Dani Lonkey
- Dec 8, 2023
- 3 min read

Mainstreet Soul

About The Owner

Meet Jim Wilpula, the owner of his small business called Mainstreet Soul. Jim Wilpula is a native of Ashtabula, Ohio and now lives in Metro Detroit. He graduatedfrom Youngstown State University, Youngstown, Ohio, where he majored in Jazz Studies/MusicEducation. In college, he played with several professional groups. Jim's job history includes I being a band director, elementary music teacher, working in accounts payable at an IT firm, a music store, and now he is living his dream by being a full time muscian. Jim is happily married to his wife Carrie. She is a huge supporter of his small business and plays a big role in keeping Jim's dream alive. Together they are proud fur parents to two dogs. In Jim's time away from his small business her enjoys cooking, particularly BBQ, and he is now getting in to video and photography to help promote his business Mainstreet Soul. He hopes with these new skills he is learning that it will help grow his business even more.

History Of The Business

Jim started his business 14 years ago.

Shortly after he moved to Metro Detroit in 2006, he decided that he needed more music in his life than what he was doing. Finally in 2007 he quietly started writing arrangements and looking for musicians that would fit the mold of the dream that

he had. It took a total of three long years of planning to fully create his vision, but finally on January 9, 2010 Mainstreet Soul played it’s first show at Wellington Pub in Troy.

The Dream Behind The Vision

Jim has a big background in music and always had a big love for the music industry. He always dreamed of owning his own business so that he could carry out his love for music. He wanted a career that he could somewhat control his own musically journey in Detroit and, in the process, create a band that was unmatched in its tight professional sound. It's safe to say he was able to make that come to life with his band MainStreet Soul.

Creating MainStreet Soul

The name MainStreet Soul came from how live music was so important in America just a few decades ago. Along many a street in the country, there would be multiple night clubs with live music seven nights a week lining up and down the street. There would be a rock bands in one club, and R&B band in the club next door, and so on. Jim imagined himself walking down those streets and hearing “the soul” of the city emanating from those clubs. He

wanted his band to capture as much of that spirit as possible, to be able to play

anything across multiple genres of music, and play this music at a high level. The name

of his band, Mainstreet Soul, was born from those thoughts.

About The Business

Mainstreet Soul is based in Metro Detroit with an office in Clinton Township. They offer Live music services for weddings and other private events, which includes ceremony, cocktail hour, and the reception at weddings. They can cover all ot your music needs for any big event and they will handle everything 100% so you can focus on enjoying your time at the event. Their most popular service is high energy music weddings and corporate events.

The Perks & Obstacles With Being A Business Owner

Jim's favorite thing about owning his business is seeing the expression on his audiences faces while him and his band are performing. He also loves getting feedback from his clients that book him for private events and hearing things like how much they enjoyed their music or even how great of an addtion the music was to their big day. The hardest thing for Jim with owning his business has been all the extra expsnese it really takes to be a buisnes owner. Previously they were once represented by an agency, but that relationship has now dissolved all promotions, insurance, etc is all at Jim's expense.

Future Plans For The Business

There’s been a lot of new changes recently with the dissolved relationship with their

agency. Mainstreet Soul's website is completely brand new and better than anything the agency had for them. Jim has also been learning how to use a mirrorless camera so that he can create content to promote the band’s public appearances and

improve their appeal to people looking for live entertainment for their wedding or corporate event. Jim's biggest goal for the business is to increase their bookings for weddings and private events.