Written by TJ Coakley
This week I’m happy to share my space with the Mullica Hill Business Association. Let’s hear what TJ Coakley, the association’s Vice President, has to say:
I am grateful for the opportunity to write about the Mullica Hill Business Association. 2018 is a pivotal year for the Association — starting with a name change and extending to a restatement of our mission and goals for the business community we serve. Historically, the Association was named the Mullica Hill Merchants Association. We have rebranded ourselves the Mullica Hill Business Association and extended our mission to equally represent professional, service, and merchant businesses. In short, our mission is to serve and support member businesses and foster a business environment that attracts an ever wider variety of businesses to our town and better meet the needs of the community.
My hope in writing this article is that I will reach both potential businesses that may not be aware of the Association, and Mullica Hill residents who might not be aware of all the products and services our town has to offer.
There are more than 300 businesses registered within Mullica Hill — some are small home based businesses or just the mailing address for a company — others are businesses operated by your friends and neighbors in town. From accounting and investment services, fuel oil, plumbing and HVAC, to our restaurants, antique and decor shops, there is a good chance if you have a need for something, you can find close by.
2018 will mark the initiation of a focused “Shop/Buy” local campaign. We have partnered with the American Independent Business Alliance group (AMIBA) to initiate the program and we will grow it over the coming years.
Along with our mainstay events like the Art Festival and Civil War Weekend, we are sponsoring several new events to creating opportunities for our residents to come into town. We just held our first Annual Chocolate Walk; 23 local businesses offered small treats in their stores, and despite the rain, we had approximately 200 visitors. We will be holding a Family Fun Festival as a “Back to School” event in September, and later that month we will be hosting an expanded Harry Potter themed event. (We are asking for Potter Fans to help with ideas and planning so please reach out ASAP if you are interested… September is just around the corner planning wise).
In closing — if you are a local business owner, we encourage you to join the Association (MullicaHill.com/2018 Membership Drive for forms) and if you are a resident, we encourage you to shop and buy local whenever possible — It Makes a Difference! You can get up to the minute information on our Facebook page as well — Facebook/MullicaHillBA — so please Like and Follow our page.
If you have questions TJ can be reached at tjcoakley@comcast.net.
