We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jen McPherson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jen, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

A little over 5 years ago, I was ready for a career change and suffering from extreme burnout. For a few years on my drive to work I would drive past this vacant building (the one we are in now) and it pained me to see it sitting there empty. I knew the history of the building (1917 library) and I knew what it looked like inside and I was so worried that someone would come in and rip it all out and make it a cell phone store or something. At the same time, my husband and I were frequenting local markets whenever and wherever we could and marveling at the amazing products people in these Michigan communities had to offer. It was the perfect storm of circumstances but we thought, what if? What if we got that building? What if we could use it to highlight these incredible makers? What if we could encourage and inspire people to go back to shopping small and really knowing where their products came from. I am a storyteller by nature and I think it lends itself well to this business because now I am telling the stories of our makers on a daily basis. We felt that a general store vibe was missing in our community and we wanted to fill that gap while at the same time creating a welcoming space for all and a platform for artists, makers, and farmers of Michigan.

Jen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well, I was a preschool teacher for 13 years before I opened the store and a dance teacher/choreographer for 17 years. I am also a mom to two cool as heck kids and I have been married to my husband Zack for 19 years. I graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Commuications Degree as well as a degree in Children’s Literature and Theater for the Young. So naturally, I own a Michigan made general store. Ha ha ha!

Zack and I saw the need in our community for a general store vibe – a place where we knew your name – and I could be Ted Danson. We also saw the need for encouraging people to return to shopping small and for getting people excited about the products they were purchasing. I felt the way to do that was to really tell the stories of the makers behind each item. To make a human connection. I had the belief that if I could really connect someone to what they were buying from a local artisan, then I could also help strenghthen that makers small business and help create a community space. I think this is what makes our shop different – we are here for our makers. We believe in them and we are honored to have the chance to represent them and share their stories.

I am so proud of what we have done in five years. We opened with something like 25 makers and have grown to house and proudly represent 175 makers from all parts of Michigan. For our makers, we offer a platform for their small business, events (like New Maker Night, classes, Open Houses, and Pop-Ups) social media highlights, an online webstore, and most recently we have launched our maker mentoring program. For our guests, we offer a totally unique shopping experience, a safe space for all, a family feel, impeccable customer service, online ordering options, special events, and the ability to support 175 (and counting) local Michigan small businesses in one stop.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I am still building! Always growing and learning for sure but I do receive some good feedback on my social presence and I think it has to do with a few things. The first is, I like to write. I have always loved writing and storytelling so this is how I can do what I love while running a business. The second is, I don’t try and sugar coat things. I am honest about it all – the good and the bad, the ups and the downs and all of the messy gray areas in bewteen. I use humor but also sometimes, I just say it like it is. I think as a small business owner we are often made to feel as if we are not doing enough, we are not perfect enough and a lot of that is because what is represented on social media. I want to be someone that shows all of the emotions – the full range – because that’s the truth. My social media shows that I am an actual person, that my team is made up of actual people and we are human. So we win some, we lose some, but we bring you along for it all. The last thing (and oh man, I might get some flack for this) is I don’t stress about things like – number of followers or what my grid looks like. Oof, I know. It’s the truth though and I don’t know if it’s helped me or what but it does make me a little less stressed about social media. I put out what I want and I hope it’s received well and that I’m not posting into the void. So far, I think we are doing pretty well though.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I absolutely could not be five years in (through a pandemic) and still going without my team. That’s a huge key to success, in my opinion. We are small but mighty and have recently branded ourselves “McFam” because we truly are a family. I think when you are managing a group of people, you all have to be on the same page as far as where the business is at the present moment, where it is headed and how everyone is going to work together to get it there. I am so proud of the team we have built here. I beam when I see their interactions with customers and how they go above and beyond to give each guest the customer service we are known for. I also beam when they bring their ideas to me because so much of the time they make me look at things in a whole new way. Everyone that is part of McPherson Local brings something entirely unique to the table (through their own life experiences, education backgrounds, talents, and perspectives) and I believe it’s important to recognize that. It cannot be me just telling everybody what to do all of the time and being the one doing all of the things. We are all part of the mission of our store and therefore everyone plays an impactful role here. I think maintaining high morale comes when each person knows that they are valued and respected, that their opinions and thoughts matter and are appreciated, and that their specific talents are being highlighted and supported. It’s cliche but team work makes the dream work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mcphersonlocal.com
• Instagram: @mcpherson_local
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/mcphersonlocal

Image Credits
Erin Borges Scott Lemm Jen McPherson