Mixed Methods formally opens in Hanover Square

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Mixed Methods — a retail shop with work from artists nationwide — held its formal opening on Tuesday.

It is located at 215 E Water St. in Hanover Square with its entrance on Erie Boulevard.

Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Onondaga Community College joined owner Amy Wilson for the Tuesday afternoon event.

Wilson, who is also an artist, told the gathering that Mixed Methods resulted from her “love of giving gifts and also being creative.”

The store carries a mix of items including pottery, jewelry, metal, glass, wood, stationery, and candles. Gift purchases include complimentary packaging with the artist’s information.

A CNYBJ reporter asked Wilson about the origin of the business name. She told the gathering she has a background in public health, and “mixed methods” is a type of research study, so the name is partly a “subtle nod” to be her background. But she also figured her store has a mix of pottery, jewelry, glass, and every artist has his or her own method of creativity.

Wilson has one part-time employee who works at the store, which is open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Owning your own small business is a tremendous undertaking … very rewarding personally … very tiring … but certainly, there’s no greater feeling that we have in the United States to be able to open and own your own small business and be your own boss,” Bernard J. Paprocki, director of the SBA Syracuse office, told Wilson during his remarks at the event.

Frank Cetera, advanced certified business advisor with the SBDC, said he worked with Wilson over the last year, calling her “organized” with the store layout and with her business paperwork.

Wilson said her work with the SBA and SBDC was “really helpful” and called them a “great resource.”

The SBDC at Onondaga Community College covers a six-county area and offers free counseling for people who want to open or grow a business, Joan Powers, director of the Onondaga SBDC, said in her remarks at the formal-opening ceremony.

The services include help in crafting a business plan, financial projections, marketing plans, and certification as a minority and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE).

The SBDC works with an average of 1,100 clients per year, Powers added.

Since 1984, the advisors of the Onondaga SBDC have worked directly with 23,121 clients, helping them to invest more than $212 million in the area’s economy, and create or save 11,410 jobs, per an SBDC news release about the Mixed Methods event.

The SBDC has satellite locations at the Tech Garden, Syracuse CoWorks, OCC at Liverpool, and in Cortland, Cayuga, Madison, and Seneca counties.

The SBDC is funded in part by the SBA, the organization noted.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com