BUTTE — A new Butte business collective is hoping to crowd-fund a marketing campaign that they say will highlight all that Uptown Butte has to offer.
"I think a lot of us are still kind of new to Uptown Butte and I think that a lot of people still have this idea that we have to go out of town to shop and really, we have all of these amazing shops Uptown," says Jubilee Stearns.
Stearns is the co-founder and manager of Paper Cranes, a boutique that offers a variety of items from home goods to clothing, toys, and food products. She also manages Drizzle Sips & Scoops, an ice cream and coffee shop located in the same space in an old building that sits in the heart of the Uptown business district. The businesses are not yet a part of the proposed marketing campaign but she loves the idea and wants to participate.
"It’s important for us to get all of our names out because I even have quite a few customers that don’t come Uptown much and they’re like, ‘I had no idea all this was here,' and we’re like, 'Yes! We’re here! Spread the word, we are here!'" says Stearns.
The marketing campaign, spearheaded by the Butte Business Collective—a collection of micro-businesses that sell everything from makeup to food and beverages—aims to do just that by targeting potential customers on social media, television, and even through billboards.
"We just have to remind people what we have to offer ourselves. So, it’s a great, fun, creative way to display that," says
Shelly Conner, the owner of Gloss: The Green Beauty Counter.
Conner is a licensed esthetician and a member of the Butte Business Collective. The group is turning to crowdfunding in hopes of raising $20,0000 within the next couple of months for the campaign.
"It’s really expensive, you know, for a small business, especially a retailer, so we decided that a marketing campaign was going to be the best to help us kind of boost our business and foot traffic," says Conner.
Conner says the group is hoping for individual contributions and corporate sponsors to reach the goal.
