CITY HONORS BUCHANAN FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS

BY KATE GASSMAN
BCR EDITOR

Last week, the Buchanan City Commissioners issued a special proclamation in recognition of the city’s female business owners. March is Women’s History Month, and approximately 410 businesses in Berrien County are female-owned. 30 of those are in the city of Buchanan, including 13 who lease space in Building 324, the old Clark administration building.
Mayor Mark Wheedon and his wife Heather presented certificates to those in attendance, promising to distribute in person the remaining certificates. Among those honored that night were Molly Thornton (Union Coffee House), Annie Tuite (River St. Joe, Thistledown and Row), Kacy Risner (Blue Paw Pet Spa), Haley Jones (The Collective Home Group, Chunk’s Ice Cream), and Julie Capron (The Collective Home Group), among others.
Another included in the proclamation was Victoria Kreiter, owner of VK Melodies. Despite her own mother’s music lessons as a child, Kreiter was also heavily criticized by a high school teacher who discouraged her from pursuing the career. She eventually finished top of her music class and went on to be a performer.
“I think back to that experience in high school, and I want kids to grow and love music,” Kreiter said. After the pandemic, she found a tiny space in Building 324 to open a music school, which expanded from 2 students to 15 in one season, and then into a larger space in the same building. When they enter her studio, Kreiter wants her students to feel safe and loved. “I think that’s why I’ve been so successful,” she went on.
Of the approximately 3500 businesses in Berrien County, only about 12% of them are owned by women. That percentage is only 7% in the City of Buchanan. While many career tracks are making strides to even out those statistics (like the legal field), there is still progress to be made.
During the commission meeting, Mayor Wheedon encouraged the women present, and all city residents and business owners interested in serving, to apply to be part of the upcoming re-formation of the Downtown Development Authority. The city needs more female leaders, and City Clerk Kalla Langston-Weiss said the application is on the city website, as well as available in person at City Hall.
The DDA was previously disbanded in 2020 after poor management.