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Shop BenGil revealed to local business owners

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TJ Allan, co-founder of Shop BenGil, explains to business owners it is all about convenience.

Shop BenGil is the first online e-commerce site in Macoupin County that will benefit the shop local initiative as well as support the community. The site, which has been under creation for the last 16 months, is in the final stages before launch and about 80% complete. Launching is planned for early February in 2012, but the site was revealed to local business owners on Thursday evening at Ageless Fitness Center.

Local business owners and potential business owners were invited to witness the revealing of the first ever e-commerce ‘mall’ site in Macoupin County as Shop BenGil is going to be working with these local business owners in the last 2 building months to get their virtual store front available on the site.

E-commerce is an important component to business development, therefore Shop BenGil and Macoupin Economic Development Partnership will be teaming up to aid merchants in this essential on-line transition. MEDP will be expanding its business service offerings in 2012; e-commerce, business marketing, development and access to capital will all play key components.

“Every small business needs to take advantage of this opportunity to reach a larger customer base and increase sales,” Executive Director Shari Albrecht opened. “Successful small businesses adapt to their customer needs; virtual storefronts are that need.”

TJ Allan, co-founder, explained that a web presence is so crucial to the vitality of a small business these days and his main initiative was to create a venue that would be user friendly, easy to operate and increase sales of merchants in the community.

“I think many of our businesses are missing sales because we are only open 8am-5pm which is the regular work shift,” Allan explained, “Therefore we are missing the people that are at work with all the money.” The web presence will be the middle-man in this equation and will allow customers the convenience to shop local establishments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

The solution to bring customers back to shopping local is convenience and according to Allan, we think we have the solution. Shop BenGil is going to be no different than a shopping mall and essentially, that is all it is. All of the stores will be posted on one site and consumers will be able to purchase products from any local store with just a few clicks.

One debit card or credit card transaction can get you a toy from Torpani’s or a decoration from Sullivan’s and even a walker from Michelle’s to a cheesecake from CP’s Five & Dine. “Everyone recognizes the shop local drive, but for some odd reason most of us are not shopping local,” Allan went on to say, “I really think it comes down to convenience and this is the perfect time to get our stores on the internet and selling online through an e-commerce channel.”

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An e-commerce site compared to a brick and mortar store will hopefully expand the selection and lower expenses. As long as business owners get their products online, customers can shop their products at any time of the day or year. Business owners will now be able to offer more products online since they will be able to tell what products are popular and not.

Business owners watch as TJ Allan reveals the site to them first hand.

They can consider bringing the popular items into their store and not bringing the unpopular items in, but yet still offer them to their customers because they can order them at any time so the business does not have to tie their money up into inventory.

All the costs associated with a brick and mortar store will not be associated with an e-commerce site. A warehouse full of products is replaced with data on an e-commerce site and this is why internet businesses can make much more money.

“We are not trying to change your business model,” Allan noted, “Brick and mortar stores are essential to downtown Gillespie, but we believe in a hybrid type of business which will combine a brick and mortar store with an e-commerce site and we think this site will be the solution.”

Local business owners will have so much data through the Shop BenGil site that they will not know what to do with all of it. The data will make the business so much more efficient when it comes to marketing and even the day to day operations. Business owners will be able to see what customers are choosing to buy and what they are not and offer to ship the purchased items out or have them available for pickup.

People shop local because they trust the business owners and the relationship is based on trust. The BenGil area is the pilot segment of this e-commerce platform. Eventually this model will incorporate other communities and additional facets creating a new hybid business model.

Business owners will be able to manage their own products as well as all pictures and/or videos. Shop BenGil will take 5% off each product ordered and use that small amount of money to pay their merchant accounts. Anything rest will be pulled together and used for advertising to advertise the site which will stair step down to advertising for all the businesses featured on the site.

TJ Allan displays what Shop BenGil will look like and how easy it will be to make purchases off the site.

“I applaud any business that is uptown right now,” TJ Allan closed, “I know for a fact Ageless would have been out of business in 6 months if we would have stayed up town on Main Street.” Allan went on to say he realizes the cost that brick and mortar stores have and Shop BenGil will hopefully relieve some of that. If a business can build their foot traffic online, hopefully they can eventually move into a store front in downtown Gillespie.

All the sales tax generated through the Shop BenGil will go back into the community and this is just another way that it will be beneficial to everyone.

“This is really a good example of a public/private partnership,” Executive Director of MEDP Shari Albrecht closed, “MEDP is very proud to work with Shop BenGil. This approach to business development is ground-breaking and we are very excited to bring this to local business owners.”

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CUSD 7 News

Miners girls basketball clinch SCC championship

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In a nail-biting showdown that will be remembered for years to come, the Gillespie Miners girls basketball team captured the South Central Conference title with a hard-fought 55-52 victory over the Pana Panthers on Thursday night, February 13. This marks Gillespie’s first conference championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001-02, when they shared the honors with Southwestern both finishing with a 9-1 conference record.

The game held at Pana High School was anything but straightforward. After a tumultuous 13-minute delay due to injuries and a technical foul controversy, the Miners rallied their spirits to secure the win. Amari Vickery led the charge with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, while Mia Brawner added 11, Maggie Heyen contributed 10, Delaney Taylor posted 5, Sadie Sholtis scored 4, and Lainey Edwards and Corrine Fellin each had 2 points.

From the opening tip, it was clear that Pana was not going to roll over easily. The Panthers held leads at the end of the first two quarters, 15-14 and 28-26, showcasing their tenacity. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Pana had edged ahead 44-42, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

However, the game took a chaotic turn in the fourth quarter when a collision between Vickery and teammate Sloane Brawner resulted in both players going down with injuries. Sloane was not able to return the game but Vickery did. The Miners also lost both Delaney Taylor and Sadie Sholtis to fouls and Gillespie was assessed a technical foul under controversial circumstances which tied the game at 49. But Heyen carried the weight through the fourth quarter recording 6 of her 10 points in the final quarter of play.

Despite the setbacks, the Miners displayed remarkable teamwork resilience under the leadership of Nikki and Matt Brawner. With the SCC championship secured and the regular season concluded with a 22-8 overall record and 9-0 conference record, the Miners now shift their focus to the upcoming regional which is being hosted in Gillespie.

Gillespie hosts Alton Marquette on Monday, Feb. 17 for the regional semi-finals after Alton Marquette knocked East-Alton Wood River, 36-29, to face the Miners. The winner advances to the regional championship that will be played on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Gillespie versus the winner of Staunton/Roxana.

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Community News

Macoupin County residential fire claims multiple victims on Saturday

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Tragedy struck in the early hours of Saturday morning in Macoupin County as a residential structure fire broke out in the 200 block of West Dean Street, Virden, resulting in the death of a male victim, the Macoupin County Coroner Anthony Kravanya announced.

The individual was pronounced deceased at 10:06 AM but the identity of the deceased has not yet been released, as authorities await the results of an autopsy scheduled for Monday, February 17, 2025. The coroner’s office indicated that a press release will be issued following the autopsy and the positive identification of the victim.

WAND reported a second victim died after being transported to Springfield Memorial Hospital according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon who confirmed a 13-year-old boy and a 34-year-old male were the victims.

The fire reportedly started around 9:30 a.m. and the home was fully engulfed when first responders arrived. Two people were reportedly rescued and life flight was requested but were not available due to the foggy weather conditions. 

An investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway, involving multiple agencies including the Macoupin County Coroner’s Office, the Virden Police Department, the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department, and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

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Missions group to host trivia fundraiser on March 30

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Come and join us for an exciting afternoon of trivia as we support our local 2:18 Missions! Mark your calendars for Sunday, March 30 from 2 to 5 PM for an event that promises fun, camaraderie, and a chance to make a difference in our community. The event will be held at DeStefane Community Center in Benld, 201 East Central Avenue.

Teams of up to 10 people can participate for just $100 per table. Whether you want to reserve your table in advance or simply show up on the day of the event to pay at the door, we welcome all trivia enthusiasts to join in the competition!

Feel free to bring your own snacks and drinks to enjoy during the game—just please remember, no alcohol is allowed. For your convenience, we will have bottles of water available for purchase.

The stakes are high, and the competition is fierce! The first-place team will take home a prize of $150. Plus, bring some dollar bills to participate in “Heads and Tails” games during breaks and to buy mulligans for your team.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to support a great cause while enjoying a lively trivia challenge. To reserve your table or for more information, contact Kristin at 217-691-7469.

Let’s make this a memorable event for our community and the 2:18 Missions!

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