As part of the HubCAP V cohort work, community teams are developing blogs to share what they are learning and hoping to accomplish during their time in the program. This blog is a conversation between Heather Wetzel, owner of The Book Store, and Olivia McConnell, the New Martinsville HubCAP coach.
Heather Wetzel has owned and operated The Book Store in downtown New Martinsville location for 22 years. Step inside and you’ll immediately feel the excitement she brings to the community. The store is packed with so many treasures that you could be there all day and still find new things; children’s books, cryptid guides, biographies, candles, classic novels, puppets, stickers, and more.
How did you come to own The Book Store?
“My dad had just retired and was in his 70s when I took over as owner of The Book Store. My degree was in Elementary Education and I taught for a few years, with my dad watching the store which was wonderful. But when he passed away I chose the store over teaching because I couldn’t afford an employee and I couldn’t give it up. There were a lot of hard years; small towns aren’t the best for bookstores, but I hung in there, gradually increasing my inventory with items I’d see when I traveled and wanted in my store.”
You’ve been doing fun, innovative things to get folks engaged and come to the locally owned businesses in downtown New Martinsville. Can you tell us about that?
“Last year my mom passed away at the age of 91 and suddenly I had a lot more time and brain space – it’s hard to explain, but I guess even everyday life as a caretaker takes up more energy and thought than I’d realized at the time, because suddenly I had all these ideas for the store. Also I know I wanted to keep busy and have distractions, so this helped. I heard about National Unicorn Day and since unicorn items are so popular I thought I’d do an event.”
After the success of Unicorn Day came Dino Day, and Fairy Day. Harry Potter’s Birthday was the first event to get other organizations involved with the WVU Extension and 4-H sponsoring crafts.
“Then I realized these events helped my business so much, I should ask other downtown businesses if they want to join in. This year in addition to those days, we did a Galentine’s Day event (staying open later and giving people reasons to go to each store listed) and a Spring Shop Hop, which were both successful for all who participated.
Now my brain won’t rest and I’m so thankful for that and the new ideas that pop up. I made a brochure of downtown businesses, a monthly map of events happening downtown, and then, because I was tired of having to search each individual place to see what was going on, I decided to make a Facebook group people could join, Downtown New Martinsville, WV: one stop for information about all things downtown New Martinsville (events, activities, business information, menus, sales, as well as posts and photos about what you love about our downtown).”
What impact have you seen come from your efforts so far? How has the community received/engaged with The Book Store?
“My event days bring a LOT more sales than a typical Saturday gets. The other businesses have also reported increased sales and foot traffic, so that’s great. People always seem so happy to have something to do or go to, that tells me we need more of these things.
For example, Kraken Records, a new business that opened in September, has had listening parties, and recently co-sponsored a Taylor Swift Block Party with the Sexual Assault Help Center, which was so much fun and had a huge turnout!”
Through the Hub Communities of Achievement Program (HubCAP), New Martinsville is focused on engaging the community and increasing economic development opportunities. You are a champion of this work and we see the momentum building around the downtown. What do you envision for the future of New Martinsville?
“In a dream world we’d make everything downtown beautiful – there are lots of buildings that could look better, block walls that could use fun murals, etc. I’d love to have a community building for all ages where people could take classes, or just hang out and play games. But owning a business is hard, rent is high, and I hear finding reliable workers is difficult too.”
Even after being in business for 24 years, there are still folks in town just learning about The Book Store for the first time.
“I had pizza delivered to the store recently and felt really lazy about not going and getting it until the delivery person said they didn’t even know the store was here.”
An opportunity to share the space with someone new!
“This tells me we need to do more things to draw people downtown, because just being open doesn’t work.”
Although rewarding, running a business can be demanding and there will always be unexpected challenges, for example the recent flooding in New Martinsville. What keeps you motivated?
“I love being able to have my store, I love books and sharing them with people is the best, and the smiles the events bring keeps me motivated. Since last July I’ve done quite a bit of rearranging, and I think the store looks better than ever. Customers talk about how happy just being in it makes them, and that is what will keep me motivated the most.”
Heather doesn’t describe herself as overly sentimental but she says sharing positive things and happiness is really what it’s all about.
Greater Peoria, Illinois is part of The Hub’s second Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities (BRECC) cohort and the team is getting
Emma Byrne, Director of Impact We at The Hub are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our team, Emma Byrne. Emma
The West Side neighborhood of Charleston participated in the recent West Side Health Fair in Charleston. Lined up along the Kanawha River
Our work is made possible thanks to incredible partnerships with other community development organizations across the state. From local economic development authorities (EDAs) to state level nonprofits working to uplift communities, all of our partners are crucial in making West Virginia the best it can possibly be by working together.One partner that made our work truly profound this year is Coalfield Development. For years, Coalfield Development has worked to rebuild Appalachian communities by inspiring the courage to grow, activating the creativity to innovate, and cultivating communities of opportunity in central Appalachia.We are proud to be part of Coalfield Development’s ACT Now Coalition, a broad network of organizations working hand-in-hand to uplift communities throughout Southern West Virginia. The ACT Now Coalition is infusing more than $63 million into programs to help communities using business development, building revitalization, and so much more.The Hub is leading the Community and Business Resilience Initiative as part of the larger ACT Now Coalition to bring other partners with us to build up community and business resilience in the Coalition’s footprint.“For decades, we’ve known the economy of southern West Virginia needs diversification. Some progress has been made on this goal, but not nearly enough,” Brandon Dennison, CEO of Coalfield Development, said about the ACT Now Coalition. “ACT Now constitutes a tangible opportunity to take a major leap forward in this generational challenge to become a vibrant, growing, diversified economy. In the wake of continued coal-job losses, nothing could be more important for our region.”Our partnership with Coalfield Development is giving us a chance to take our work to new communities and to build upon our years of experience. Working alongside Coalfield Development in this large undertaking to bring $63.8 million to communities in Southern West Virginia is validation that the work happening to uplift West Virginia communities continues to grow.
The Hub works alongside communities across West Virginia coaching community teams as they come together to make transformative changes in their towns. In 2022, one town stands out for its continued work and unwavering commitment to making its community a place where people want to live, work, play, and visit.Petersburg, located in Grant County at the northernmost point of the Mon Forest, is filled with community members who want to make their town a destination. Not only have businesses opened, and stayed open, the town has transformed the way they present to the world through rebranding and outdoor recreational development.As part of the HubCAP IV program, Petersburg utilized its technical assistance to push forward with projects to bring transformative change to its community. Part of the work Petersburg worked towards was creating plans to pave a hike and bike trail that runs along the Petersburg dike. The proposed trail will run approximately three miles along the Petersburg dike and will include multiple entrances for walkers and bikers. The group secured a $25,000 grant from Senator Hamilton, which was matched locally by the City of Petersburg, the County Commission, and the Board of Education, each adding an equal share to bring the total to $50,000.This year, Petersburg witnessed a major upgrade to one of the town’s most iconic and historic structures: The Hermitage Inn. The hotel, which dates back to 1841, has been renovated and once again welcomes guests to stay the night and have a nice dinner in the restaurant.The Hermitage Inn is the first project initiated and completed as part of the Downtown Appalachia: Revitalizing Recreational Economies (DARRE) program. Seeing the old hotel returned to its majesty has been an incredible development for Petersburg adding another jewel to the downtown area.Seeing Hub communities come together to create transformative change thrills us. Community members are the subject matter experts on what their towns need. Our commitment to accompaniment and walking alongside communities as they do the hard work guides us in our work. Celebrating their victories with them gives us a moment to uplift those making the work happen.
Since 2018, The Hub has been working diligently to bring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into our work. For years, the organization has been working internally to expand on one of our core values: “We believe diversity creates strength.”We believe that now is a time when we must work from the ground up to commit to long-term efforts to build power through leadership development, programmatic strategies, and partnerships that commit to building power and advancing racial equity.Looking back at our organizational history, we acknowledge that our work in rural communities with populations of less than 15,000 has not reached a diverse cross-section of people in West Virginia. Because of this, we began to ask, “Who isn’t here?” when examining our involvement in communities. The social unrest in 2020 led us to examine our role in white supremacy, ableism, classism, and gender discrimination, and the ways we have perpetuated unjust systems in our communities and across West Virginia.Since 2020, our equity journey has included a staff racial equity learning series, making internal commitments to increasing our hiring and retainment of diverse staff including creating full-time Racial Equity Fellowship and VISTA positions, committing to increased coaching for rural communities of color across the state, and tackling the inherent challenges of advancing equity across the community development field within a highly rural, majority white state where Black and brown leadership has been historically marginalized and under-invested.Our belief in the power of local people to see the value and the potential of their place, and of each other, is at the core of our belief in the potential we have to build power in West Virginia to advance racial equity, inclusion, and accessibility while disrupting systems that have historically excluded some communities.We are committed to engaging in conversations to uplift communities and leaders of color to move from talk to action on why race matters in West Virginia as we work to disrupt these systems. We will support investment in Black-led organizations and rural Black leadership. And we are committed to driving public and private investments into these spaces, both organizational and geographic.
A core team led by Unleash Tygart, Inc participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.
Core teams led by Thundercloud, Inc. and the City of Huntington participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support community development projects located in Opportunity Zones.
A core team led by Crawford Holdings, LLC participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies.
A core team led by Woodlands Development Group also participated in Opportunity Appalachia, receiving technical assistance to support a community development project located in an Opportunity Zone.
Residents participated in round 4 of The Hub’s capstone Communities of Achievement program with a focus on building local recreational economies. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Watch their community documentary.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.
Residents participated in the Blueprint Communities* program to engage their neighbors and co-create strategic plans for their future.
Residents participated in the Cultivate WV program to kickstart community and economy building. Read their community case study.
Residents participated in the Cultivate WV program to kickstart community and economy building. Read their community case study.
It has been a year of abundant opportunities and partnerships across the state, and a year that has pushed all of us to work harder, faster, and smarter – together.At The Hub, we say that “the work works when you put in the work.” This means that our approach to community-based development, and individual leadership development, really does transform local communities, especially when we all work together for the same goal, and stay committed to working together for the long haul.In 2023, we continued to be amazed at the local leadership, drive and innovation we saw in communities throughout the state that are building locally-driven development from the ground up. Our network of community leaders, partners and opportunities keeps growing and shows no signs of slowing in 2024!
We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone for being part of the larger Hub community as we reflect on this year’s deep impact in West Virginia communities through our work. We are thrilled to have champions who believe in our mission that every community in West Virginia can achieve economic growth when they are supported with the tools and training they need to lead and spark positive change.
We believe strongly in the fact that putting in the work yourself to improve your neighborhood, your town, and our state is where true transformational change happens. With strategic partners and thought leaders like you in the work with us, we continue to be able to walk alongside community teams as they do the work to uplift their communities.Thank you to all of the community teams and leaders who are brave enough to keep showing up every day, and putting in thousands of hours of volunteer time to support your communities and the entire state. Your determination in the face of difficult work and far-off successes is something to applaud yourself for – and to celebrate.Whether you’re volunteering on the ground in your community, sharing our stories of hope with your friends and neighbors, or attending a virtual event with The Hub, your participation in our work is what keeps it going. Thank you for all your work and support this past year, and we are excited to continue in the work with you in 2024!In Continued Accompaniment,