Small Town Stories | Local Business Marketing, Small Town Business, Entrepreneurship

What role can the arts play in rural entrepreneurship and the economic growth of a small town? In Merrickville, Ontario, artists have spent decades helping shape the identity of a village known for creativity, craftsmanship, and a thriving small town arts scene. But maintaining that reputation takes far more work than most visitors ever see.

When Kenna McCall retired to Merrickville, she didn't arrive intending to become part of its...

What does rural leadership actually look like once the campaign signs come down and the election is over? For Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Mayor of the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands, it begins long before public office. It starts with growing up in a small town, leaving to build a career, and eventually returning home with a deeper appreciation for the place that helped shape you.

Like many people who grow up in rural communit...

Some businesses sell products. Others become part of the story people tell about where they live.

When Jess Pasinetti opened Found and Forage in Kemptville, Ontario, she wasn't trying to build the biggest retail store. She was trying to make it easier for people to shop in a way that reflected their values. What started as one small town business has grown into a home for more than 40 local makers, creating space for creativity, con...

Small Town Stories has never really been about making a podcast. It's about earning someone's trust and sharing the local business stories that help define our communities.

People often ask how I find my guests, how much planning happens before we record, or whether I know where a conversation is going before we ever sit down in front of the microphones. The truth is, every episode begins long before recording day. It starts over co...

What if the biggest obstacle to rural entrepreneurship isn't a lack of opportunity—but the belief that small towns can't support big dreams? While many people wait for certainty before they begin, Kirstin Levy, the founder of Rustic Roots Farmstand, chose to start with what she had: a roadside farm stand, homemade bread, and a desire to serve her community. That simple decision grew into a thriving farmstand business in Jaspe...

What if the story you thought you were telling was never the story you were actually discovering?

When I first started Small Town Stories, I thought I was creating a podcast about small town business. I imagined conversations about entrepreneurship, the remarkable people building businesses in small communities, and what inspires someone to invest in a place where everyone knows their name.

Then the messages started a...

When does growth stop being about building and start becoming about belonging?

Every small town eventually reaches a moment when the future begins knocking at its door. New families arrive. New businesses open. New homes are proposed. Change becomes inevitable.

The harder question isn't whether communities should grow.

It's how they grow.

Because every decision shapes something larger than the landscape itself. It shapes the people who...

For most of us, customer service and hospitality probably sound like the same thing. I certainly thought they were. But after hearing one simple idea on another podcast a few weeks ago, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the difference.

The more I travel through small towns and spend time with local business owners, the more convinced I become that people don't always remember what they bought. They remember how a place made...

When did we stop having places where we simply belonged?

Not home. Not work. Just somewhere in between.

A place where someone knows your name, asks how your week has been, and notices when you haven't stopped by in a few days.

In an increasingly digital world, those kinds of spaces feel rarer than they once did. We're more connected than ever, yet many people feel more isolated. We can order coffee through an app, work remotely, and s...

What if the things we notice first aren't actually the story?

A few weeks ago, a simple email about backyard chickens sparked an unexpected conversation. While the chickens may have been the catalyst, what emerged was something much larger: the stories we attach to ordinary things, the assumptions we make about people and places, and the ways community quietly shapes our lives without us even realizing it.

It's easy to look at a smal...

What makes certain businesses impossible to forget?

Lately, it feels like we're all consuming the same advice, following the same trends, and watching businesses race to keep up with whatever the algorithm rewards next. And somewhere along the way, a lot of brands have started to look remarkably similar.

But the businesses that stay with us rarely do so because they mastered a trend.

They stay with us because of how they made us feel.

...

Starting a small town business sounds simple enough until you're actually doing it.

The storefront might be ready. The business plan might be finished. But what happens when your customers are also your neighbours, your reputation spreads faster than your marketing, and the success of your business depends as much on community relationships as it does on revenue?

In this conversation, entrepreneur and economic development leader Yves...

There’s something small town businesses understand that the internet seems to have forgotten.

Not everything meaningful can be optimized. Not every relationship should move fast. And not every business is meant to scale at the speed the online world keeps demanding from us.

Recorded in Merrickville, Ontario, this first conversation begins with a homecoming. After years spent building a career in marketing, podcasting, and onlin...

Small town business is different — and after years of working in marketing, entrepreneurship, and online business, it’s something I didn’t fully understand until I moved back to the small village where I grew up.

Welcome to Small Town Stories! I’m sharing the story behind why I created this podcast, what surprised me most about returning to small-town life, and why I believe we need more honest conversations ...