Ellen Plumb's City Bookstore, Emporia, Kan., was recognized as the Emporia State University Kansas Small Business Development Center's Emerging Business of the Year earlier this month at the annual awards ceremony in Topeka. Kansas SBDC annually recognizes existing, emerging, and exporting Businesses of the Year from the eight Kansas SBDC regional centers.
As a first-time small business owner, Marcia Lawrence asked Kansas SBDC "for assistance with determining the feasibility and sustainability of an independent bookshop. Once established, Ellen Plumb's has grown and evolved into a venue for open mic events, a showcase for local authors and a promoter of products from other local small businesses," the organization stated.
Lawrence told WIBW she would not have had the knowledge to make decisions to move forward without the SBDC's guidance: "This (award) is such a validation that I'm actually doing the right thing. I must be doing something right or they wouldn't recognize what I have accomplished thus far."
Sixteen small businesses across the state were selected from more than 2,400 businesses that received Kansas SBDC one-on-one business advising services in 2018. Greg Panichello, Kansas SBDC state director, said, "The selected businesses were chosen through careful consideration by our Kansas SBDC regional directors and advisors. Collectively, the Kansas SBDC team believes these 16 small businesses are excellent examples of small businesses that have learned to adapt and succeed in challenging times."