Welcome to Hardy County Chamber of Commerce

Tri-County Tool Rental

Visit Tri-County Tool Rental for all the heavy duty work you plan on doing this summer. The office is located at 5526 US 220 S and is open on Saturdays and Sundays for your convenience! Get more info at www.tricorental.com.

- Photo by Dixon Marshall

Business Sign Tips

Out there on the mysterious web lurks a great website for towns and counties like ours: Small Biz Survival (www.smallbizsurvival.com) One of the creators of the site, Becky McCray, recently posted a helpful entry on making sure your business gets found.

As Becky reminds us, when you do business in a small town, all the locals know where you are. But if you also do business with new residents, visitors (and, in our case, those “visitors” can include folks who would be “locals” in another part of our very spaced out county) and tourists, it's up to you to make yourself easy to find.

So, here are some great steps to get found as recommended by Small Biz Survival:

1. Get a good sign.

Make sure it's clear and readable. Include your business name or category. Not allowed a sign due to zoning? (for example, B&Bs in residential areas) Get large and readable house numbers instead, and include your house number in all your promotions. In fact, ALWAYS make a street your street number visible, because folks who are following directions need to be able to see those numbers – and you would be SHOCKED at how often those numbers aren’t visible.

2. Check different mobile map systems and phones.

Between Google Maps, Mapquest and GPS systems, there are many variations. You may find you need to list your address in a particular way so it will come up right for visitors. The only way to know is to test. Then be sure the address you publicize is the one that works best. My business has an official county-assigned address, but it doesn't correlate to any online mapping systems.

3. Claim your business listing in Google Places.

Need help figuring it out? Well, um, Google this: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/introducing-google-places.html

4. Have at least a basic website.

Make sure you include the following:

Full business name
Business category, if it isn't stated in the name
Phone number
Email address
Mailing address
City and state
Street address
Map of your location, or link to an online map
Business hours
Bonus: picture of your business from the street
Lines of business
Specific brand name

5. Write extremely clear driving directions.

Be extremely clear. Here's some of Becky’s take on how to write better directions:

Give plenty of space to directions in your materials. Do not pack them into a tiny space in a teeny font. These must be readable – and especially readable while driving.
For intersections, you can say whether to turn left or right, but also include the direction (north, south, etc.). Include a landmark at the corner and the street names where ever possible.
Include every single step. Drive through the route and make notes. This has to be the most frustrating and common flaw in directions: the missed step.
Use your "enter" key. Start a new line for each step.
Include where to park when they arrive.

Take a moment today and make sure your business is well signed, well represented on the web and has effective rack cards and promotional materials!

Chamber Buzz

News You Can Use July 22, 2010

We’re creeping upon 115!; The HCC would like to extend a warm and wonderful welcome to our newest members: Miss Hayleigh’s and Guest House Realty! Make sure to become a fan of both pages on Facebook to get their latest news and updates!

Renewals News!: Our summer renewal blast is almost done – just a few folks out there still need to send their letters in! Thanks so much to the following members for continuing their investment in the Chamber! (If you got a letter in June, please send it in soon!): House of Flowers and Williams Chiropractic!

HardyTel is Happening!: Lots of great things are happening with charter HCC member Hardy Telecommunications! Just last week, they were awarded $31.6 million in federal funding to build a fiber-to-the-home network in Hardy County, providing the latest in affordable, reliable high-speed Internet access and video services (read the full story at www.hardynet.com ) and then this Friday, the HCC will join the staff for a ribbon cutting at their new location on East Main Street in Wardensville! The new store will hold an open house from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., complete with hot dogs, chips and soda, and the HCC will join them to officially cut the ribbon at 1 p.m.! BUT WAIT, there’s more…

Holy Health Fair, Batman!: As a part of the HardyTel open house festivities, HCC member the Town of Wardensville will be hosting a mini-health fair to show off the town’s new fitness center! Get a one-month membership for half price, or take advantage of free health care screenings provided by HCC members Mountain Medical and Heritage Hearing Aid Center! The mini-health fair will run from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, July 23! And golly gee, there’s still MORE…

How about a little Retail Therapy?: HCC member Antiques Etc. in Wardensville (www.antiquesandespresso.com) has a number of specials in place for this weekend! Select items are up to 30% off, and shoppers this weekend will receive 10% off each purchase of $25 or more! Make sure to have an iced coffee while you’re there!

Thank you Karen & Brent of the Paint Gallery!: The office was abuzz this week when the windows were splashed and tarnished by sidewalk cleaning (necessary, but messy!) Thankfully, the generous folks at the Paint Gallery, have been sending their window cleaning service by each month! Now our beautiful displays can once again be seen through sparkling panes! Thank you again, Karen and Brent for your support of the HCC!

Poultry Window Decorations: The 67^th Annual WV Poultry Association Convention & Festival begins Saturday, July 24! As a part of that event, HCC member the WV Poultry Association will hold its annual window and decoration contest! Judging for the contest will be on the same day as the parade – Thursday, July 29. Any business or residence within a 1-3 mile radius of downtown Moorefield can participate, just contact the WVPA office at 304-530-2725 to be placed on the judging list! HCC members – show your poultry pride and bring Moorefield alive – up those windows! The bird is the word!

History of Moorefield videos: HCC member the Town of Moorefield has provided the HCC with copies of the Town of Moorefield done as a part of the PBS Documentary Series. Videos are $15 each, with proceeds returning to the town. Stop in and pick up a copy, or let us know if you’d like copies to sell at your business!