Retail Alliance

Virginia retail moves economies forward...learn how in our brand new video we unveiled at our second annual Virginia Retail Matters event!

Did you catch our CEO, Jenny Crittenden, on WTKR News 3's Coast Live yesterday? If you didn't, you can tune in below to watch as she talks about our 2024 Virginia Retail Matters event, and more specifically our retail study that we conducted with Main Street America. You can now head to our website to download your free copy of the Virginia Retail Matters report, updated from last year with three new chapters including AI in Retail, Access to Capital, and Workforce! Download today to be equipped with the tools you need to make informed business decisions and to stay up-to-date in an ever-evolving industry!

We had a great time at our Shop & Shuttle event on Friday!

We were so grateful to be apart of this event as a Community Partner! We brought along small businesses and organizations to introduce them to the military spouse community, including VisitNorfolk, Visit Smithfield, Gloucester Tourism, Care-A-Lot Pet Supply, Worley's Home Services, Changes City Spa, CycleBar Hilltop, F45 Kings Grant, and Hickory Trading Company!

Had an amazing time at the Virginia Retail Matters 2024 conference on September 19 at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg this past Thursday! ?? The lineup included insightful talks from retail leaders like Jenny Crittenden, Matthew Wagner, Ph.D., Melissa Minkow, and Ross Chanowski. ?? One of the standout moments? Bringing up Matthew Horne and Patrick Jackowski, owners of Firehouse Coffee Fort Monroe ?, located inside the US Army's oldest firehouse. ?? Childhood friends, they shared their incredible story of buying the business during a chance encounter with the previous owner post-COVID and building it into something special. When asked, “What are you doing to attract Gen Z (‘Zoomers’)?”, their answer was straightforward: “Literally everything we can possibly do!” ?? This includes: Focusing on their loyalty program Building a strong community of regulars Promoting merchandise on a Shopify-empowered site ??? Collaborating with local businesses on social media Staying present online – because that’s where Gen Z discovers brands A quick look at their IG shows reels with nearly 1M views ??, including one using the #MannequinChallenge. ?? What’s more inspiring is their commitment to giving back to the community. ?? They sponsor school lunches through the "World Changers" youth leadership organization and partnered with Old Point National Bank to start 500 new savings accounts for local youth, each seeded with $10. ?? Hats off to Firehouse Coffee for setting an example of community-first retail! ?? #RetailMatters #GenZ #CommunityBuilding #FirehouseCoffee #VirginiaRetail #DigitalMarketing #SmallBusiness #RetailLeadership #KingsmillResort #CustomerLoyalty #GivingBack #Shopify https://lnkd.in/e4--RwaX shopify.pxf.io/PyeWnY

Thank you to everyone who attended Virginia Retail Matters last week! This year's event was a tremendous success, highlighting the essential role retail plays in building and strengthening our communities across Virginia. From insightful presentations to meaningful conversations, we gained valuable perspectives on the future of retail and its impact on local economies. We extend our deepest gratitude to our sponsors, partners, and all who participated for your support and engagement. Together, we are reinforcing the message that #virginiaretailmatters, and we look forward to continuing this important work in the months and years ahead. #vrm2024 A huge thank you to Matthew Wagner, Ph.D. from Main Street America, Melissa Minkow, Ross Chanowski, Matthew Horne, and Patrick Jackowski for all lending their insights and valuable knowledge during our event.

We were so grateful to have Matthew Horne and Patrick Jackowksi, owners of Firehouse Coffee Fort Monroe, to sit on our panel about Gen Z/Zoomer Behavior and share their first hand insights at Virginia Retail Matters last week! #vrm2024

Thank you so much Sultan for coming out and showing your support! Great video!

Retail MATTERS in Virginia and yesterday we drove that point home during our Virginia Retail Matters event. Thank you to Secretary of Commerce and Trade - Caren Merrick, Virginia Tourism Corporation VP of Research and Strategy - Dan Roberts, and Executive Director of the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance - Andrea Dono for being a part of such a special project that centered on messaging the impact of retail in our communities and throughout the state! Check out our video produced by Riverdale 24 Productions. Share it FAR and WIDE! Let's get the word out. Small brick and mortar retail is crucial to our economy and way of life. Shop local.