Calling all retailers. The City of Great Bend is inviting business leaders in the Great Bend area to the first-ever Retailers Roundtable meeting on Monday.
The meeting will take place at 10 a.m. at the Front Door facility, 1615 10th Street in Great Bend. The purpose is two-fold – introduce the city’s new Community Coordinator Christina Hayes and mine for ideas to bolster the local holiday sales season.
“Having been in my position only a few weeks, I am eager to continue meeting local business people and finding ways to collaborate in bringing shoppers to town,” said Hayes, a Claflin native. “At the roundtable meeting, we will focus on how we provide a unified front that makes Great Bend the place to shop for the holidays. This might mean setting coordinated holiday hours, advertising, events, and more.”
She wants attendees to bring their ideas. “Let’s make this the best retail holiday season for Great Bend.”
The meeting is open to anyone in the community that is affiliated with a retail business or that is interested in assisting with these cooperative efforts. At the meeting, business representatives will also be given the opportunity to provide input on determining the need for an ongoing Retailers Roundtable.
“Retail is a huge industry that can be difficult to bridge,” Hayes says. “In a small community, businesses can benefit a great deal from cooperating and co-promoting the idea of shopping local.”
The thrust of Hayes’ job is to promote and market the community, as well as coordinate special events.
Hayes graduated from Claflin High School before attending Fort Hays State University. For the past six years, Hayes has worked for the NorthWest Kansas Regional Prevention Center and the Smoky Hill Foundation. She currently lives in Claflin with her husband Richard and her 17-month-old son Richie.
For more information or to RSVP for the meeting, call Hayes at 793-4111 or e-mail chayes@greatbendks.net.