West Virginia Retailers Association

The Organization

Founded in 1942 by merchants committed to protecting and advancing the retail industry, the West Virginia Retailers Association (WVRA) has grown to become the retail industry’s major statewide trade association. The WVRA provides focused advocacy and education to retailers of all types and sizes statewide. The association supports its membership through effective representation, consistent communication, and regulatory monitoring by providing a unified retail voice.

The Website Beginnings

Bricks Without Straw developed the WVRA website from the ground up several years ago. “We’ve had a long relationship with Jamie,” says Bridget Lambert, WVRA President. “We reached out to him initially because we were aware that Jamie and his team had developed the websites for several trade associations, and we hired him because of this experience.”

Communicating primarily through phone calls and emails, Jamie developed a comprehensive website for the WVRA that features detailed information about the association membership and its affiliates; the benefits of membership; member testimonials, and membership application; an overview of advocacy efforts and accomplishments; and the latest press articles relating to West Virginia’s retail industry.

When asked about the impact of having all of this information made easily accessible on the website Jamie designed, Bridget remembers what it meant with a sense of relief and gratitude in her voice: “Jamie and his team gave us a web presence that the association didn’t previously have.”

The Impact of Covid

Jamie has been maintaining the WVRA website since he completed its development some years ago. Just before the onset of the Covid pandemic, Bridget tasked him with doing a complete website upgrade. “We really wanted him to give it a more modern look, which would also include some restructuring.”

The implementation of that upgrade would have to take an immediate back seat to the devastating impact that the Covid pandemic had on the retail industry. “Jamie was very responsive to our needs when they changed during Covid,” Bridget explains. “We had to shift away from the website upgrade, and instead, we asked Jamie to post executive orders that mandated how retailers were to operate during the pandemic. He posted that crucial information front and center on our website so that retailers had immediate access to the latest operation changes in West Virginia. Many of our member companies are headquartered all across the country in various time zones, so they needed this information in a very timely manner. Jamie’s response was up-to-the-minute.”

With the pandemic no longer demanding such drastic shifts in retail operations, the WVRA website upgrade will soon be completed; in the meantime, Jamie and his team continue to maintain the website.

The Overall Experience

Bridget emphasizes that retail is one of the largest employment industries in West Virginia, which requires a strong and responsive association to represent the industry’s needs. Retailers rely on the WVRA to provide current information, breaking news, and focused advocacy on their behalf. The WVRA website accomplishes this by linking members directly to essential information, beneficial resources, and timely updates. Bridget sums up the WVRA’s experience developing and maintaining an online presence: “The work that Jamie’s done has been critical in keeping our members updated and well-prepared to carry out their business in West Virginia.”

Bricks Without Straw is a digital agency and design agency based in South Charleston, WV United States and Ota, Tokyo, Japan.

We offer a range of web design services including: web development, e-commerce services and email marketing. We also offer a range of graphic design services including logo design and exhibition stands.

We love working with clients of all sizes in a range of industry sectors, creating and implementing inspiring and hard working concepts and campaigns for business-business and business-consumer clients.

Valicia Leary

Bricks Without Straw has continued to exceed our expectations with their design work, support and attention to detail. We would highly recommend their services. They have a wonderful team and we enjoy our working relationship with them.

Carol Fulks

Bricks Without Straw has continued to exceed our expectations with their design work, support and attention to detail. We would highly recommend their services. They have a wonderful team and we enjoy our working relationship with them.

Patti Hamliton

Bricks Without Straw is bringing our association into the 21st Century! He brings us ideas and innovation for our web site and other tools of technology that help us enhance our image and our message.

Rebecca McPhail

Bricks Without Straw has continued to exceed our expectations with their design work, support and attention to detail. We would highly recommend their services. They have a wonderful team and we enjoy our working relationship with them.

Bill Raney

Jamie is one of the most committed and energetic professionals we have ever worked with over the years. He seems to work all the time with full 24-7 accessibility and immediate response. Bricks Without Straw has raised our collective confidence for maximizing opportunities in today’s world. We simply could not have done it without them.

Jan Vineyard

The demands and responsibilities to our members mandate that the online presence of our associations and our internet capabilities are reliable and seamless. Add creativity to that mix and one gets the complete package with Jamie Summers-Brown and his staff at Bricks without Straw.