Small businesses make of 99% of the businesses in the U.S. yet they influence less than half of the economy.

where our name comes from

pronounced key•ma•tan, it’s a combination of the English and Greek words for community.

Founded in early 2020, Coimatan is a think tank for local retail based in the Midwest. Our mission is to redefine the relationship between small businesses and the community, while strengthening main streets.

captured by ______edouard_ on a 1970s polaroid in St. Paul

Vasiliki Papanikolopoulos

Founder & Creative Director

welcome

Shops and restaurants have captivated me as the diverse and critical threads in a community’s tapestry of an identity. While living in Philly and witnessing a changing main street on my commute everyday, I realized just how important independent retail is.

Back in the Twin Cities, when brick-and-mortar shops shut down at the onset of the pandemic, I envisioned a forum where small businesses could use their collective power for good. That was how Coimatan came to be.

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