Calling for Maryville ‘pop-up’ shops

Downtown Maryville, in partnership with Nodaway County Economic Development and Northwest Missouri State University, has announced the launch of Main Street Marketplace, a permanent “pop-up shop” location for local entrepreneurs.

The marketplace, which is expected to open mid-October, will offer booths for rent in a commercial, downtown building with set hours each week. Downtown Maryville will cover many of the start-up costs for the participating businesses while providing resources and networking opportunities. The location of the marketplace will be disclosed once the lease agreement is finalized.

“Our goal is to reduce the barriers that entrepreneurs face when starting a brick-and-mortar business,” said Downtown Maryville Executive Director DeAnn Davison, “We want to provide a real-world experience for those individuals in a controlled, low-risk environment.”

Main Street Marketplace is an extension of the “pop-up” shop program begun in 2021 by Nodaway County Economic Development Director Josh McKim. Utilizing space donated by the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce, McKim’s program has hosted over 60 local businesses.

“Main Street Marketplace emerged from discussions of how to help entrepreneurs along their journey. One challenge identified for some small businesses in the area is they have developed a great opportunity that is popular with customers at pop-up shops or daily markets, but they do not yet have the customer base or resources to start their own location; the Main Street Marketplace will help serve as a bridge to that next step,” added Dr. Ben Blackford, director of the Melvin D. & Valorie G. Booth School of Business at Northwest Missouri State University.

Helping entrepreneurs take the next step to a brick-and-mortar business is key to creating a healthy downtown and a major focus of the organization.

“A diverse, robust community of independent retail and restaurant establishments is critical to the health and vibrancy of our local area. Together, we can return Downtown Maryville to its former glory as the regional shopping destination,” said Downtown Maryville President Stephanie Campbell.

Northwest Missouri State University students from the Melvin D. & Valorie G. Booth School of Business will also be lending a hand behind the scenes to provide additional skill sets and support to vendors. Vendors will receive assistance in regard to accounting, management, marketing, and other areas to build a strong foundation for their company.

“I am excited about this next step in creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Entrepreneurship is one of the most sustainable and impactful economic development strategies a community can adopt. Maryville and Nodaway County’s focus on entrepreneurism will pay huge dividends and ensures that our community will have a diverse and thriving local economy,” noted McKim.

Downtown Maryville is currently accepting applications from interested entrepreneurs. Applications can be completed online at www.downtownmaryvillemo.com/main-street-marketplace or by contacting Davison. The deadline for applications is Friday, August 26.

Downtown Maryville was established in 2015 as the Maryville Downtown Improvement Organization- a community-driven, non-profit organization that focuses on preservation, promotion, revitalization, and enrichment of the economic landscape. Downtown Maryville utilizes the elements of the Main Street four point approach: economic vitality, promotion, organization and design, as a downtown management strategy to create an organization that is a revitalization leader in the community.