That beautiful blue brick building is the future home of Moonbow Mercantile Williamsburg
The University of the Cumberlands is doing something completely innovative in downtown Williamsburg – something that is very different from the way universities located in communities struggling with poverty typically provide support – that I really want to tell that story and help bring it to the light. Some of you might not be familiar with the University, which is the largest enrollment private school in the state with a campus that is nestled among the mountains in a coal-producing county in Eastern Kentucky. As part of their commitment to the local community, they are opening a new Marketplace in Downtown Williamsburg, and Moonbow Mercantile will be opening up a second location as part of this project, with a slightly different concept.
The university embodies a commitment to a student population that is wonderful group of young adults, but at the same time are a population of students who are likely to struggle and have a hard time graduating. First of all, the University took a very dramatic step in making college affordable by cutting tuition by 57%, making tuition to this private college under $10k actually a cheaper option than many state-funded schools and more around the cost of community college. Then, they took the step of making books free for their all of their college students on campus. Truly, this is making a 4-year college affordable and accessible, and particularly for students in Appalachia who are often looking for an option that is closer to home.
One of the measures of this commitment was that Cumberlands was ranked the top private university in the South for social mobility by U.S. News:
U.S. News has ranked University of the Cumberlands (UC) in the top five percent of the nation’s Top Performers on Social Mobility for 2020. Cumberlands was the highest-ranked private university in the South.
“Social mobility” is the measurement of how well a college or university supports lower-income students. U.S. News calculated social mobility by researching colleges’ income-based graduation rates, specifically the graduation rates of students who received Pell Grants.
“From removing traditional enrollment barriers to providing comprehensive student supports, this recognition highlights the emphasis we place on student success at Cumberlands,” said Dr. Emily Coleman, Vice President for Student Services.
Pell Grants are given to students whose households earn less than $50,000 annually. Most Pell Grant money goes to students whose family income is below $20,000.
Campus is beautiful!
Isn’t this remarkable? If you haven’t been to campus, let me tell you that it is absolutely gorgeous. There are beautiful brick buidings with mountains always in the background. It is very much a college experience, which is something that would otherwise be difficult for many of our Appalachian students to attain. In case you did not know, Central Appalachia has the lowest educational attainment in the entire country, meaning the smallest percentage of students here graduate from college. That comparison includes communities along the Texas border and Native Nations in the West, as well as the Deep South. Educational attainment is a major struggle of our region, and it is particularly important at a time when we are trying to basically recreate our economy after the fall of coal.
I give you this background to help understand that the University already has a focus on making college accessible and successful for students in Appalachia, taking an approach that is far outside the norm. So often, the institutions of higher education that undertake these kinds of initiatives are located outside of the vulnerable communities they try to serve. They do not have to worry in the same ways about downtown development and quality of life because it is not their day-to-day reality, nor the day-to-day reality of the students they serve. Our family lives and works in Williamsburg, and it is where we are raising our children, who attend the local prek-12 school. As residents, we can tell you that Williamsburg has a very lovely downtown with some beautiful building stock, but there are many vacant buildings and limited dining and retail options, even for the Appalachian region. Between the three towns of Corbin, Harlan, and Williamsburg, I would rank Williamsburg as having the least developed downtown.
How do you get downtown development going? Buying and renovating historic buildings is a major investment. I have shared quite a bit here about how our family was utterly financially and mentally absorbed in renovations that are still not quite over as we sought to promote downtown development in Corbin and Harlan. Not to say that we will never do it again, but we certainly could not afford to make such a leap right now in Williamsburg or elsewhere.
Realizing this barrier, the University made a strategic choice to buy a building and develop it specifically to promote business in the downtown. To make the investment work, they put commercial space on the first floor with apartments in the floors above. Rent from the apartments will cover the costs of owning and operating the building without needing to make money from the commercial space, allowing the University to create generous lease terms for small local businesses to occupy the downtown. With the University taking on the big upfront expense of real estate and renovation, providing financing for the project, and offering a very affordable lease, something that was once impossible for me and Moonbow suddenly became very much within reach. Not only that, we are able to do it right from the start, and we are beginning with a full concept and I am confident we can deliver a great customer experience.
The work the university is doing downtown is being facilitated now by Geoff in collaboration with University leadership. Since my first moment of involvement in February of this year, I have been thoroughly impressed by the thoughtfulness of the project, and how much it has focused on supporting local entrepreneurs. I have been in many productive, collaborative meetings with great folks at the University of the Cumberlands – everyone from media and marketing to operations to the President’s Office – to ensure that the Moonbow Mercantile in Williamsburg is aligned to local and student needs, as well as the vision and mission of the University. Marketplace on Main & Third is not just a concept, but a working, ongoing collaboration, that I am sure will continue to grow and be a tremendous learning experience for students seeking real-world experiences.
With the help of this larger group, we shaped and refined the idea of our Williamsburg location. The concept stays true to the historic roots of this building, which was operated by the Faulkner family for many years. We will be transforming it into an old-fashioned general store, complete with floor-to-ceiling shelves built by a local carpenter. In addition, we are building a soda counter where we will be selling small-batch ice cream, sodas from our own Pepsi bottling plant (as well as Kentucky favorite, Ale 8), and a variety of candy and chocolates. All this will be in addition to our unique and special merchandise, sourced locally and made with the special touch of tradition and place. Along with all of our great artists, we are working with an excellent local candy maker, Joann Helton, who I will tell you all about in a future post.
But not only that, we are getting to share Marketplace on Main & Third with another business and businesswoman I adore. That is Ann Bayes of Moonlight Meat. She will be opening up a new Meat shop in the space – think gourmet meats and sundries. I will definitely be lining up to buy her cuts of meat that she raises herself from heritage breeds. It is not an exaggeration to say that these kinds of food opportunities are rare in Appalachia, where fresh food can be difficult to buy. Right now I buy most of our meat at Walmart.
Anne and I are exactly the kind of small business owners who are rarely afforded these types of opportunities. The unfortunate truth is that if you are building a business, there are no programs that I know of that offer low-interest loans, low-cost retail storefront, or provide any type of money for you to grow or expand. Cumberlands was not following a rule book that told them they should invest in small, women-owned businesses that were already gaining traction in the local economy. Instead, they did it because they believe it is the kind of opportunity they want for their own graduates and the experiences they want for their own community.
I hope you join me in my excitement, but also see it as a call to action. Moonbow Mercantile and Moonlight Meats are the kind of small business that needs nurturing. There are no big profit margins here, no fast and easy manufacturing to maximize the bottom line. These are all honest people deeply committed to their community and working hard to make a special experience that brings us back to our best traditions of yesteryear. We are building the places we want for ourselves, our families, and our children.
Take a little sneak peak below:
