Creative industries in Washtenaw County add hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy. In the weeks and months to come, host Deb Polich, the President and CEO of Creative Washtenaw, explores the myriad of contributors that make up the creative sector in Washtenaw County.
ABOUT MERRILL GUERRA:
Merrill Guerra, Owner, is an experienced entrepreneur with over 20 years as a business owner. As the Broker/Owner of Red Barn Realty LLC, she has been a professional marketer for sellers and an energetic and hard-working advocate for buyers with over 10 years’ experience as a Realtor®.
As Executive Director of the Michigan Venture Capital Association, she increased membership revenues by 50%, Annual Report sponsorship by 125% and implemented a complete overhaul of financial and accounting procedures resulting in better income/expense tracking. Prior to her role with the MVCA, she was the CEO and Founder of RealKidz, Inc., a start up company providing branded apparel for plus-size girls. While there she secured over $500,000 in capital investment, secured design and manufacturing resources, conceived and implemented unique processes to minimize product returns; and achieved a one-tenth of one-percent refund ratio by developing a right fit framework.
Merrill received a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. She was recognized by the National Association of Women Business Owners with the 2009 Pioneering Spirit Award, Zell Lurie as its MBA Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008, as well as the Michigan Business Review as a finalist for its 2009 Innovation Michigan Awards and StartUp Nation as one of the Top 200 Leading Moms in Business for 2009. As CEO and Founder of RealKidz, Inc., a start-up company providing branded apparel for plus-size girls located in Depot Town, she generated extensive press coverage in BusinessWeek, NewYorkTimes.com, Women Entrepreneur, The Detroit Free Press, Ann Arbor Business Review, and Crain's Detroit Business.
Merrill feels a strong commitment to her community. Before moving to Manchester in 2021, Merrill supported several local community and school organizations through volunteering, leadership, sponsorships, and advertising such as Ypsilanti Community High School, Lincoln School Athletics, Lincoln Little League, Lincoln High School Drama and Band, Relay for Life, and Community Music. She has served non-profit organizations throughout her career such as filling the role of President for the Depot Town Association Community Development Corporation, an organization promoting economic development in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She was the founder and first president of the Michigan chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers, the founder and coordinator of the Stanford in Michigan Women’s Group, and served as the President and Treasurer for Chapter BP of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, an organization with national and regional projects supporting women’s education.
Since moving to Manchester, she has become an active volunteer with the Manchester Area Historical Society, Manchester Area Garden Club, and member of the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Development Authority.
RESOURCES:
Dragonfly and Birch on Facebook
Dragonfly and Birch on Instagram
TRANSCRIPTION:
Deb Polich: Welcome to 89 one WEMU. This is creative:impact. And I'm Deb Polich, president and CEO of Creative Washtenaw and your host. Thanks for tuning in. You know, someone recently said to me, by nature, artists and creatives are entrepreneurs. They have to be. The implication being that there is not a prescribed path for a new idea or a new product that hasn't yet been created. I'd actually add that creatives are serial entrepreneurs. I think our guest, Merrill Guerra, would be honored to be described as a serial entrepreneur. In fact, I think I heard a little chuckle there. Merrill, welcome to creative:impact.
Merrill Guerra: Thank you. Deb. Thank you so much.
Deb Polich: Serial entrepreneur, for sure. You know, and you've just recently started a new retail venture in Manchester. But before we get into that, I want to have our listeners learn a little bit more about you. You know, your bio is chock full of business achievements and accolades. You're armed with an MBA from the Ross School of Business, and, at one time, you led the Michigan Venture Capital Association. You founded an apparel company for kids and a llama farm, got your real estate brokers license, and opened Red Barn Realty right here in Washtenaw County. That list wouldn't necessarily scream "artists and creative." But if I recall, music and singing was and continues to be a passion of yours. What comes first for you: creativity or the numbers and balance sheets of business?
Merrill Guerra: Oh, gosh. You know, I have to say, creativity. You know, the numbers and balance sheets of business are a necessity, but it's always been the creative spark that has moved me forward in all of these enterprises and most often tied in with meeting an unmet need, wherever I happen to stumble in the marketplace.
Deb Polich: Which has been primarily in Washtenaw County in these later years--Red Barn Realty, the company that the real estate company that you run, I'm wondering. You were living in Ypsilanti, and now you live in Manchester. Did the real estate company have anything to do with you finding that place in Manchester?
Merrill Guerra: Tangentially. Mainly, so we moved to Ypsi in 2000 and raised our kids there and had an amazing time there, founded multiple businesses there. But very dear friends of mine who, one of whom happens to be one of my agents, Jamie Schmidt, had moved out to Manchester. And we've been visiting him out here for a couple of years. And Manchester is just the most charming town. The River Raisin runs right through it. It's got a historic mill right on the river, a historic main street with charming buildings. It is just a delight to visit. And, being in real estate and seeing where the market was and also seeing the value that we had in our current property, I felt like this was a pretty good time to move. And, gosh, I'm really glad we did it when we did it, because interest rates were still in the threes.
Deb Polich: Right. Right, right. Again, those numbers and balance sheets. You know, and so, you get to Manchester and you've caught the bug, or I should say, the "dragonfly" and are now starting a new venture. I want to try to get into your mind. Can you use this new venture to describe your process of getting an idea and then deciding to move forward on it?
Merrill Guerra: Yeah. So, what I would say Dragonfly and Birch came out of me discovering a new, basically, hobby. I discovered the joy of transfers on a trip to Alaska and stumbled into a shop that was selling products that she made buy them and the actual transfers. And I was like, "Now, this is something I could do," because I love creating, but I'm not, I don't call myself, an artist. Like, I can't paint and create in that way. But this was something that I could do with the skill sets that I had.
Deb Polich: What's a transfer? Help us out.
Merrill Guerra: So, a transfer is kind of like a sticker, but it's an image that is adhesive on one side, but it's when you put it on the material, it looks like it's painted on.
Deb Polich: Okay.
Merrill Guerra: And so, what I do with these is I find beautiful pieces of glass and different interesting things to apply them to. So, I upcycle the product and make it into a new work of art. And so then, I tried the whole, like, selling them at craft shows and things. But what the product that I was creating is a lot of glass. And, basically, it's a real pain. And also, there was fighting with weather. Weather and glass products don't mix. And I was like, "You know what? I would love to create a store." But obviously, the store is not going to be you can't make a whole store out of this stuff. And so, I'm like, "Well, I want to feature other artists and craftspeople." And we have so, so, so many of them here in Michigan. I mean, we have a ton of Washtenaw County, but my products are from around the state. And I'm like, "Why wouldn't I choose to feature them?" And I wanted the focus to be on nature and sustainability. And I've discovered, as I've moved through the process, that I've added fun to that, too.
Deb Polich: That's great. 89 one WEMU's creative:impact continues with Merrill Guerra, who owns Dragonfly and Burch, a retail shop in Manchester that sells the work of local and regional artists. So, there's two threads for this business that I want to touch on. One is the artist--we'll talk about that in a second--and then also the facility. You know, your business is housed in the legendary Black Sheep Tavern and the Black Sheep Repertory Theater. Many of us know that history. What's it like to be working in a facility that has such history?
Merrill Guerra: You know, it's a thrill and an honor. So, we're actually not quite there. We've opened a few doors down. I knew I wanted this space, but the prior occupant didn't actually leave until I just opened the store a few doors down. But the building owner was willing to work with me. And so, we're actually moving in there at the beginning of February. But we've been working on the space, and, most notably, refinishing the historic bar that sits in there. So, what I keep hearing from people when we talk about the bar is, "You know, I remember sitting at that bar and having drinks. I remember so-and-so would always sit at that bar." It just starts to bring up the history. And having that connection to the community is, again, is an honor and a thrill. Very exciting!
Deb Polich: Yeah, there's a lot there. And many of our artists and creatives can trace their history back to the Black Sheep Repertory Theater that dates back to the 70s and 80s. I'm curious. With your artists, first of all, how do you find them? Or do they find you? And then is this a consignment shop or are you wholesaling? How's it working?
Merrill Guerra: So, both and both on those answers. I have had several who have found me, and I have been looking for them as well--so, both avenues there. And then also, I can sign and I also buy wholesale. So, my consignors are mostly local. I have about 9% of my artists are from Manchester itself and then another smattering around the local region, like Adrian and Saline. I do have one artist from Detroit, another from Jackson, who consign with me. And I am very grateful for those relationships, because, obviously, that enables me to carry more product without having to output the money ahead of time.
Deb Polich: Sure.
Merrill Guerra: I appreciate that relationship so much.
Deb Polich: So, Merrill, do you have a projected date for when the new venue is going to open?
Merrill Guerra: Yes, we plan to be in there on Wednesday, February 7th, but March 9th we are planning a grand opening celebration.
Deb Polich: Oh, fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Well, I can't wait to come out and visit and, maybe eventually, sit down for a brew at that bar. And thanks for giving us a picture of what you're projecting here.
Merrill Guerra: Well, thank you so much for taking the time to interview me and hear about it. I'm excited to share and would love to see you there.
Deb Polich: Road trip! That's Merrill Guerra, the owner of Dragonfly and Birch, a retail shop soon to be in Manchester's historic Black Sheep Tavern featuring Michigan artists and craftspeople. Find out more at WEMU dot org. You've been listening to creative:impact. I'm Deb Polich, president and CEO of Creative Washtenaw and your host. Mat Hopson is our producer. Please join us every Tuesday to meet the people who make Washtenaw creative. This is 89 one WEMU Ypsilanti. Public radio from Eastern Michigan University.
If you'd like to a guest on creative:impact, email Deb Polich at deb.polich@creativewashtenaw.org.
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