When two Iola business owners packed their bags for Colorado earlier this month, they weren’t just chasing business tips — they were searching for inspiration. For April Kroenke and Angie Rourk, the weeklong Destination BootCamp in Longmont offered a blueprint for transforming Iola into a tourist destination.
Destination BootCamp is a two-and-a-half day business improvement workshop led by marketing consultant Jon Schallert. The program draws entrepreneurs from across North America, all eager to learn how to turn their businesses into “consumer destinations” that attract customers from well beyond their local markets.
“For us, it wasn’t just about how to sell more,” Kroenke said. “It was about how to create an experience people will travel for — something that makes Iola a destination.”
Schallert’s approach emphasizes helping small, independent businesses stand out against larger competitors like big-box retailers and online giants. By focusing on uniqueness and local identity, he argues, individual shops can have ripple effects that lift entire downtown economies.
According to Schallert, it is not uncommon for destination businesses to create change in an entire city by drawing consumers from miles around.
FOR KROENKE, the lessons hit home. As Iola’s only brick-and-mortar photography studio — and Kansas’s only Certified Master Photography studio — she’s already familiar with the importance of standing apart.
Her business, April Kroenke Photography, 201 South St., is in a restored 101-year-old building just off the square.
“I know my ideal client is here, but there are also so many people in surrounding counties who don’t have access to a studio like mine,” Kroenke said. “They’ll drive from Eudora, Fort Scott, even Memphis, because what we do here is more than just taking pictures — it’s telling their story.”
Kroenke said the BootCamp helped her see her business from a new perspective. Not just as a creative studio, but as part of a larger effort to drive people to Iola.
“One of the biggest takeaways for me was realizing how my business can help shape the town’s story,” she said. “Jon (Schallert) talked about how every destination business has a ‘wow’ factor, something that makes people want to tell others about it. I started thinking — what’s my ‘wow’? For me, it’s the experience I give clients, from the moment they walk in until they see their portraits for the first time.”
That reflection, she said, sparked new ideas for how to build stronger connections with other businesses downtown.
“I’m planning to collaborate more with local shops,” Kroenke said. “If a client comes in for a senior session, maybe we’ll partner with a boutique for wardrobe options or with a florist for photo props. The goal is to keep more of that energy — and those dollars — right here in Iola.”
She also said hearing stories from business owners across the country reminded her that small towns like Iola already have something special.
“So many of them were trying to recreate the sense of community we already have here,” Kroenke said. “That really struck me. We’re not behind; we just need to refine what we have and tell our story better.”
ROURK’S business also has found its home in another historic downtown building. She opened Clock Tower Mercantile in 2019, transforming what was once a flea market into a thoughtfully curated home décor and gift shop.
“I grew up here and remember the shops that made Iola special — places like The Idea Shop,” Rourk said. “When I named the Clock Tower Mercantile, I wanted it to reflect that sense of history and beauty and serve as inspiration through the years to come.”
