03/12/2026
Signed, sealed, delivered, filed. It’s DONE!
If you’ve noticed me a little MIA from extra socializing lately, it’s because we’ve been quietly building something really special behind the scenes. The idea came from a concept I discovered in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee that checked every single box for all of the 💡 that constantly float around in this head of mine.
Since I bought my building, one thing has always been non-negotiable for me. Stratford Real Estate needed a designated place for kids to play because it was exactly what I needed when I was a young agent with children.
The original plan was predictable. Keep the real estate office as the street-facing business and put the kids’ play area in the back.
Then I walked into the Downtown Children’s Museum in Lawrenceburg and saw something incredible. The museum features real businesses as junior versions of themselves as the kids’ play area, giving those businesses brand exposure while encouraging imaginative play. It was one of the most genius marketing collaborations I have ever seen.
And when I discovered it was a nonprofit, it was like 1,000 lightbulbs went off at the same time. Literally every single box I had been trying to check suddenly lined up, and that was the final one. I knew in that moment it could become something so much bigger, and this would be the catalyst.
So instead of hiding the kids in the back of our building, we’re flipping the whole concept. The play space will live in the front where it can be shared with the public, creating a little junior town for imaginative play while our real estate office operates behind the scenes.
When our agents come to the office, they can log onto the Wi-Fi, open their laptops, and work while watching their kids laugh, explore, and play. Their friends can come, too. And now that I’m a Dee, I would love for my grandkids to grow up with a reason to want to come to work with me.
The truth is, some of the best ideas happen when you’re surrounded by people who inspire each other and innovative minds you get to learn from every day. A lot of those ideas just need a place to incubate.
That’s where The Incubator Foundation nonprofit begins.
Our Little Town will be the flagship project, where imagination, entrepreneurship, and community come together in a way that hasn’t been done here.
The Incubator is brand new. Our Little Town technically doesn’t exist yet. You can’t come see it…yet.
But if you follow along, you’ll get to watch it grow from the ground up with us. And that might just be the best part.
If you’re a small business that would like to be featured as a “junior” storefront in Our Little Town, I’d love to tell you more.
❤️, Shandi
