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On the Main Street Mavericks trip to Central Oregon, we started our first interview of the day with Emily Head of The Nest Design Studio. Located right in downtown Sisters, Oregon, Emily’s interior design studio is a one-place stop for designing a space as unique as you are. Initially helping design homes as a partnership with her husband’s construction company, Emily ventured out on her own after the housing market collapse left her thinking about the future.

This thriving community has seen a lot collectively — they recently weathered forest fires that threatened to destroy everything in its path, and many had to close shop to wait out the disaster. While the fire didn’t descend on downtown Ashland, some local cities north of Ashland were not so lucky.

POS: Deena uses Clover POS (check out our review) to run her retail shop and when she goes on the road. She loves her Clover system and admits that having a dedicated rep who is committed to your business helps when she runs into any hiccups.

And I think everyone has different temperaments. You have to be a risk taker if you’re a small business owner, and that’s not the case for everyone. I do take risks. This was the first time that a risk didn’t pay off. So, it was a great learning experience for me to realize that it doesn’t always go the way you want it to. But I do like having the power to make the decisions.

What POS do you use? “We switched to Shopify at the beginning of the year. That has been actually a a blessing to us as we went through some challenges and major changes to the business that allowed me to quickly add and remove products and manage inventory pretty easily.”

To learn who the Main Street Mavericks are and what road trip we’re on, head on over to our Day One Main Street Mavericks Blog to learn all about us and our adventures around Oregon! We are on a mission to meet as many small businesses in Oregon as possible on a six-day road trip across Oregon. We’re coming to Corvallis from day two in Cannon Beach.

We bring about 30 percent of the operating budget in for the animal shelter. The rest comes from financial donations. We sell pretty much everything that you can imagine. If we can make a dollar on it, we will. We sell pet supplies, books, clothing, toys, games, little, small furniture, and a lot of kitchenware and accessories. You name it, we sell it.

Valley Rock Gym is located in downtown Corvallis. This new addition to the city was born from passion and necessity —  and in the short time since it has opened its doors has found itself already an essential part of the community.

The store’s aesthetic is overpowered with cuteness and kitch; there’s something for everyone — especially if they need to go to the bathroom. One Google review says, “Make sure you visit the bathroom before you leave.” And we concur: Every vegan coffeeshop needs a wrestling and jungle-themed restroom to empower and uplift you.

Our first stop on day three of Main Street Mavericks took us to Corvallis and the Common Fields Food Truck Pod. Owned by Jacob Oliver, the space is located at 545 SW 3rd St and encompasses four restaurants with local beers and board games, too.