Want your business to be loved? Follow the lead of this scrappy Portland, Oregon retailer

INC. THIS MORNING Want your business to be loved? Follow the lead of this scrappy Portland, Oregon retailer Good morning, If Amazon is “the everything store,” Hippo Hardware & Trading Company is “the everything else store.” Want to replace your doorbell with a Victorian model that works with a crank or stop your sink with a 100-year-old industrial drain basket or light your room with iron sconces pulled from a Pullman sleeping car? Hippo Hardware is the home décor partner for you. The Portland, Oregon-based business comprises 30,000 square feet of lighting, plumbing, hardware, and architectural elements dating from 1860 to 1960. Much of the inventory was salvaged from the city's homes and its most respectable--and disreputable--public buildings. The sheer range of inventory is part of the allure. The other part is all personality: Since launching Hippo Hardware in 1976, co-founders Steven Miller and Stephen Oppenheim have long been known for their cheeky senses of humor. They’ve pranked their neighbors. They scattered 3,000-plus hippo figurines throughout their store. At one point, the company got into salvage work, stripping potentially valuable trimmings from homes slated for demolition. Miller and Oppenheim recruited the homeless and veterans to do the work, and dressed them in clown suits. "We wanted people to notice us," Miller tells Inc.. "You remember it if you look out a window and see your neighbor's house being torn apart by 10 people in clown suits." It worked. Check out our story to [learn how this local salvage shop developed an incredibly close-knit relationship with its customers]( and how that’s buoyed the company through both good times and bad. JOIN US: Join Inc. and Hello Alice today for a conversation about customer outreach in a joint Hispanic Small Business Town Hall. In this second of three sessions, you'll learn about creative ways to find new customers, retain existing customers, and pivot your business successfully. To submit your questions prior to the event, email them to alice@helloalice.com with the subject line: September 25th Hispanic Town Hall. Questions in English and Spanish are welcome. - Friday, September 25, 2020, 2:00 pm Eastern Time - [Reserve your free spot.]( HERE'S WHAT ELSE I'M READING TODAY: Facebook has new advertising rules for the week before Election Day. Use [these four tips]( to avoid running afoul of them. --Inc. LinkedIn is rolling out two new features: “stories” and video meetings. [Here’s how]( you should use them. --Inc. [Google’s newest work benefit]( matching up to $2,500 in employee student-loan repayments per year. --CNET Small businesses hoping for full Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness are facing some [unexpected hurdles](. --Washington Business Journal (subscription required) Rackspace Managed Hosting co-founder Graham Weston is reportedly backing a [$2.5 million nonprofit lab]( to test students for Covid-19. --Inc. Golfer Bryson DeChambeau, who won the 2020 U.S. Open on Sunday, has an incredible work ethic. [Learn from his example](. --Inc. --Cameron Albert-Deitch Reporter, Inc. How are we doing? Send me ideas and feedback for Inc. This Morning at [calbertdeitch@inc.com](mailto:calbertdeitch@inc.com?subject=) or on [Twitter](. [Click here]( to forward to a friend. This email was sent by: Mansueto Ventures 7 World Trade Center, 29th Floor New York, NY, 10007, [Unsubscribe]( • [Update Profile]( • [View in Browser]( • [Privacy Policy](