Mainstreet Maven: Cindy Loudenslager
Cindy Loudenslager traded 30 years of NYC banking for early mornings at the Dorset Union Store. Here's how she's keeping Vermont's oldest general store alive and thriving like never before.
Mainstreet Maven: Jillian Minerva
Jillian Minerva didn’t plan to become the keeper of a small-town heartbeat — but sometimes life reroutes us toward where we truly belong. Today, she and her husband Joe run the Barnard General Store in Vermont, raising their family between morning muffins, lake views, and the hum of community life, while growing a modern family business that’s just as rooted in connection.
Mainstreet Maven: Sandi Cararo
Tucked into a narrow storefront along Beverley Street in the heart of downtown Staunton, Virginia, sits The Book Dragon—a small shop with a big spirit, run by a woman whose story is just as compelling as the titles she stocks.
Meet Sandi Cararo, Army veteran, dog mom, relentless book lover, and the heart behind Staunton’s independent bookstore. She’s a force on Main Street—part dreamer, part pragmatist, all moxie.
A New Catalyst for Women in Business kicks off in Staunton
Walk through downtown, and you’ll find thriving storefronts, creative studios, and bustling cafés—often run by dedicated women we have come to call “Main Street Mavens.” We are finding them in so many of our small towns. An energy and passion that ignites the possibilities that may have sat a little quiet - but not any more. Now, these innovators have a new community hub to elevate their voices and expand their dreams: Valley Women Collab.
Small-Town Spirit and Big Ideas: Meet Staunton’s Megan Burrows of Burrow & Vine
Tucked away in the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley, Staunton, Virginia, has a way of surprising people. For entrepreneur Megan Burrows, Staunton became the perfect backdrop for her business, Burrow & Vine, and the launchpad for a thriving community of women in small business. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Megan about what brought her here, how her shop came to be, and why she agrees with us at MoxieTowns that small-town Main Streets are brimming with potential.