The Market on Main shop officially opened its doors on Tuesday Sept. 12. Market on Main primarily sells pre-packaged gift items, representing the growing number of new businesses on Main Street.
Owner Meghan Bucci left Geneseo for college, but returned to teach science at the local middle school with plans to eventually open Market on Main. Bucci made a concerted effort to market her store toward both local residents and college students, intending her shop to be a place where people can find assorted items like jewelry, children’s clothes and other décor or luxury items.
The items are primarily from an online Etsy shop and will change according to the interests of the customers.
“I did a ton of stuff through Etsy because I love how unique their stuff is and you can’t necessarily find it anywhere,” Bucci said. “There’s such a big college population here and everybody’s using Instagram and Facebook and a lot of other different things ... I’m going to keep up with that and really try [to] put things up every day, pictures of things coming in and gift ideas.”
Within the past few years, many new local businesses have been opening on Main Street, creating opportunities to attract a wide variety of people to support local businesses.
“I think Main Street has a ton of potential, but it still doesn’t always feel like people come, even local people,” Bucci said. “People can come down on the weekend and between my store and the others that are on the street, they can cover all their bases without having to go to Rochester or shop online.”
The Livingston County Economic Development Office offers assistance to new businesses opening in the area. Bucci saw these incentives as a way to mitigate overhead costs.
In addition to grants and assistance provided by the county, there are signs showcasing that the trend to small business ownership is returning, according to Livingston County Development Office Downtown Coordinator Louise Wadsworth.
“The millennials are more interested in keeping things local,” she said. “I think they’re more willing to support or consider supporting local business, so I think that’s a very positive thing for our Main Street—it’s just taking a while there to get going.”
Recent stores that have opened on Main Street—including Crickets, Honeygirl Gourmet and now Market on Main—are owned by younger people, according to Wadsworth.
“I know a lot of local young people have moved away,” she said. “They’re getting their training, their education and they may come back and start their own businesses here.”
Students at Geneseo have showcased interest in supporting local business.
“I liked that they were offering local products, and the prices were very reasonable,” sophomore psychology major Angela Catalano said. “I would definitely go back. It was a good place to go for buying gifts for people, or just looking around with a friend. It was just a nice place to be.”
Bucci hopes that Main Street and her store can become a place for all kinds of people to stop by and find what they need at affordable costs.
“The college students will come in before the holidays or before the breaks and they’re looking for something quick to get,” Bucci said. “I hope I can provide that, and for parents coming into town who are visiting, I hope I can give them a place to stop and come by too.”