There's a massive movement afoot to shop, eat, play and think local first, rather than rely on national or international businesses for things you can find at home. So it's hardly surprising that a new company based in Marquette is taking that local ethos to the next level, with a website called
MiUpperHand.com.
It joins other local-goods websites like
Pasty.com or
UPfoods.com, or the statewide
Michigan-made.com, in a growing trend toward supporting local businesses and cottage industries.
It lists Upper Peninsula-made goods, artwork, crafts, edibles, and other signature products for sale on one website, in an attempt to bring some of the U.P. to those living away from it. For vendors, it offers marketing, sales, shipping and warehouse services, as well as a showcase along with other local artisans.
MIUpperHand is using the limitless forum of the Internet to offer those who call the U.P. home, wherever they may be, a place to find gifts, artworks, and other locally-made products to support U.P. artisans. Of course, U.P. residents are welcome to shop on the site too; it brings artists and vendors from across the U.P. together in one place.
A dog chew toy made in Gwinn, a jar of honey from Greenland, or a purse handmade in Marquette are just a few of the locally-made products the site has on offer currently. There are more than 20 artisans and vendors listed on the site, and general manager Jason Schneider says many more are coming.
"We started out with about half the number we really wanted to launch with, but there are lots more vendors interested," Schneider says. "After the site's gone up, we've had more of them asking and calling about how to be added."
MIUpperHand officially launched in early November, and by the end of the month, its advertising campaign to get U.P. residents aware of the site was in full swing, with radio, online and TV ads. And it's shown results.
"We have had at least an order a day so far, which may not sound like much but is really pretty good for a startup Internet company," says Schneider.
The site is backed by an array of small stockholders from across the U.P., represented by a board of directors; Schneider is currently the only full-time paid employee. The board actually developed from a small discussion group of people who were having conversations about the economic future of the region; that group was former Marquette mayor Stu Bradley, former city manager Gerry Peterson, U.P. Children's Museum director Nheena Weyer Ittner, CPA Patrick Thomson, and Kelly Drake of U.P. Engineers and Architects.
They started out talking about ways to support local businesses, and ended up running their own, each director bringing different strengths from their backgrounds.
Weyer Ittner was the bridge for many fine-arts vendors on the site, with her experience in community-focused arts. That's how fused-glass artisan
Alysa Diebolt heard about MIUpperHand; she now offers selected glass pieces for sale on the site. She says it's her first venture into e-commerce; she usually sells her work at galleries, art fairs and sales events across Michigan and Wisconsin. Her hope is that the site will reach customers in farther-flung places.
"Geographically speaking, I'm not reaching my full potential. Being online will eliminate any geographical constraints that I have," Diebolt says. "It is a great opportunity to be a part of a brand new growing business. Also, there is a lot to be said about exposure. As a young businesswoman, it's really important to get myself and my work out there."
Diebolt is a student at Northern Michigan University and hails from the town of Rock. She is majoring in marketing. She says MIUpperHand is setting itself apart from other U.P.-made goods websites by focusing on supporting artisans and crafters.
"The Upper Peninsula just happens to be the right niche market that has previously been capitalized for different products, t-shirts, food, things of that nature," she says. "But art hasn't been."
MIUpperHand is currently sharing warehouse and office space with
Quick Trophy on Crescent St. in Marquette, but the ultimate plan, as the site's offerings and reach expand, is to have its own location.
"The future really depends on how our sales go," Schneider says. "Right now, it's going better than I projected."
Diebolt is also optimistic about the site's future.
"Online businesses are really growing, and I think that MIUpperHand entered into the digital world at the right time, and things are only going to improve," she says.
Kim Hoyum is a freelance writer based in the Upper Peninsula. Her credits include contributor to Geek Girl on the Street as well as a regular writer for several weekly and monthly publications. Hoyum is a graduate of Northern Michigan University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in writing.