One way that Myrna Sislen creates community involvement and support is by holding music recitals. She schedules them after hours, allowing her to use the center of her store for the recital. And this year, for the first time, she videotaped each event and gave every student a copy of the DVD. This took an initial outlay of cash to purchase a camcorder, video-editing
software and a computer tower that made seven copies at a time. Myrna then designed the DVD labels with her store logo and address on each disc.

“This investment has come back to me tenfold in the goodwill we created among our 300-plus students and their families,” she says. “Could I have charged for the DVDs? Sure, but I got back way more by giving one to each family.”

So far, the response has been overwhelming, as people were more likely to frequent her store during the holidays instead of going elsewhere, as well as telling their friends and neighbors about the great things going on at her store. “Edith Head, one of Hollywood’s greatest Oscar-winning costume designers, once said, ‘If you want to make a million, you’ve got to look like a million,’” says Myrna. “In our business, if you want to make a million, you’ve got to look like you’re giving a million. I had 10 recitals in December alone.”