My mission is to help them understand that we are bookmarkable. I get it. You get a point of sale system. You don’t need another product or service for six months, but then you end up running into a situation where you might need a loan or a lender. We’re here for that. We have that. We have the information that you need for that.

Merchant Maverick is dedicated to helping small businesses grow and make smart decisions when choosing business software, but to do our job effectively, we had to hear from real business owners who are out there daily, making their dreams work.

Vector Volcano is still Bend’s only classic arcade — and each game is picked and rotated with care. Come meet Pulliam and learn more about this thriving small business. 

With delicious cupcakes with a unique twist, if you are in Bend, a stop at the cupcake cafe is a must. Come meet Autumn and learn more about Ida’s Cupcakes!

Tomi Mart — Bend’s first Asian market, owned by Natasha Dempsey and Jessi Scott — is a feast for the eyes and taste buds. Stocked with treats, snacks, traditional favorites, and a ramen wall, the marketplace is a love letter to Asian culture and community (which are two important aspects of Dempsey and Scott’s business plan).

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.”