Mercer Island businesses are resilient, adventurous and creative.

Those are just a few descriptions gleaned from spotlights on locals who are featured on the website for MInext, a new marketing and outreach campaign. Launched on Nov. 9 by the city and chamber of commerce, the campaign invites residents to “Come discover something new” while supporting Island businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The goal is to reconnect and strengthen connections between local businesses and Mercer Island residents, providing ways for Islanders to get to know the people behind their local businesses,” Sarah Bluvas, the city’s emergency small business liaison, told the Reporter last month.

Funded by the Port of Seattle Economic Development Partnership grant program and the King County Coronavirus Relief Fund Economic Development for Cities program, the campaign will extend into early 2021, according to the site and a city press release. Along with perusing the business features on the site, residents can play MInGO, the MInext take on Bingo, and win prizes while bolstering the business community.

Local consultants Laurent Bourscheidt (of L+B Design) and Suzanne Zahr (of Suzanne Zahr, Inc.) are a vital part of the MInext crew as creative directors and strategists.

“Over the past few months, small businesses have been forced to adapt and sometimes rethink their entire plans. We thought bringing forward the human aspect, giving the owners ‘behind the masks’ a way to tell their stories, was key to re-engaging the community,” said Bourscheidt and Zahr in the press release.

On the MInext site, Ginny and Jim Clarke, gallery director and owners of Clarke + Clarke Art and Artifacts, describe their business as “Creating a life of adventure and discovery through a passion for art and humanity.”

Barbara Hovsepian, owner/operator of Au Courant | Of the Moment and The Den, said she had to push the reset button when COVID hit. When she reopened the salon’s doors, she likened the experience to starting a new business alongside the mandates, restrictions and protocols.

“Finding new ways to stay connected with my team was fun and rewarding, thinking out of the box to manage the new normal is now a part of daily life,” she said.

Over at S.R. Schill and Associates financial planners and advisors, Stan Schill (principal, president and CFO) and Stacy Schill (vice president, client relations and marketing) have maintained a solid base on the Island for the last 33 years. They’re present for their clients and the community.

“We’re still here; even when challenges arise, we always figure out ways to overcome them. We are proud to be a Mercer Island business, and we are proud that we have been able to find a sense of stability during these uncertain times,” the Schills said.

On his Island experience, Julien Hervet, owner of the L’Experience Paris—Cepae restaurant, said he appreciates the variety of small businesses that bring diversity and flair to the downtown core.

“It is not an open-air mall full of franchises, it is a small business community that has the potential to thrive,” he said.

For information, visit www.mercerislandnext.com.