The Main Street Business Insights podcast is back! Recorded live at our 2026 national conference in Tulsa, host Matt Wagner sits down with Brandi Hines-Lee, owner of Agitsi Stained Glass in the Route 66 Main Street District.

A third-generation stained glass artist, Brandi learned the craft by watching her mother and grandmother work. After her mother passed away, she left her job and opened the studio the two of them had planned to run together, naming it Agitsi — “my mother” in Cherokee.

Losing the person she turned to with every technical question shaped how she runs the shop: no one through her door gets stuck without someone to ask.

That instinct built the business. Custom commissions led to teaching, teaching created demand for supplies, and a wholesale account required a brick-and-mortar storefront — one she found because another artist she had met while volunteering as a mentor invited her to join the artists working in Red Fork. She signed that first lease just before COVID closed the state, then redesigned her teaching studio into a layout other studios now follow, a survival story that later brought Good Morning America to Tulsa.

Brandi and Matt also talk through the pressures on the shop: rising freight and material costs, and big-box retailers selling supplies at her wholesale price. Her answer isn’t price. It’s the relationships a supplier can’t stock — answering a student’s question whether or not they buy a class, and asking what her community needs when sales go quiet, which is how hand-beaded graduation feathers for Indian Education seniors came to cover a month’s rent.

Being Cherokee, Brandi says, is about being one with the community: understanding, resilient, and always teaching. It is why everyone through the door is treated as somebody’s daughter, mother, brother or uncle, and why her students are anything but competition.

Plus: Matt shares why the podcast went quiet for a few months, and what's coming next!

Connect:

• Learn about Agitsi Stained Glass
• Learn about the Route 66 Main Street District in Tulsa
• Learn about Main Street Oklahoma
• Learn about Made Originals
• Join MSA’s Small Biz Hub

Join us next time for more insights into the evolving landscape of Main Street business.

Join host Matt Wagner for his conversation with Patrick Jackowski and Matt Horne, the duo behind Firehouse Coffee 1881, a thriving coffee shop housed in a firehouse in historic Fort Monroe, a decommissioned military compound located in Hampton, Virginia. Fresh from their appearance as featured panelists at the Virginia Retail Alliance's Retail Matters Summit, these young entrepreneurs are redefining what it means to be business owners in today's rapidly evolving retail landscape.

In this episode, we dive deep into:

- Introduction to Patrick and Matt: Discover how two lifelong best friends transformed their childhood bond into a powerful business partnership. Patrick and Matt share candid insights about how their complementary strengths and lifelong friendship created the perfect foundation for their entrepreneurial venture.

- Gen Z Entrepreneurs: Step into the world of Gen Z entrepreneurship, making up only 8 percent of all business owners – but not for long. Learn why this generation is uniquely positioned to disrupt traditional business models and how their digital-native perspective is reshaping customer experiences. Patrick and Matt offer a fascinating glimpse into how their generation's values and vision are influencing their business decisions.

- Journey to Ownership: Follow the remarkable story of how these young entrepreneurs' longtime dream of business ownership collided with an unexpected opportunity. Hear about how a historic firehouse-turned-coffee shop caught their attention and how they knew instantly it was their chance to create something special. They share the serendipitous way they decided take the leap and the gut instincts that told them this was their path.

- Success Stories and Challenges: From forming their business plan to overcoming funding challenges, Patrick and Matt share their innovative solutions to funding obstacles, their strategies for winning over their community, and the valuable lessons they learned about perseverance in the face of doubt.

Connect:

• Check out Firehouse Coffee 1881’s website

• Follow Firehouse Coffee on Facebook

• Follow Firehouse Coffee on Instagram

• Subscribe to Firehouse Coffee’s YouTube channel

• Follow Firehouse Coffee on LinkedIn

Episode Links:

- Watch video interview

- Listen on Apple Podcasts

- Listen on Spotify

- Subscribe for updates

Join us next week for more insights into the evolving landscape of Main Street business.

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, host Matt Wagner sat down with The Barbershop Conversation podcast team, co-hosts Kenneth Bentley and Davion Hampton along with executive producer Emory Green Jr., in Goldsboro, Florida.

Launched in 2021 to encourage local and regional voter turnout, The Barbershop Conversation podcast is focused on delivering current events and political news, along with local coverage, through a positive lens. Outside of their work educating the community through the podcast, Bentley is also the Board Chairman of Historic Goldsboro Main Street, a designated Main Street Community as of 2022. Bentley is also involved with Goldsboro Front Porch, a youth community resource center that supports area high school students with tutoring and employment. Green is the owner of Elite Styles Barber Lounge in Goldsboro, Fla., and Hampton is a contractor in the historic Midway community.

In their conversation, Bentley, Hampton, and Green discuss the importance of youth community involvement, encouraging entrepreneurship among residents, fostering equitable partnerships, and their founding mission of serving the community.

Further Reading: Listen to The Barbershop Conversation | Follow Elite Styles Barber Lounge | Learn about Historic Goldsboro Main Street | Learn about Florida Main Street | Read a press release from the Florida Department of State honoring Goldsboro Main Street

In this episode, host Matt Wagner sits down with husband-and-wife duo, Phoebe and Jonathan Carpenter Eells, co-owners of elSage Designs in Mount Vernon, Washington. Phoebe and Jonathan share their journey from teachers and parents to working artists then thriving business owners.

Key Takeaways:

• Journey to Business Ownership: Started with block printing as a creative side project, gradually scaling from home-based operations to farmers markets, mobile vending, and eventually a downtown storefront.

• Innovative Funding Strategy: Successfully used Kickstarter not just for funding equipment, but as a powerful community-building and brand awareness tool that created a sense of ownership among supporters

• Adaptive Business Model: Continuously pivoted and experimented with different revenue streams, including mobile vending, e-commerce, wholesale, and hyper-personalization options to stay responsive to market needs.

• Community-Centered Approach: Created collaborative opportunities by hosting pop-up events, supporting local artisans, and bringing other small businesses into their space to create a supportive ecosystem

• Brand Philosophy: Developed a distinctive brand identity around positive, meaningful designs that feature hand-carved block prints with an intentionally authentic, "gritty" aesthetic that resonates with customers.

Connect:

• Visit elSage website

• Follow elSage on Facebook

• Follow elSage on Instagram

• Follow elSage on TikTok

Episode Links:

- Listen on Apple Podcasts

- Listen on Spotify

- Subscribe for updates

Join us next week for more insights into the evolving landscape of Main Street business.

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, host Matt Wagner sat down with the CEO of Keith McDonald Plumbing in Milledgeville, Ga., Lindsay Goodson McDonald.

In their conversation, Lindsay discusses her path to small business ownership. Lindsay began her work in plumbing in 2009. After losing her job in Athens, Ga. during the national recession, she moved back home to Milledgeville to help her father with the family business. At the time, Lindsay said, “I totally hated it. Hate’s not even enough of a word.” It wasn’t until several years later when her father wanted to begin scaling the service side of the business into new locations that Lindsay became more interested, and eventually passionate, about the work.

Around five years ago, Keith began planning for retirement and was slowly scaling back, allowing Lindsay to take on more of a leadership role. Unfortunately, the gradual succession plan was cut short when, in 2021, Keith tragically passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Lindsay to decide whether to sell the business or take over as CEO. She made the decision to stay on, recognizing that she would need to make significant changes and scale back in certain areas in order to maintain the company without her father. Even with these changes, Lindsay says, the company has begun to grow and scale in new areas, largely due to her adaptation to innovative new technologies.

In the episode, Lindsay talks through the challenges and lessons learned from being a woman leading a company in a male-dominated industry, the importance of adapting to new technologies, overcoming imposter syndrome, and her passion for community development work.

Background Reading: Learn about McDonald Plumbing | Learn about Downtown Milledgeville | Learn about Georgia Main Street

In this episode, Matt Wagner breaks down seven key predictions that will impact Main Street businesses and entrepreneurs in 2025.

You'll discover:

• How retail sales are expected to slow and the challenges facing small businesses

• The potential "Ozempic Ripple Effect" and its implications for various industries

• The emerging "Phygital" world and how technology is transforming shopping experiences

• AI's growing impact on non-profit data collection and reporting

• Why businesses should focus on curation over endless choices

• How the "Silver Tsunami" will reshape markets and consumer behaviors

• The role of Main Streets in addressing the loneliness epidemic

Episode Links:

- Listen on Apple Podcasts

- Listen on Spotify

- Subscribe for updates

In this episode, Matt chats with Tee Rowe, the President and CEO of America’s Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC). The centers offer training, advice, and resources to help small business owners thrive in their communities.

Tee has dedicated over 30 years to supporting small businesses. He started his journey working with the Committee on Small Business in the House of Representatives and later joined the Small Business Administration (SBA) during the Bush Administration. Now at ASBDC, Tee continues to advocate for small business owners across the country.

During their conversation, Matt and Tee explore how the changing economy affects small businesses, the importance of understanding new technologies like AI, how national laws impact business owners, and best ways to connect with local SBDCs.

Further Reading: America’s SBDC | Find Your SBDC | U.S. Small Business Administration | Red Helicopter by James Rhee

In this episode of Main Street Business Insights, Matt sits down with Jamie and Jerry Baker, co-owners and founders of Trendy Teachers, a teaching boutique and educational toy store located in downtown Rome, Georgia. 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.

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.

Further Reading: Learn about Trendy Teachers | Learn about Historic Downtown Rome | Learn about Georgia Main Street |