The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
SEE BUSINESS LIVE
Main Street Amherst features local shops on Facebook every Wednesday
Amherst businesses are featured every Wednesday as a part of Main Street Amherst Facebook live stream series.
This week, Main Street Amherst Executive Director Teresa Gilles and vice president Michael Ciu chatted with Ridge Cleaners President Lisa Sebastian at 900 Amchester Way.
Ridge Cleaners’ Amherst location opened in April 2017. It has locations in Avon Lake and North Ridgeville.
“The welcome that we’ve had here in Amherst has been unbelievable,” said Sebastian during the live stream. “Main Street Amherst has been so wonderful for us to come in and get to know other businesses, and we’re grateful for all that you do.”
“The welcome that we’ve had here in Amherst has been unbelievable.”
— Ridge Cleaners President Lisa Sebastian
For each live stream, Gilles partners with another Main Street board member and visits a featured business’s location to chat with owners about their services and operation.
Each live stream begins with information about upcoming Main Street news and events.
“What we’ve started to do, it was always me and one other person,” Gilles said. “It was the same two people, but now we’re changing it up, like having the different board members
doing it because a lot of people don’t know who the board members are.”
The Facebook live series serves as an additional perk for business that are Main Street Amherst members, she said.
“It’s just another way to help the businesses promote themselves,” Gilles said.
Main Street has filmed live streams since July 2017.
The idea was formed after board members attended a national main street conference in Pittsburgh, Pa., in May 2017.
Ciu, who also owns Studio Q Photography, 135 Park Ave. in Amherst, often works behind the scenes and sets up for each live stream.
Live streams are both saved on Main Street’s Facebook page and are being posted on YouTube.
Ciu said the YouTube channel serves as an archive for people to find older videos.
Most of the videos get several hundred views after going live, Ciu said.
During the streaming, between six and 10 people watch the stream at a time, he said.
The most popular video streamed thus far was when Kiedrowski’s Simply Delicious Bakery, 2267 Cooper Foster Park Road, was featured.
It garnered a couple thousand views.