Something to Celebrate

In May 2019, Travis and Jami Harrington of Reclaimed by Grace accepted the Small Business of the Year award at the Chamber's Annual Meeting and Award Dinner. This year, they will pass the torch, presenting the 2020 Small Business of the Year award. This year's awards program will look much different - be closed, video recorded, and released in a special virtual watch party on September 15th. Although it's nothing we originally envisioned, and certainly not the celebration of local business we hoped to put on, I think we have much to celebrate this year all the same. The Harringtons and "RBG" are certainly one glowing example of all that small and local business owners have to be proud of in 2020, and the spirit of entrepreneurship we are so excited to see in Crawfordsville and Montgomery County. They have experienced so much as business owners between accepting and presenting the award. 

Happy Friday - 1 year ago today our feet weren’t touching the ground... We were over-the-moon with joy!! Smiling from...

Posted by Reclaimed by Grace on Friday, May 15, 2020

Travis and Jami's business venture started to take root in 2017 in a downtown storefront. They joined the Chamber, taking advantage of our Entrepreneur Membership in 2018 and it's been our great pleasure to watch them develop their business into what it is today. Travis and Jami spoke at our first-ever Retail Summit and shared some of their journey to-date in Fall 2019. And in February 2020, we celebrated a Grand Reopening at their new location on Grant and Market Streets. In the new space, Travis and Jami have increased workspace, ability to meet with clients to consult on their projects, and a brand new maker's space for hosting group classes. They've kept quite busy despite the challenges 2020 has thrust upon our business community. If you know Jami, you know there is still a smile behind that mask, too!

Photo Credit: Nick Wilson/Journal Review

Photo Credit: Tyler Rector, Summer Intern - Wabash College

Am I extremely disappointed that we will not get to honor our Business of the Year award recipients in-person in 2020? Most definitely. And mostly because I believe we have more to celebrate than ever before. Being a business owner or leader, and especially an entrepreneur, is difficult any year requiring adaptability, courage, perseverance, and good business sense to weigh necessary risk with potential reward. This year, owners and leaders had to relearn all the rules and still find success in their given industries and markets. And the rules change daily.

We know being an entrepreneur is hard - any time, but we need you! Creators, innovators, and rule-benders. You're an integral part of our intricate business community, and the Chamber is here to help you connect, promote, and navigate. We're proud to have hard-working, creative members like Travis and Jami among our membership. Reclaimed by Grace is one of the very first Entrepreneur Members to "graduate" to a Small Business membership. Congrats to you, RBG, on all your successes and lessons learned (and shared)! Thank you for sharing your entrepreneurial spirit with your customers and community every day. (Seriously, every day. Follow RBG on Facebook and take note on how to stay connected with your customers.) 

I invite you, the public, to join us for our 2020 Business of the Year Awards virtual watch party on the evening of September 15th, where we will honor many local businesses and individuals for their work in the past year. You can follow us on Facebook for details to be announced soon. Anyone interested in learning more about our free first-year Entrepreneurial Membership is welcome to contact us at info@crawfordsvillechamber.com.

AUTHOR
Cassie Hagan
Executive Director
Crawfordsville | Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce