Small-business Synergies

When it comes to sinking or swimming in the downtown scene, a few startups are working quickly to make connections as a way to provide value to their new customers.

Sean Brownfield, owner of gentlemen’s barber club Dapper that opened in August at 109 Park Central Square, said he knew he’d have to network to attract people from beyond the immediate downtown area.

“We knew we needed to bring people in, south-siders and what not, so we wanted to provide a bigger and better experience for them,” Brownfield said.

One of his first connections was made with the owners of downtown bar Scotch and Soda, 310 South Ave.

“I had this idea for members to use an old card catalog to store their own scotch, whiskey, gin and rum on site. It would keep me from having to get a liquor license, but it also (promotes) them,” Brownfield said. “What Scotch and Soda does is provide our members bar liters at bar costs as a way to get their name across.”

Joshua Widner, co-owner of Scotch and Soda, Brownfield and Bryan Pena, owner of clothing store Modern Society, 331 S. Campbell Ave., have together drawn up plans for a quarterly social event dubbed The Gentlemen’s Quarterly. The first gathering is scheduled for Dec. 13 at Modern Society.

“We’ve got a DJ coming in. I’m going to take one of my barber chairs down and cut two of my members’ hair and then we are going to outfit them,” Brownfield said. “It is kind of a winter fashion expo.”

Through Coffee Ethic, 124 Park Central Square, Dapper members will soon be able to take coffee classes led by owner Tom Billionis. Scotch and Soda owners, too, would educate members on the difference between a Highland Park 12-year single-malt whiskey and rye variety Bulleit Rye. The barbershop is even teaming up with Longboat Outfitters to plan a class on fly-fishing in late February with a boating excursion to follow in March.

Though Dapper has only been open four months, its connections appear to be paying off. Brownfield is halfway to his 200-member goal, having reached his six-month goal for members by week five. Members pay $90 a month for unlimited haircuts and services such as straight-razor shaves.  

Startups Hurts Donut Co., 301 Park Central West, and Palm Beach Vapors, 212 S. Campbell Ave., also are banking on networking maneuvers.

At Hurts Donut, known for its playful varieties topped with Oreo crumbs or Cap’n Crunch cereal, co-owner Tim Clegg has identified opportunities to sell specialty donuts branded by other organizations, specifically nonprofits.

Clegg was elected to the board of the local chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in October, just six months after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

“We talked about having an awareness ribbon donut, something that would have orange as the main color because that’s the awareness color for MS,” Clegg said, adding a portion of the proceeds would go to the charity.

He said other conversations are ongoing with Convoy of Hope and Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks.

“We are in business to survive, but we definitely want to be charitable with our blessings,” Clegg said.

Clegg considers downtown a place where other businesses and residents are committed to supporting one another, a key reason he and his partners chose to locate just off Park Central Square.

“The downtown community is very tight-knit,” Clegg said. “It has become a melting pot – a reflection of Springfield as a whole, which I think is very cool.

“We are constantly out supporting other downtown businesses and it means a lot that they are doing the same.”

Clegg, a member of Dapper, said he has talked to Brownfield about creating a Dapper donut after a recent haircut.

“We haven’t solidified what the final product would be, but we are working on something that would be a homage to his business. And we are hoping to do more with other businesses,” Clegg said.

Just a week into opening electronic cigarette retailer Palm Beach Vapors, Robert Sands is developing custom e-cigarette juice flavors named after local businesses and groups. One possibility is Rockabilly Rub, a mix of Jamaican rum, tobacco and Irish cream flavors, named after the hair care line developed by Andy Cobb, owner of Traders Printing.

While creating the flavor mix with Sands, Cobb’s Traders print shop, 230 W. McDaniel St., also earned a printing contract for the Oklahoma-based Palm Beach Vapors franchise. The e-cigarette retailer operates six locations in Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri with plans to open franchise locations from California to Florida.

With base flavors such as green apple, coconut, bourbon and vanilla, the Springfield store currently has 85 options for mixing.

“We’ve been talking with local businesses because we can create any flavor and name it anything,” Sands said, noting he has received interest in creating other combinations for businesses including Stick it in Your Ear, 300 E. Walnut St., and Hurts Donut.

Five Pound Apparel co-owner Bryan Simpson joined Dapper a month ago, and he’s offering fellow members a 10 percent discount on items at his retail store, 412 South Ave. In exchange, he gets publicity from Brownfield, who promotes the discounts to members.

“Any time we can help another business downtown be successful, we will try to do that,” Simpson said. “Down here, we really don’t look at anyone as a competitor. We need as many retail stores and businesses as we can to help us build that critical mass that is needed to have a sustainable downtown retail area.”