. Head over to localfirstspringfield.com. If you have any more questions, you can send an email over to info at localfirstspringfield.com. That'll go directly to me, actually, and I'll be able to answer any of those questions that you have. We'll be back after the break. Looking for expert tree care with hometown integrity, look no further than Sangamon Tree Service. They're your trusted local pros, delivering quality workmanship, exceptional customer service, and fair, honest pricing every time. Whether it's trimming, removal, or storm cleanup, their team brings professionalism and care to every job, big or small. Call the name your neighbors trust, Sangman Tree Service, or visit them today at SangamentTreeService.com. Sangamon Tree Service, rooted in quality, built on trust. Looking for personalized insurance with hometown care, David Hilst, American Family Insurance Agent's here to help you protect what matters most: your family, your home, and your dreams. Whether it's auto, home, life, business, David and his team are proud to serve the Springfield community with trusted advice and reliable coverage. Local service, real relationships, peace of mind. Call today or stop by their office. They can build your dream protection plan together. Call 217-726-6343. Well, thank you for joining us today, everybody. Appreciate you making us a part of your day. Hey, don't forget while you're out on social, check ours out. You can check my personal one out at RobertFarrell at everywhere. Check out those Elevate Springfield pages, those big dog business coaching pages as well. Check us out over on YouTube. Give us a subscribe, give us a like or a follow on any of those channels. We would certainly appreciate it. So hey, take what you learned today. You bring the discipline and follow through and together, as right, y'all. We're gonna elevate Springfield. Be great.

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