Better together

Sharing ideas and connecting creates community.

In order to fill the pages with all of this valuable content, we continuously reach out to retailers, wholesalers and retail consultants for their insights. Most are eager to participate because they understand the value of sharing ideas, even in a competitive market.Every issue of Seaside Retailer is filled with news stories, store profiles, presentation tips, advice and product information all curated specifically for beach, coastal and nautical retailers.

Take Toby Delbridge for example. The owner of Barefoot Trader in Englewood Florida, featured in this issue’s cover story, shared how friends of his family showed them how to run a successful beach store. Still to this day, he stays close with them as well as a growing group of retail store owners in his region who share merchandising ideas.

The Midwest Shore Society is another group organizing a similar community in the Great Lakes region. They are a resource “dedicated to Midwest-based brands, retailers and creatives with a coastal influence.” Seaside Retailer Publisher Karen Carr recently sat down with the organization’s co-founder, Amanda Horan, for a podcast where she discussed Seaside Retailer’s mission of creating a community among the wholesalers and retailers in this industry.

Most people wouldn’t be where they are in their business if it weren’t for someone or some group that mentored them or helped them along the way.

“Retailers are located all across the country, but there are a lot of things that they have in common,” Carr said. “We really wanted to be able to bridge the gap because so many trade shows are held in the fall, and we thought how great it would be if there was something that connected the wholesalers and retailers throughout the year.”

Most people wouldn’t be where they are in their business if it weren’t for someone or some group that mentored them or helped them along the way. Hopefully that has been your experience, and if you haven’t already, I encourage you to find opportunities to pay it forward.

You too can help build and grow our community by sharing your stories, experiences and industry knowledge. Feel free to contact me if there’s anything interesting you would like to share or topics you would like us to cover. And there’s always a possibility that one of our writers will reach out to you for information for an article. I hope you will be excited to hear from us and to answer our questions. It is important for us that the voice of the industry is well-represented in our pages. We want to ensure we are covering topics that are important to you and we appreciate your involvement in the process.

As a business owner, it is critical to be open to ideas and to listen to what industry peers have to say about a particular topic or issue. Just as important is sharing your own experience and input. The goal of Seaside Retailer magazine is to provide a space where ideas can be shared and where beach, coastal and nautical retailers and wholesalers can connect. I hope you are inspired to reach out to fellow store owners, the wholesalers whose products you like, and of course, to us here at Seaside Retailer.