CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEWS RELEASE
The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the opening of Little Studio on the Mesa with a Ribbon Cutting 10 a.m. Thursday, June 16 at 113 Longview Dr. in White Rock.
Little Studio on the Mesa offers paint-your-own pottery, fused glass creations, custom Los Alamos and White Rock apparel, and other artistic and creative gifts and classes.
Little Studio on the Mesa opened its doors with a soft opening Wednesday, June 8. The June 16 Grand Opening includes refreshments, prizes and a variety of art activities as well at the 10 a.m. Ribbon Cutting. The public may follow owner Joanne Kozuchowski on her business Facebook page: @littlestudioonthemesa.
Last fall, artist-owner Kozuchowski participated in the Los Alamos Retail Accelerator program. After completing a seven-week training and planning course, she moved on to the pop-up retail space where she had the opportunity to test-drive her business concept in the Los Alamos market. After a successful six-week trial, Kozuchowski purchased her retail space in White Rock.
The Los Alamos Retail Accelerator is organized and run by Los Alamos MainStreet and the Chamber of Commerce. The goal is to inspire and equip new entrepreneurs with the confidence to take the plunge into starting a business with minimal upfront risk, as the program subsidizes their costs to do a retail viability test in the market.
Last year the program had 14 applicants and 11 of these entrepreneurs completed the seven-week Phase 1 training workshops. Four businesses went on to participate in the Phase 2 pop-up store trial. Two entrepreneurs have since purchased their own spaces, one is partnering with another business, and a fourth is renting their space, which is the same space they occupied for their Retail Accelerator pop-up shop.
After a successful first year, the Retail Accelerator program is in the planning phase to take place again in 2022, with applications being accepted over the summer and coursework beginning in September. Look for more information soon.
Ribbon cuttings are a benefit of being a Los Alamos Chamber Member. For more information about Chamber membership, visit losalamoschamber.com or contact Ryn Herrmann at ryn@losalamos.org or 505-661-4807 or Sam McRae at sam@losalamos.org or (505) 661-4816.
The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce is a program of Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation; a private, not-for-profit economic and community development organization serving the Los Alamos area since 1983. LACDC serves as the umbrella organization for the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce, Los Alamos MainStreet, Discover Los Alamos, Los Alamos Small Business Center, projectY cowork Los Alamos, Los Alamos Research Park, and the New Mexico Lab-Embedded Entrepreneur Program (NM LEEP).