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My successes.

 

Poetess and Stranger has already received great coverage in the media and is a nominee for Red Hot Best through Traverse Magazine. "We wish Sarah the best of luck in the future and we just know she’ll be a successful and rewarding asset to Downtown Petoskey, 

What do you do?

Poetess and Stranger is a new retail store in Downtown Petoskey, 445 East Mitchell Street, Unit A. Their mission is to grow our region’s access to natural, ethically made, and traded goods by creating and maintaining a retail environment where openness, equality, sustainability, and representation matter. Owner and curator, Sarah Snider invites all to come and experience this lovely new store.

What inspired you to start your business?

Poetess And Stranger began as just a little daydream of the future,” states Sarah, “and somehow, through one of the most difficult years of my life it became a reality.  I think the pandemic, and the hardship I experienced because of it propelled me beyond my very cautious ‘5-year plan’ to my ‘what am I waiting for?’ moment.

I wanted a place where I could be 100% myself, where I could be the boss, where I could experiment, where I could be safe, and where I could serve the community. I opened the shop on October 28, 2021. Most of the people I met cringed thinking I was going to open outside of our area’s typical tourist season and believe me, I cringed too. I just had to trust that what I was bringing to the table would be enough to get me through to June. 

 

Here I am at the end of March, and I’m surviving and thriving. I am grateful that this community is just as committed to sustainability, equality, representation, and humanity as I am. Being able to offer the goods that I love with the standards I have come to engender gives me a great sense of purpose. 

I am also driven by my desire to support our community through my “Little Freak Library” (a small free library of fun spooky books), Hat & Scarf donations that any person can take if they need it, a dignity bag initiative that offers people of differing gender identities the supplies that are necessary to everyday life, collecting personal care items (especially feminine hygiene products) for our local schools, and our current Spring into Action series that has local organizations come and meet customers as they shop my busiest days. 

I think that one of the best ways to stay relevant is to create opportunities for the community to engage with each other and to learn with each other.  That is why I intend to offer workshops in the future on various topics like herbalism, sewing and needlework, gardening, health, and spirituality.

What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

When I first started planning my business, the most daunting task was writing my business plan.  I could see what I wanted my business to be in my head but translating that into a cohesive plan was overwhelming. The only way to get the funding I needed was to make a plan that proved my vision was viable, so I pushed ahead using a template that I found on the SBA’s website.  The template was a little confusing, but I was able to find some great articles that outlined how to fill out the information in each section. 

How SCORE helped.

Around the same time a friend of mine was starting his own business and his business plan was so complicated!  He was looking for a loan to help build something from the ground up, and I realize now that every plan is different, and I didn’t have to be so intimidated. I had always intended to speak with SCORE to help me get the ball rolling, but I wanted to come to the table with as much information as I could so that I could get the direction I needed to move forward.  I met with some great mentors who helped me shape my business plan in a way that would be appealing and understandable to a bank. Once I had all the information needed, I was put in touch with an incredible lending organization called Northern Initiatives which eventually approved my business loan.  Northern Initiatives also offers a wide variety of support options to help structure and grow your business. 

What would you tell a fellow business owner about SCORE?

If you are considering starting your own business, you can meet with SCORE at any point in your planning process, from the first idea to the finishing touches. I like to do things independently and I felt like my SCORE mentors were respectful and supportive. It’s great to know that any time I have any questions I can get in touch with SCORE, and I will be directed to the person best suited to answer.