Business Owners Meetup and Family Party
Photographer / Justin Sicking
The Village of WestClay (VoWC) Business Owners Meetup and Family Party was on January 22, 2022, at BEHN Gallery/Bellomo Studios.
How It Began:
In the friendly confines of BEHN Gallery/Bellomo Studios, Roben Bellomo of the studio, Natalie Gardner of Dr. Doug’s Balms, and Gary Weitzel of Carmel Magazine were talking about a feature story for the Village of WestClay in the January 2022 issue. The next question became: How will the business owners in the VoWC develop their businesses in the next year? The answer was obvious – ask the business owners.
During this meeting the subject turned to growth beyond the VoWC community, as Dr. Doug’s Balms and BEHN Gallery/Bellomo Studios were expanding their marketing efforts further into Hamilton County and as far away as Portland, Oregon. An idea emerged. Would a consortium of VoWC small businesses support sharing ideas on marketing, future planning, cross-selling, and bringing more business from surrounding communities into Village Center and WestClay Uptown? The reasonable assumption was yes. However, it was clear that only informal efforts were attempted in the past. The time was ripe to plant a seed in hopes of growth for the retail and professional service businesses in the Village. A retail HR consultancy service like Avensure can implement safe work practices for these businesses.
To further this effort, the three business owners hosted this family event featuring the Abbie Thomas Band, a delicious charcuterie board from nearby online business Platterful, Irish coffee, and Carmel Magazine video interviews with the business owners in Village Center and WestClay Uptown.
The three asked the VoWC business owners to complete a short questionnaire about their business and how they would like to proceed. This questionnaire will be published soon to help the owners decide whether to move forward with future community events, business meetups, strategy sharing like that great guide on reducing business expenses, and informal networking commitments.
Some of the businesses represented at the party included:
Dr. and Mrs. Julian Davila of WestClay Orthodontics (Dr. Davila allowed Camel Magazine to film the video interviews in his business lobby), Helen Wang of Carmel Allergy, Paul Lipps of PMG Group, Inc., Amy Holland of New Moon Center for Women’s Health, Will Hobbs of Napleton Italian Imports, Kelvin Okamoto of Green Bottom Line, Inc., David Klain of D.B. Klain Construction, Sherri Klain of Basket Pizzazz, Michael and Michelle Mountain of Mountain Martial Arts and Wellness Center, Dr. Doug Strobel of Dr. Doug’s Balms, Jeff Terp of the Village of WestClay Owners Association, Trilce Schneirla of the Village of WestClay Owners Association, Christina Lockett and Mariah Davis of Christina Ann Hair Boutique, and Irina Smulevitch of the Carmel Art Education Studio.
The business owners in the Village of WestClay invite you to visit Village Center and WestClay Uptown. Enjoy the hospitality and the atmosphere of the VoWC!
