Coimatan Announces December Initiatives to Promote Local Small Businesses

Article by Becky Fillinger 

Vasiliki PapanikolopoulosMinnesotans Unite is now Coimatan. We talked to founder, Vasiliki Papanikolopoulos, about the successes of the organization and upcoming holiday events.

Q:  When we spoke earlier this year you had just formed Minnesotans Unite - to help bring business to local retailers and create a network of support among small merchants. The organization has been renamed Coimatan. Why the name change? 

A:  Minnesotans Unite started with a focus on retail small businesses like you mention, and when we joined forces with the national effort Save The Eats to also support culinary small businesses, my team and I were running two parallel initiatives with two different names. When Save The Eats came to a close, it was an opportunity to bring it all together under one roof, so we merged Minnesotans Unite and Save Twin Cities Eats into Coimatan. Coimatan is inspired by the word community in both English and Greek (and as I am Greek-Cypriot-American/Minnesotan, it was an ode to both cultures). 

Q:  We're still in the pandemic - which may stretch throughout 2021. What have you learned in the months since you started the organization? Any successes to share with us? 

A:  Starting Coimatan in the midst of the pandemic has been challenging in some ways and easier in other ways. I have learned quite a bit - the most important being that I must meet others where they are, including both consumers and business owners. With the pandemic, priorities are constantly in flux and focus is dispersed, so creating value throughout the pandemic's evolution and its impact is top of mind. To date, we have partnered with over 50 small businesses, and to me that means at least 50 small business owners (some have co-owners) that we've successfully connected with. These small business owners trust us to bring about a collective movement to shop local and I don't take that responsibility lightly.

Q:  Is Coimatan creating holiday buying opportunities with local small businesses?

A:  The short answer is yes, two opportunities! Recently, we released a Shop Local Bingo, where those who call B-I-N-G-O receive prizes from our participating small businesses in an interactive game and leave knowing some fun facts about small businesses. The second opportunity is A Night In to Celebrate, where we've gathered retail and culinary small businesses and local talent for what we hope to be a heartwarming and entertaining night in for guests.

The longer answer is that the Coimatan philosophy aims to promote shopping local beyond just Small Business Saturday or on a holiday - shopping local in our mind is a conscious lifestyle that contributes to the community and builds connections to our neighbors all year round, whether we are buying the next morning's coffee or on the search for a cool bathroom towel.

Q:  Are there other opportunities to learn more about your organization or the businesses you support?

A:  Oh, yes! Our website contains all the information about our participating businesses and the over 100 BIPOC small businesses we've created a directory for, as well as upcoming events and experiences. Facebook and Instagram are two easy ways to also learn more about Coimatan and the latest from our participating businesses, all in one place.

Q:  How may we follow your news?

A:  People may subscribe to our newsletter to stay in touch - we just sent a newsletter introducing A Night In to Celebrate, and our plan is to continue building it out as the place where we share upcoming events, experiences, product launches, and most importantly local business stories.