For the next go-around to start this month, the team plans to expand the program to “Moms, Dads and Kid-preneurs” and will use Junior Achievement’s help to showcase talented youths. Junior Achievement promotes, among other things, literacy and work-readiness skills and empowers young people to own their economic success. MOMpreneur Magazine is not scheduled to be involved this year. “The local business community’s interest was peaked when they heard about the program and now, everyone in the community wants to be a part of it,” Tameling says. Winners will be announced in the spring. In today’s challenging economic environment, the pressure
goals: first, create an avenue for entrepreneurial mothers to grow their business or launch an idea; and second, create a compet i t ion that would build awareness of the specialty leasing program at the center. Every ounce of creative support for the competition came
from this center’s duo, both y o u n g moms themselves. “We didn’t want to make moms feel uncomfortable. Every thing we did we were careful to not deter their interest,” Senick says. The competition included in-mall events followed by a judged contest. “We [hosted] a ‘Mom’s Marketplace’ and all the contestants were allowed to showcase and sell in the mall for one week for free,” Senick says. The weeklong event was a way to entice and reward the prospective retailers, and as Tameling reports it had the added benefits of driving traffic and free publicity—there was television coverage of the event. The Centre Mall had 20 applicants offering a variety of
products and services from health and fitness products, baby products to counseling services. Celeste Bodnaryk, owner of Sphere-Licious, was this year’s
winner. Her most popular products are decorated chocolate cake balls on sticks, a concept that has become increasingly trendy. The cake balls are approximately the size of a quarter and can be eaten in two bites. Bodnaryk won three months’ free RMU rent, with visual merchandising support and ongoing mentoring provided by the mall retailers. Senick says that while the cake balls were delicious, Bodnaryk’s business plan was equally yummy. “It was her great business plan that set her above the rest,” Senick says. The operator is still producing cake balls and running her business from her home. Her family commitments made it difficult for her to continue operating with long retail hours. “I know the knowledge she gained was worth a million dollars,” Senick says. “We are getting other businesses in the city behind us and
we have had more inquiries as a result of our effort,” Senick says. “The business community’s support has opened up new doors for our center.”
is on to help retailers stay in business and incubation programs do just that. As Livingston points out, these programs nurture more than just one winner. “Every year after the Retail Star competition, we have businesses that did not make it through the process as a winner, but they started on their own and we offered creative rent structures,” she says. The challenge with all incubation programs will be to make
them scalable in order to grow more retail store openings. “I think it has to grow organically. The bigger issue is creating ongoing training and development for retailers,” Kravitz says. “Doing incubation programs in major cities and partnering with large non-profits like the Los Angles Urban League and maybe trade shows and other groups can help develop retail ideas and retailers.”
Duffy Weir is the former vice president and director of Specialty Retail and Marketing at The Rouse Company in Columbia, Maryland. She is now an independent retail marketing sponsorship consultant, Director of Education and a senior writer for Specialty Retail Report.
Article Resources Deborah Kravitz, Provenzano Resources Inc. (PRI)
proresourcesinc.com
Barbara Lawson, Bellflower, CA
barbarasdelight.com
Whitney Livingston, VP Management and Marketing Services Madison Marquette
madisonmarquette.com
Janine Senick, Specialty Leasing Manager, The Centre Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
thecentremall.com
Sarah Skotvold, Marketing Manager. Bayfair Center Bay Street Emeryville
shopbayfair.com
baystreetemeryville.com
Leanne Tameling, Marketing Director, The Centre Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
thecentremall.com
SpecialtyRetail.com
Winter 2012 n Specialty Retail Report
121
Photography by Grant Romancia
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