We want to lead with a note of gratitude and congratulations to our #retailfamily on surviving a truly tumultuous and transformative year in retail already! As we prepare to enter the peak of the holiday season, let’s take a breath to reflect on some amazing accomplishments of 2020 and spark a little joy to fuel the finish of the year.
TechTown’s Retail Boot Camp is an intensive, hands-on, 10-week program that prepares serious entrepreneurs for the opening of their brick-and-mortar establishments in Detroit. The program curriculum is designed to strengthen businesses from pop-up stage to permanent location as they look to thrive in today’s retail environment. Retail Boot Camp has gained a reputation for supporting the launch of successful businesses in neighborhood commercial districts. This year’s cohort included: Ink Courage, MotorCity Pretty LLC., Estella’s Vegan Cuisines and Desserts, Black Economic Exchange Group, Cook Like a Boss, Blessed Candle Company, Trap Vegan, Modestia Collection LLC, City Tour Detroit LLC, K. Walker Collective, Sweet Thoughts, Breadless Corporation, J&T’s Kitchen and Sol-3 Avenue. All graduates will continue their journey with TechTown at their side, no matter what retail looks like in 2021.
Five standouts each won a $5,000 Kickstart Award
Ken Walker, K.Walker Collective
Debra Winfrey, Cook Like a Boss
Marc Howland and Ryan Salter, Breadless
Chantelle Jones, Estella’s Vegan Cuisine and Desserts
Crystal Rice, Black Economic Exchange Group
Retail Boot Camp represents only a fraction of the incredible victories and stories that were made in retail this year. As always, the retail team at TechTown is dedicated to supporting you on your retail journey, and we are pleased to offer Open Office Hours to discuss your business needs and be connected to tips, tools and tricks for improving your retail business. Topics include (but are not limited to): visual merchandising, retail buying and assortment planning, pop-up strategy, customer service tools and sales forecasting. Both Christina Devlin and Carrie Vestrand have extensive experience in operating independent retail stores and are looking forward to meeting with you to help you move your business forward into the new year.
