Granton Bulldog Community
Store
To Open Soon
A window sign announces that the Granton Bulldog
Community Store is “Coming soon.”
The store will be in the former community
library space and will open at 10 a.m. Sept. 11 for Granton Fall Festival.
By Valorie Brecht
A new store will not only provide a place for
Granton Community members to stock up on their school apparel but will also
serve as a means of showcasing what makes Granton great.
The Granton Bulldog Community Store will open the
weekend of Fall Festival in the old village library space at 210 W. 2nd Street.
It will be in the same building as the village hall. Items for sale will include
Granton Bulldog apparel and artwork from the local artists.
Granton Area School District art teacher Dana
Klein is heading up the endeavor. The idea for a community store came up when
the school district went through its strategic planning process this past winter
and spring. Klein was part of the promotion and marketing team, which had a goal
of looking for ways to promote school pride and increase the school’s visibility
in the community.
“We did a survey of the students to see what they
would like,” said Klein. “Students were saying that they weren’t able to just go
get a Bulldog shirt; they could only order it during a sports season. So, we
thought it would be nice to have a place available where students could get
their Bulldog apparel.
Village clerk Joye Eichten suggested using the
space in the village hall that formerly housed the library and the office of
now-retired Granton Constable Mark Ramberg. The promotion and marketing team met
there in March and agreed it would be an excellent location.
“By having it outside of the school itself, it’s
more accessible to people. Students can go there after school, parents that work
during the day can go there after work and it may be more accessible to
community members than if it was in the school,” said Klein.
But with opening it up to the community as a
whole, “we didn’t want it to just be apparel because some community members
might not be interested in that,” said Klein.
Being an art teacher Klein’s mind immediately
went to local artist, and she recruited a couple to sell their pieces there, one
is 2020 Granton graduate Kylie Ganther, who creates art in a variety of mediums,
including paintings and digital drawings. The other is Lindsey Strey, a school
district parent. She creates ceramics like mugs and vases. Those will be the
first featured items with the possibility of expanding to other areas. For
example, Klein knows of local families who make homemade maple syrup and might
like to just put a few bottles there to sell. The store might also sell books on
Granton history.
“It’s a way to promote Granton,” said Klein.
The store will be open limited hours, Klein is
tentatively planning on Wednesday afternoons and two Saturday mornings a month,
with the potential of adjusting those hours depending on how busy it is.
Different groups of students such as the FFA or Visioneers Art Club will run the
shop each month with the chance to earn volunteer hours. Klein will be present
whenever the shop is open as the advisor. The village already pays for utilities
and maintenance and will not charge the school district anything to use the
space.
The store will open at 10 a.m. Sept. 11 for
Granton Fall Festival.
“We’re hoping it shines a light on everything we
have to offer in Granton. It’s another option to have access to apparel, but
it’s also to shine a light on local artists, for example which you might not
think of with a small town, and just to promote smaller businesses.”
The promotion and marketing action team consisted
of Klein, Eichten, Joi Riemer, Julie Kayhart and Chip Chadwick.
Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI
August 25, 2021
Transcribed by
Dolores
M. Kenyon, August 27, 2021.
Web page by
James W. Sternitzky PhD,
August 29, 2021.
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