Buffalo Bud’s Wild West Show, Part 3: Hit It Out the Park

So when we last left off it was April 22, right before the retail hootenanny was ready to kick over the first barrel.  For us, May is a blur.  The days are long and one week grows into the next.  We don’t know what he had for last night’s dinner, let alone what we were doing a month earlier. 

So we find ourselves in the height of gardening frenzy.  It’s now May 25.  Late afternoon I get a call from Bud.  He says,  ‘So what was that thing you did back in April? Did it have anything to do with American Express?’  I didn’t know what he was talking about at first, but then said, ‘Yes, why?’  So I hear Bud hollering, ‘Don’t delete it!’ 

Thinking it was a solicitation, we almost deleted it.

Nope wasn't a telemarketer.  It was Tom Monahan announcing we were a top 40 semi-finalist from over 11,000 entries across the country.  We were freaking at that point.  This kind of stuff doesn’t happen to a wee little business from tiny town Dixon.  Wow…  what a cool thing.  It was a nice while it lasted.

Later that night the spring deluge kicked up again.   Bud comes home. Supposedly they were to be calling for phase two, an oral interview, but we had no idea when and they hadn’t called yet, and it’s now 9:00 pm in NYC, so our hopes weren’t high.  So on we go with our evening and Bud heads out to make a Kroeger’s grocery run.  It’s hammering rain and he pulls up in the parking lot.  The rain pounds the car like a drum.  Hearing anything is a challenge.  So here Bud is, stuck in the parking lot, and yes, you guessed it, the phone rings.

On the other end is Cynthia Spaulding of Electric Artists, the agency handling the screening for Big Break.  Right there, in the parking lot, stuck in the van during a downpour and having a tough time hearing, Bud gets interviewed.  When he comes home he’s wired.  Not sure we got much sleep that night.  Planning and preparation counts, but being able to adapt in the moment, well that’s the moment when the wagon really starts moving.  Little did we know the "unexpected surprise" was to be a common experience in the upcoming months. 

So now we wait.  No longer does the thought of a Big Break fall off the cart and into the ditch somewhere.  It’s on our minds.  The week of waiting drug on like the anticipation of a distant tree on the horizon, stuck on the back of a sun-scorched wagon looking for a cool spot to rest.

On June 2, a call comes informing we’re a top ten finalist, unbelievable.  This little business from the smallest town in the contest is in the top ten.  Who’d a thunk?  That set in motion an amazing journey of firsts, a community outpouring of support, many sleepless nights and the greatest joy of experiencing the community in a way we never would have hoped. 

On June 10, a camera crew of people from Boston, NYC, LA, and Chicago converged on Distinctive Gardens and spent an entire day shooting and interviewing to make a 90 second video for the competition.  It was surreal.  Good thing those video folks were real because we would have floated off into the stratosphere.  It was exhausting.  Little did we know the big work lie ahead.  The competition’s final phase was voting on Facebook.  It began July 5 and for 14 incredible, sleepless and emotionally exhausting days both the digital and physical pavement got pounded.

It “took a village” to propel Distinctive Gardens into one of the top 5 winning slots.  On July 6, two days into the competition, we held a Big Surprise Bash at the business to announce to the community and rally the troops.  Our gardening ‘peeps’ went back home, and for two weeks voted, shared, and spread the word on the Big Break to all of their friends and relatives around the globe.  I’ve never witnessed such an outpouring of support.  It only goes to prove the kind of people we have in our area.

This story would be over if it were not for the community.  The community relentlessly shared and got the word out, every, single, day for two entire weeks.  It still gives me goose bumps and the tears well up at the thought of it.  Before the end of the voting, we saw hits to our Facebook from every single continent on the globe and compliments to one of our DG Facebook fans; we now refer to all Distinctive Gardeners as DiGgers.

While I was living in front of the computer, Bud was out hitting the streets in between doing full time landscape jobs during record heat.  He walked the downtowns of Sterling and Dixon handing out vote cards and talking to people.  At night, he hit the local bars asking people to vote.  He managed to crack off thirteen TV and Radio appearances before and after landscaping.  Even our landscape crew, son, Quin LeFevre and Sawyer Hagen passed out vote cards at night and spread the word on Facebook to all their friends.  Jim Brown handed out some vote cards.  At the shop and on personal time, Peggy and Shannon rallied their Facebook friends while managing normal duties at the shop.

The DG crew and community were not the only ones stepping up.  Area businesses, such as Hicks Insurance and Flower’s Etc. helped spread the word.  Greg Hicks of Hicks Insurance donated advertising time.  Carla Knack Brooks, of Flower’s Etc. put up the Big Break vote link on her business sign.  Dixon radio station, WIXN’s Kathy Cecchetti, and

Sterling radio stations’ WSDR’s Jay Pauley, and WZZT’s Ryan Zschiesche helped promote by having Bud LeFevre on air.  Businesses from outside the immediate community jumped in.  Rockford’s WREX-TV had Bud on twice and promoted the Big Break throughout the week.  Quad Cities’, KWQC-TV Paula Sands had Bud on the Paula Sands Live Show to talk about Big Break.  Social media company, SocialPie, ran a blog series on Distinctive Gardens experience.   The entire community rallied. 

THE CALL

Big Break voting ended July 19th.  In the afternoon, on July 20th, Bud took a call from Tom Monahan of American Express.  Online was Cynthia Spaulding of Electric Artists, facilitator and contact for Big Break.  Tom played it up as if bad news was coming.  Bud braced himself for disappointment.  After a breathless moment, Tom announced we just won the Big Break.  After three months worth of work on the Big Break and two weeks of crazy voting and no sleep, we both broke down.  Bud was classic Bud.  Here are some notes from the big phone call, as recalled by him:

“We at American Express and Facebook were very impressed with all you did to get the votes”….  ”We know how hard you have worked”…   “We’re so very happy you won.   We really, really like what you are doing”…   “Bud you’re a star”…. (Bud’s response through the tears), “That’s what the kids say, but I’m just Bud.”

The BIG BREAK BASH

On July 30, we threw the Big Break Bash to celebrate the big win.  Michael Chandler asked what we were doing for music at the bash.  We had no clue and he said, “No problem, I’ll handle it.”  What resulted was the most magical experience.  Oodles of musicians showed up, instruments in tow and one by one, stepped in, jammed with their mates and intermingled so much I couldn’t tell who was from what band for a long time afterwards.  I will never forget this night.  This community of ours is simply amazing.

OFF TO FACEBOOK

On August 3, Bud and I flew out to Palo Alto, CA for the two-day workshop at Facebook.  We learned so much in that short time.  The experience has really helped our business and community projects.  Bud prides himself on saying he was easily the oldest person in the building.   It was an intensive two days and we met the most wonderful people.

Before it ended, Tom Monahan from American Express talked to us about Small BusinessSaturday, which started in 2010.  I remember one thing he said as he encouraged us to participate.  He said,  “I hope you hit it out of the park.”  That stuck with me.  After that, we knew that we wanted to be a part of that day.  But at the time we didn’t know exactly what we would do.  

When we got back, as part of our commitment to our people we held Learn.Share.Grow classes on what we learned.  We met many small business owners at those classes.  It was the start of building a small business community that I would never have anticipated would result in Sauk Valley Shop Small.

Small Business Saturday brewed in our heads.  We wanted to share with the community all we had experienced.   We also just experienced a year in which the cultural community was really coming together.  Second Saturdays was taking off.   Janna Groharing and Tim McNinch launched Fourth Fridays in Sterling, the same kind of event.   Both monthly events see small businesses and cultural groups working hand in hand to better the community.  After some thought, we came up with a spin on the concept of Small Business Saturday.  It was something that celebrated small businesses, and also involved the cultural community.  It was from this thought coupled with our Big Break experience that was the impetus for something we’re all so thrilled to be a part, Sauk Valley Shop Small. 

When we next pick up, I’ll tell you the tale of a wild three weeks of sleepless nights, crazy community effort and the birth of Sauk Valley Shop Small.

Until next time, be well, shop small, and be a force for cultural good in your community.
 

SVSS Shopping Bags coming soon!

Before I get back to the wild west tale of how SVSS came about I want to share with you a story that embodies the true spirit of the shop small movement, people coming together to benefit one another.

Sauk Valley Shop Small shopping bag

Last December, after the virgin run of Sauk Valley Shop Small's Small Business Saturday, participants got together at The Precinct to celebrate and meet one another.  

For many this was the first time meeting in person.  The mood was festive and camaraderie infectious.  We actually got a chance to sit and talk, get to know one another without distractions of running a busy small business.  During this time, we all decided that SVSS should be more than the once a year event called Small Business Saturday.  Brainstorming ensued and one idea was to band together and order SVSS shopping bags that merchants could use throughout the year.  Going in together the cost would be lower.  Using the bags would increase exposure of Sauk Valley Shop Small to the public.  On that note, we were off and running.

Treats at Tuff Dog Bakery

Vicki Mandrell of Tuff Dog Bakery

SVSS Shopping Bags is the brainchild of Vicki Mandrell of Tuff Dog Bakery in Sterling, IL. Tuff Dog offers the coolest dog treats.  My husband Bud likes to tease Vicki saying forget the cats and dogs, they look so he's going to buy some for himself.  

Vicki spearheaded the program, lined up a printer and got us all going.  Working on this project while trying to run a small business is no easy task.  But, small businesses owners are used to wearing multiple hats managing day to day retail, and behind the scenes projects and planning.  Finding time to work on community projects doesn't come easy.  But the payoffs are great and the more people pitching in the quicker projects lift off.

So here's where this story is at for me.  It's not about the bag its self, but rather the community rally behind the bag.  When you get more than one brain working on a project, and you've got a surplus of team spirit, amazing things happen.  You know how they always say that in any group there's a 20/80 rule?  Twenty percent of a group are doers and the remaining 80... well you know.  The thing about SVSS is that it's built from people that are used to being the doers in a group, small business owners and cultural people.  Those types are cut from cloth that does not fear hard work, seeks creative solutions and embraces change.  

Tenacity, creativity and hard work are key ingredients to survive this economy.   Even then, sometimes it simply isn't enough.  We lost a couple of our SVSS businesses after the new year.  The times are tough right now, and if there were ever a time for a community solution to weather the storm and lay ground for future golden days it is here.  That is one of the main reasons SVSS exists.  It is an opportunity to band together and generate real, long-lasting, grass roots change.  And as a small business owner, I know that people in our communities are ready.  

At Distinctive Gardens for the last few springs they come right up and tell us,  

''We've made the commitment to shop local and patronize the small independent retailers in our area".   

Now if that is not a call to action then I don't know what is.  Our people are telling us it's time.  The question is, ''are we ready?"  In my opinion, I do believe so.


So when you're out and about in the Sauk Valley patronizing your favorite small shop, look for the SVSS shopping bag and you'll know you're a customer of a small business that values banding together to lift the entire community.

Until then, be well, shop small, and be a force for cultural good in your community.