Page 4 - Spring 2013 Hardlines Strategies

Finding those products that draw
customers in the door is easy. Just head
to the Blish-Mize Spring Buying Market,
where discounted prices give you many
options for promotional items.
Then, you’ll need to find that creative
idea for an event that will resonate with
your customers. As the spring season
approaches, now’s the time plan your
next big event, and a few ideas from other
Blish-Mize customers can get you started.
Calling All Cars
Mike Unterreiner loves his ’69 Camaro
and enjoys seeing other classic cars,
too. However, as owner of Hartman
Hardware in Shawnee, Kan., he doesn’t
get the opportunity to go to a lot of
car shows, which are usually held on
Saturdays. He also knows there are a
lot of other business owners in town in
similar positions. His solution: start a
local car show and hold it on a Sunday.
Not only would he be able to bring car
enthusiasts together, but he would also
have an event that would draw people
downtown to local businesses like his.
Unterreiner brought his idea to the
Shawnee Downtown Business Association
(SDBA), where he is a member, and the
association agreed to take responsibility
for the event.
Eight years later, the car show is still
going strong. “The first year, we had
100 cars,” Unterreiner says. “Since then,
we’ve averaged 350 vehicles each year.”
The show brings in car enthusiasts from
several surrounding towns. Unterreiner, who
chairs the SDBA committee in charge of
the event, works with the city to shut down
streets for several blocks around the store.
“We have cars lining both sides of the street,”
he says, “then the people pack in to see
them.” Food trucks park along the street, and
Unterreiner gets a permit from the city so beer
can be served to participants and spectators.
Each year, all the downtown businesses
sponsor the show, and it has become
an event everyone is proud of. “We
don’t have to solicit businesses to help
anymore; they usually call us and want to
be a part of it,” he says.
SDBA donates all money raised from
the event to local charities.
“The car show has worked well for
us,” Unterreiner says. “It’s brought
more attention to our store—we’ve
picked up some new customers, and
so have the other businesses who have
helped with it.”
Ladies Only
Builders in Kearney, Neb., wanted to
find a way to pull more female shoppers
into the store. So last year, Ginger Schmidt,
advertising and marketing manager at the
store, organized two Ladies’ Nights.
Hosting the Big Event
Try Promotions and Events to Boost Your Business
H osting a special
event in your
store can
generate excitement, get
new customers to visit
your store and help you
connect with other local
businesses. It’s also a
great time to promote
products and offer
special buys.
4 Spring 2013 • Hardlines Strategies
Several local Shawnee, Kan., businesses, including Hartman Hardware, participate in an annual car show,
which includedmore than 350 cars last year.
PROMOTIONS