Grounded in Maine

How The Book Cellar Used Bookstore Thrives with Chad Thompson Ep 182

I attended Chad Thompson's talk at the SOVA Rise Entrepreneur Summit last October about business planning, I didn't tell him this, but it wasn't a talk that I thought really pertained to me, since I didn't really have a business to market so to speak; something drew me to it- and I'm so glad I listened to that! Chad mentioned something about the business plan that I had never heard or even thought about before, and honestly I didn't hear much after that. I've been guilty of thinking the business plan was lame. I felt like he was speaking directly to me; I didn't quite know how I'd pitch him to be my podcast guest, or how the conversation would actually go, but I did, and he said yes. And I'm so very glad it all worked out (I took a couple of weeks to actually email him, and my email ended up in his spam), because this conversation with Chad just felt beautiful.Chad and his wife own The Book Cellar, a used book store in Abingdon, VA - their mission is to make literacy affordable, and they wanted to do things differently, and it has worked very well! He talks about why the store is so successful, and shares some pretty incredible stories that show how they're making it all work after only 2 1/2 years, and creating a supportive community in the process. Y'all, check out my Instagram or Linkedin Post promoting this, or go watch this on YouTube, because you can see the very small, but most welcoming used bookstore that is The Book Cellar.Chad is also a YouTube creator, talking about lifestyle  learnings, and also journaling. His channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/@ChadEverydayThe Book Cellar website is here: https://thebookcellarva.com/The store Instagram page is here: https://www.instagram.com/thebookcellarva/Their Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/thebookcellarvaSend me a message!Support the showLike this episode? Send me a message! Please follow the podcast on Instagram here YouTube channel Email me at amysgardenjam@gmail.com Amy's Garden Jam site (podcast has its own tab on this site!) Amy's email newsletter: How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow here on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects. Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the BEST customer service! Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1851361 You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://...

Formal Dress Borrowing with Tia's Prom Closet Project's Samantha Erickson Ep 181

Let me tell you a little story about my meeting Samantha Erickson... I think she reached out to me (my Instagram name is Grounded in Maine, and she's a Maine business, so I assume that's why), and the idea of used formal dresses was such a great business plan, so I was sold, and invited her to talk about it on the podcast. When I got her podcast guest form, she said "turning grief and pain into purpose," and if you know me, I'm all in for all the deep conversations, so I couldn't wait for the chance to learn more about the story of Tia's Prom Closet Project. Tia Morrell was Samantha's best friend, and she passed away in 2024, 4 months after giving birth to her first child, Zara. Tia was a total fashion girl, and had a huge heart, not letting someone miss out on a special occasion because they didn't have the right outfit - Samantha tells the sweetest story showing this. So Samantha, Tia's mom, and a couple other of Tia's friends started Tia's Prom Closet Project - really a circular fashion goldmine, located in the small town of Harrison in southern Maine. They started 4 months ago now with 20 dresses, and 3 months later when I spoke with Samantha, they had received close to 600 donated dresses to offer folks!Samantha has so many stories about this, and the reach they've made in just a few short months shows the power of community.  I'm going to leave you with this last quote from Samantha: "This is bigger than dresses; it's about dignity. A pay it forward movement built on kindness, confidence, and connection, all in honor of an incredible soul.Every dress that leaves our racks carries more than fabric and sparkle — it carries a story, a piece of someone else’s love and hope." You can find Tia's Prom Closet Project on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/tiaspromcloset/ And on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/people/Tias-Prom-Closet/61580223976310/Send me a message!Support the showLike this episode? Send me a message! Please follow the podcast on Instagram here YouTube channel Email me at amysgardenjam@gmail.com Amy's Garden Jam site (podcast has its own tab on this site!) Amy's email newsletter: How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow here on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects. Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the BEST customer service! Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1851361 You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://...

Global Warming is Real with Tom Schuneman Ep 180

Tom Schueneman has lived a fascinating life of traveling and music, and now has been an environmental journalist for several years - literally a member of the Society for Environmental Journalists. This year he started hosting his own podcast, which was called Global Warming is Real - recently rebranded to Earthbound, which is so good. Tom is very thoughtful and really cares about the earth and people, and that comes across very clearly. Reading his Podmatch bio, I learned he was born without peripheral vision, which was repaired, but that time taught him so much empathy for humans.I loved getting to talk with Tom, because he's gotten to do some really cool things, like attend global environmental summits, and he's currently working on a film about packaging. And I loved hearing about his previous career in music! You'll see - he's just really easy to talk to, and can talk about pretty much anything. You can find Tom's website and podcast here: https://tdsenvironmentalmedia.com/He's on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/tdschueneman/and on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/WatchingthePlanetSend me a message!Support the showLike this episode? Send me a message! Please follow the podcast on Instagram here YouTube channel Email me at amysgardenjam@gmail.com Amy's Garden Jam site (podcast has its own tab on this site!) Amy's email newsletter: How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow here on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects. Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the BEST customer service! Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1851361 You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://...

From Loss to Legacy; Leather Accessories with Julie Colombino-Billingham Ep 179

Julie Colombino-Billingham was working in disaster response 15 years ago, and was in Haiti after the earthquake of 2010. She never went back. She fell in love with the resilience and kindness of the people, and started a business with them called Deux Mains (two hands), making sustainable, fair trade leather bags and accessories - and also school shoes for students that they sell to churches and ministries to distribute. These beautiful bags are sold in Nordstrom! During the time she's been working with the people of Haiti, Julie's interviewed residents and documented her time, and launched her memoir earlier this month - it's called From Loss to Legacy: How a Fashion Business Rose from Haiti's Rubble. All book proceeds will go to REBUILD globally, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting poverty in Haiti through education and job training.Julie wants to relay the message of the power of our purpose - that our purchases make a global impact.Deux Mains website is here: https://deuxmains.com/pages/our-story-2Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/deuxmains_official/Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DeuxMainsDesigns/They're on Pinterest here: https://www.pinterest.com/deuxmainsdesigns/Julie's TedX Talk is here: https://youtu.be/XE76NResiUcSend me a message!Support the showLike this episode? Send me a message! Please follow the podcast on Instagram here YouTube channel Email me at amysgardenjam@gmail.com Amy's Garden Jam site (podcast has its own tab on this site!) Amy's email newsletter: How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow here on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects. Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the BEST customer service! Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1851361 You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://...

Taking Back Our Power with Seth Berry and Isabelle Winstead Ep 178

As everyone is seeing their electricity bills rise, the opportunity to speak with Our Power Maine came up. I'm speaking with the Executive Director Seth Berry, and Policy and Communications Fellow Isabelle Winstead - just days after  they succeeded in pausing what seemed to many as a huge increase in Maine's CMP (Central Maine Power) rates. It's historic to halt the monopoly of a utility like this, and they are very happy to share why they are so passionate about helping Mainers to have other options. And don't feel left out if you're not in Maine - Our Power is in several states, and even if not, you can reach out to Our Power Maine and they'll get you in touch with someone to help.Seth and Our Power Maine are focused on transparency and energy democracy, and with good reason. He brought up the Halloween storm of 2017, and I said I started saving all the electric bills I received after that storm, because CMP sent me 3 bills in 1 month. We talked about Maine Community Power Cooperative (MCPC), and breaking the monopoly that CMP has with Maine's energy. MCPC offers up to 20% savings for CMP customers. This conversation was enlightening and encouraging, and I hope you'll reach out to them, to learn more about how we can take our own power backOur Power site: https://ourpowermaine.org (remember, you don't need to be a Maine resident to ask questions!)They're on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/ourpowerme/On Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/ourpowermaine/And Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/our-power-maine/Another resource is https://www.efficiencymaine.com/Send me a message!Support the showLike this episode? Send me a message! Please follow the podcast on Instagram here YouTube channel Email me at amysgardenjam@gmail.com Amy's Garden Jam site (podcast has its own tab on this site!) Amy's email newsletter: How Do I Get There From Here by Jane Bolduc - hear more at https://www.janebolduc.com/Podcast cover by Becca Kofron- follow here on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/skate_cute_but_loud/ and check out her awesome art projects. Grounded in Maine Podcast is hosted by Buzzsprout, the easiest podcast hosting platform with the BEST customer service! Learn more at https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1851361 You can support this podcast one time (or many) with the Buy me a coffee/Hot Chocolate link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/groundedinmaine Grounded in Maine Podcast is sponsored by ESG Review. Learn more about the good they're doing at https://...