Trendy Teachers are spotlighted on episode of Main Street America Business Insights podcast
Jamie and Jerry Baker, co-owners and founders of Trendy Teachers, were guests on the Main Street Business Insights podcast this week. In the episode, they discuss their approach to business ownership and advice for other downtown small business owners.
A unique boutique for teachers, Trendy Teachers provides classroom supplies, décor, custom clothing and educational toys and materials both through an online store and their brick-and-mortar shop in downtown Rome.
Main Street Business Insights is a production of Main Street America, hosted by the organization’s chief program officer, Matt Wagner. A subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Street America is a national network of downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts working to bring economic vitality to their communities.
Trendy Teachers opened in 2020 towards the beginning of the pandemic. Jamie, a retired teacher, and her husband, Jerry, who previously worked in corporate retail, were both going through career transitions at the time.
While searching for her next vocational step, Jamie learned from local teacher friends that all the nearby teaching supply stores had closed. Teachers had to drive more than an hour to Atlanta to purchase supplies in-person. She approached Jerry with the idea of launching a teaching supply store in Rome — and with his background in corporate retail, he was on board.
Three years later, Trendy Teachers has now moved to a larger location and added an educational toy store arm to the business. This fast-paced growth can be attributed to Jamie and Jerry’s quick adaptation to a bricks-and-clicks strategy and a consistent and strategic marketing strategy that is highly targeted to their specific audience.
In their conversation, Matt, Jamie, and Jerry discuss their unique path to entrepreneurship, pivoting their business strategy to appeal to broader audiences, the importance of community and collaboration, and advice for other business owners.
Rome Downtown Development Aundi Lesley said they are proud to have Trendy Teachers in the city’s up and coming River District.
“Jamie and Jerry are the quintessential success story of a downtown business,” Lesley said. “They started small, grew their online business, and expanded their brick and mortar. They have leveraged resources offered by our office such as the marketing and façade grant programs, and adapted their business model to be sustainable during their slow season.”
The Main Street Business Insights podcast was launched in August. Each episode explores a different business owner’s personal journey, offering their unique perspectives, lessons learned, and wisdom on operating and succeeding along Main Street.
“I’ve spent my career teaching and leading in the areas of downtown revitalization, entrepreneurship, and economic development — and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to pass this expertise to small business owners across the country — this time, with the lived expertise of their peers to back me up,” Wagner said.
“In my field work over the recent years, I’ve learned that there is an astounding level of innovation occurring among small business owners, even in the face of economic, social, and environmental turbulence,” he added. “Main Street Business Insights will tap into what is driving that innovation straight from the source.”