"A Moment with Main Street Marshfield"

Friday, May 16th, 2025 -- 7:00 PM

Listen to the interview with Ben Rauen, Executive Director of Main Street Marshfield as he discuss items in their May Newsletter:

Listen to the interview with Ben here!

(AI assisted transcription of the interview by Otter.ai):

Riley: "Time for "A Moment with Main Street Marshfield." Today I am joined by Ben Rauen, Executive Director of Main Street Marshfield, and we're going to go through some of the highlights from Main Street Marshfield's May newsletter. So, Ben, take it away!"

Ben: "Of course, thanks for having me, Riley. With spring in full swing, it's starting to feel a little bit more like summer now, downtown Marshfield has been buzzing."

"The season is bringing a lot of renewed energy to the heart of our city, and our main street has been hard at work making sure that this momentum keeps building. I'd love to share some highlights from our May update if you'd be interested."

Riley: "Yeah, that'd be perfect. Why don't we start with the various Main Street Marshfield committees? It looks like they've got quite a few projects on their plate."

Ben: "We'll start out with our Promotion Committee. Promo is deep in planning for Hub City Days, which is our signature summer event. Right now, they're finalizing the car show and we're organizing the craft fair, which are two separate events that we're really excited to have at Hub City Days."

"We're also working on a full downtown marketing strategy to share our story a little bit more and bring some light to downtown Marshfield. If you're a local business looking to get your name out there, we also have sponsorship opportunities available. Just reach out to us at [email protected] for more information on that."

"Next, we do have our Design Committee, which is continuing work on the beautification of our downtown. They're working on things like alley cleanup, signage improvements and even exploring murals for some of our buildings."

"They've been literally out on the street picking up trash in parking lots, which we would love to give them a shout out for their hands on care for our community."

"And they're also forming a subcommittee to help with a better looking dumpster enclosures downtown. It's not a glamorous job, but it is a very important addition to our community."

"And going down to our Economic Vitality Committee. Economic Vitality is focused on resources that help our small businesses thrive and our business and property owners in the community."

"This month, we're rolling out the 2025 Business and Property Guide, which is a go to resource for anyone looking to invest in rent or support spaces downtown that'll be available both directly and in print. If any work sounds exciting to listeners, we're always looking for new committee members."

Riley: "We always like to hear about what's happening with the businesses downtown. Do you have some highlights or some spotlights you'd like to let us know about?"

Ben: "Absolutely, we have a few businesses that were spotlighting in this recent May Newsletter here. Some of these are having ribbon cuttings upcoming, and some have already had their ribbon cutting. So, I'll just kind of run down the list of exciting things that we have happening here."

"Kailey's Kandals refreshed their storefront and expanded their product line. They've been a long standing local favorite, and they're celebrating with a ribbon cutting on May 15, at 4:30pm. (Please note that due to Thursday's severe weather, this ribbon cutting has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 20th at 4pm.)

"Then the 715 Boutique, this place is a collective of local artisans. They're expanding their space, and they actually held their grand opening on May 10. We also have Canvas Loft Salon, which just moved into a gorgeous new space on Central Avenue. If you're ready for a summer glow up or just need a haircut, they've got you covered there."

"We also have Rocky Road Boutique, which is a brand new addition to our Marshfield community, with sister shops in Stetsonville and Phillips. They have trendy clothing accessories and small batch goods, and they are located at 253 South Central."

"And last but not least, Sanchez Mexican Bar and Grill just opened in the new old Marshfield Cafe spot. Their ribbon cutting was on May 2, and it's already becoming a new downtown favorite. It's a huge win for our restaurant scene and a very strong investment into our community."

Riley: "Always good to hear about new and expanding businesses coming to downtown Marshfield. But earlier in our interview, you did mention Hub City Days. So, of course, I would regret it if I didn't ask, you know, what's going on with Hub City Days? Where are you at with that?"

Ben: "Absolutely, you know that we are excited for this one. So, Hub City Days is July 24th through July 26th. Right now, we do have vendor applications live on our website and it is the biggest event of our year, bringing about 10,000 people to downtown Marshfield."

"We are going to have the car show exactly the same as we have had at previous years. We have the craft show, which we are happy to welcome back for a third year this year, and then we also have a family zone and live music throughout the day as well, so there's fun for everybody coming on July 24th through July 26th and we're excited to offer it to the community again."

"If you have any interest in being a volunteer for hub city days, or if you would like to be a sponsor for hub city days, we welcome you to reach out to us, and we would love to have you."

Riley: "Now if people want to stay in the loop about what's happening with Main Street Marshfield, Cub City Days, anything like that. What is a good way for them to do so?

Ben: "Absolutely, we would love for you to connect with us and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Main Street Marshfield or you can head to our website, which is mainstreetmarshfield.com."

"You can always reach out to us directly as well. We love hearing ideas, answering questions and connecting with people who care about our downtown."

"If you know of a business that is doing something amazing and you want to nominate them for a spotlight or if you just have any questions or want to become a volunteer, you can feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or you can also give us a call at 715-387-3299.

Riley: "It sounds like good things are happening downtown Marshfield."

Ben: "Absolutely, thanks for having me. There's so much good happening here and we are just getting started."

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.