This week we showcased 5 amazing businesses & ventures from across the US and celebrated the power of local establishments.
Before we launch into the fab businesses, let me briefly digress. One of the things I LOVE about Google Hangouts is the ability to connect people to places they might never have heard of as quickly through other social platforms. Say what you will about Google Plus (and indeed, there has been a LOT said about G+) but for me, it’s changed the way I communicate and has exponentially increased the number of people I consider friends, influencers and confidantes! Now, with that being said, this broadcast was one of the hotter messes presented by The Mia Connect. A surprise trip can sometimes mean that production quality falls a bit short. Luckily I was sporting my NEW Mickey Mouse Tiara Ears and some Giant Mickey Mouse gloves which made it that much more entertaining. And Greg Boysaw sported the tiara as Guest Host!
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So here’s a large clapping shout of kudos to my newbie guests who persevered with technical difficulties during the show. The great thing is, each of you were showcased to a new audience who absolutely LOVED you! And according to a Plus My Reach post show report, this event had the highest reach & engagement levels. So take THAT, technical difficulty! This means that YOU, the #BatPackAudience are really digging the guests and each other. With that, let’s get back into the thing I love.. talking about businesses I love.
Susan Dillon of Kitty Mae Millinery – Susan started performing Burlesque in 2008 under the name “Kitty Mae Cupcake”. To quote Susan: “If something interests me, I will do it!”… and she did! But how did hats come into play? Susan was in desperate need of a fun mini tophat for one of her performances and, since she’s been a self taught seamstress for years, she decided to make her own hat! Susan fell in love with the process of hat making and started doing costume millinery, then moved into bridal pieces and then taught herself to “hand block” hats. She now creates amazing hats that run the gamut from small flower hats, “fascinators” and full on Kentucky Derby hats. She’s had customers in 5 different continents. Her shop is located in the RiNO District (not far from Comida but we’ll get to Image may be NSFW.
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that!) – they are part of the Wazee Union – an old steel worker building. There are over 60 studios in the space and it’s one of the largest art collectives in Colorado! Photographers (including her husband Norman Dillon), fiber artists, painters – it’s a “fun and creative spot”! If you are coming to Denver, you NEED to go see Susan Dillon and Kitty Mae Millinery. You can view Susan’s creations here: http://www.kittymaemillinery.net/ Kitty Mae On Etsy Kitty Mae Bridal on Etsy
Next up we welcomed the amazing Kirk Sherrod from Jerks Bike Shop. Kirk has quickly become a Google Plus expert in the last few months and is actively using Hangouts to showcase his business and connect to people across the world with his unique style! In addition to custom bikes, he is all about the community. Jerks has a Kids Bike “Buy Back” Program that is amazing and truly celebrates and promotes the love of bikes in kids 12 and under with a program offering $100 back on the next bike purchase for every $100 spent. How perfect is that? Remember how much we all loved to ride bikes as kids? Jerks brings out the little kid in us all!
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Wondering about the name “Jerks Bike Shop”? Personally, I think it’s super clever and it’s a mix of letters from Sherrod family members that add up to the work Jerks! In addition to bike repair & custom bikes, Kirk & crew are also collaborating with Murray High School to put together a racing team. And hey, if you have not heard of 30 days of Biking, then you need to! Quick snapshot of the idea: take a picture of what you are riding & where you are riding it and post it! Use the hashtag #30DaysofBiking – find out more here! http://30daysofbiking.com/ And hey, stay tuned because we cooked up an idea for a fund raiser during the show that consists of Mia, Dennis Duce (producer of Kirks Hangout shows) and Kirk riding around on bikes in an actual HangoutOnAir. Let’s face it, that show will most likely go much smoother than this one! And don’t forget… May is Bike Month!
The amazing Rayme Rossello of Comida joined us as well and filled us in on the new space where her 3rd iteration of Comida resides. The Comida Cantina sits inside The Source, an artisan food market that occupies a former 1880‘s brick foundry building in Denver’s River North District (also known as RiNO) a thriving Arts Image may be NSFW.
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District. Rayme was one of the first to sign up to be part of The Source. This slightly modified excerpt from a Denver Westword article best describes Rayme’s ventures: Comida rolled into the world in 2010 as a food truck, the vision of Rayme Rossello, a former partner at Proto’s Pizza and general manager at Jax, who has a degree in pastry arts that taught her “100 percent that I never wanted to be a pastry artist,” she says. Comida made the transition (from Tina, The Pink Taco Truck who still is in operation around Boulder and Longmont!) to sit-down restaurant, first in Longmont in 2012 and then in Denver last summer. The dishes still feel like the Mexican street food they were modeled after: tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, tortas and gorditas offered à la carte to mix and match as you please. Most of it you can eat with your hands, though not always neatly, and that, too, adds to the fun, with chopped button mushrooms in a dark, smoky sauce slipping off crisp tostadas and chipotle mayonnaise dripping from fish tacos. ARE YOU HUNGRY YET?! Now you know why I’m BatCrapCrazy for Comida and Rayme! And a special shout out to Jake Sutton and Heather Sutton for being such great fans & supporters of Comida and Tina The Pink Taco Truck!
We then had Jim Shankle and Larry Fournillier join us to showcase the local effort’s of a national cause in Jim’s Image may be NSFW.
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hometown of Fayetteville, AR called Champions for Kids RazorFest. Jim and his wife have been involved with that organization for years and decided to participate via Mobile Google Hangouts with his company Gplus Edutainment. Jim collaborated with several people, including Larry Fournillier in Trinidad, Azlin Bloor in the UK, Debi Davis in Denver to bring attention to the events and connect everyone ! Check out the events: Kitchen Party & The Starlight Event
Last but not least, Julian Payne of The Original Mobile Barbershop joined us from his Airstream in North Hollywood and shared his business model. Julian opened his mobile barbershop. He began the business in 2006 and the Image may be NSFW.
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Airstream boasts 4 stations serving everyone (men & women – it’s not just for the guys!) Julian started off doing promotional tours for major brands such as Boost Model & Brand Jordan and then moved to working with public. Julian holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the most shaved heads in an hour – he beat the record handily with a record 72 shaves.performed on the E Oscars Red Carpet. Another amazing fact: They work with the military have the only existing military barbershop contract in the world!! Impressive, indeed. They are between North Hollywood and Sherman Oaks – go see them and also check them out at https://www.facebook.com/MobileBarbershop
Kirk Sherrod snuck in a great quote- “Hair on the floor is worth money in the drawer”… LOVE IT!
Big shout of thanks to the Bat Pack audience who attended the live show – you can check out all the great comments here – we had so many… we hit the comment limit!!
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