The Bottom-Up Revolution is... an Entrepreneur Creating Opportunities for Fellow Entrepreneurs
Alexander Hagler shows off some products in the Center Street Wellness store
We’re excited to announce the kick-off of our new podcast: The Bottom-Up Revolution. This 30-minute show features stories from the Strong Towns movement in action and is hosted by our Program Director, Rachel Quednau. It's all about how regular people have stepped up to make their communities more economically resilient, and how others can implement these ideas in their own places. We’ll talk about taking concrete action steps, connecting with fellow advocates to build power, and surviving the bumps along the way—all in the pursuit of creating stronger towns.
In this week’s episode, we hear from Alexander Hagler, an entrepreneur and urban gardener based in Milwaukee, WI. Alex is one of those people who just exemplifies community building, local empowerment and can-do spirit.
Recognizing that his community in the Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods of Milwaukee was not well served by things like fresh food access and other resources for healthy living, he founded a store called Center Street Wellness, which sells products for mental and physical wellbeing, mostly from local makers. The shop gives him a chance to craft a business around something he cares deeply about, as well as a chance for local, small-scale entrepreneurs to sell their wares in a storefront—something most do not otherwise get to do.
Alex believes that anyone with a passion and dedication to something can turn it into a business, provided they put in the time and connect with others in their community who can partner with them for success. At Strong Towns, we know that by seeing a need in your neighborhood and stepping up to try and fill it, you can take the incremental steps to building prosperity from the bottom-up. There might be challenges along the way—as you’ll see in this conversation—but Alex proves that heart and authentic devotion to your community will enable persistence.
Make sure to stay tuned til the end of the episode, where we also feature a listener voicemail from a Strong Towns advocate sharing his short story of taking action.
Additional Show Notes
Send us your own voicemail about the small (or big) thing you’re doing to make your town stronger. Just record a voice memo on your phone and email it to rachel@strongtowns.org.
Subscribe to The Bottom-Up Revolution on iTunes, Google Podcasts, Podbean, or via RSS.
Support this show and our many other resources for helping your town grow stronger by becoming a member today.