Small businesses make this city thrive. So what happens if the normal business model must get tossed out the window when a pandemic comes to town? Many of our PHG community members are small business owners, so we chatted with three who’ve had to think outside of the box while creating their “new normal”.
Myrtle and Magnolia
Myrtle and Magnolia is all about flowers, decor, and gardens! As you can imagine flowers and spring weddings go hand in hand. “We were booked for a bunch of spring 2020 weddings that all had to postpone, while some canceled altogether” owner Krissy de Groot shared. ”In addition, we had a number of restaurants and hotels that we work with also close abruptly. In a span of 3 days, we lost thousands of dollars in scheduled work and were at a complete standstill.”
With abundant time on her hands due to the shutdown, Krissy revisited ideas that she had been throwing around in the off-season. One of which was offering DIY planter trays. Krissy realized that although Myrtle & Magnolia created a good amount of plant and container plantings for Holiday Boxes, her clients enjoyed getting their hands dirty and creating their spring boxes themselves. “As a Certified Floral Designer, I thought that the idea of curating a designed tray of flowers might appeal to clients that love to plant but don't know where to start.”
The idea was a hit and the results from this and other out-of-the-box thinking have generated growth in the past two months. Krissy’s entire staff has been able to come back to work, safely. Her delivery drivers are getting more hours, and her assistant designer has been able to assist again; although they initially thought she might not be able to come back for the rest of the year. Myrtle and Magnolia strives to use locally sourced plants, so they have been looking to local vendors to purchase from. Everyone was able to move the product and keep their staff employed as a result.
Although Krissy is not rushing to change her business model she does see how these past few months have influenced her direction, “I am hoping that opening up this new side of the business will create a more direct approach to opening a shop in the future”.
One thing is clear to Krissy through this experience, “I’ve lived in South Philly for almost 15 years and have really invested in my neighborhood and community. I feel that the support behind small, women-owned businesses is so strong and is really pushing me towards bigger and better opportunities. I chose to move my business to Fishtown last year when an opportunity for a shared space opened up and I just fell in love with that neighborhood too. Support from both areas has been incredible and these neighbors are telling their friends in GradHo, Point Breeze, Pennsport, Center City, etc. about me, and I am starting to expand. The city of Brotherly Love is really living up to its name; Especially in this difficult time when supporting our neighbors and small businesses has never been so important.” Hmmm…where will that shop eventually be located? It’s a tough call but Krissy knows wherever she lands this city will support her.
Keystone Bicycle Co.
Keystone Bicycle Co. is a worker-owned cooperative whose goal is to make cycling more accessible to the community. They were busy gearing up to open their new shop and retail space at 1800 North American Street for mid-April 2020. The build-out came to a halt with the 5 member co-op wondering how this was going to affect their opening goal.
Fortunately, in late March Governor Wolf allowed bike shops in PA to open, and the crew jumped back into refining their space. Woody, head of community outreach at KBC shared, “We are slowly starting to take in repairs and now have bikes and accessories in stock for sale.”
Traditionally a bike shop would rely on foot traffic and in-person consultations. “We have had to shift our focus,” reflects Woody. “We are fortunate to have a spacious shop, so our 2-3 staffers that are in at a time can stay distanced. We are all wearing masks, washing our hands often, and wiping down shared surfaces and tools regularly. No customers are allowed in our shop, instead, we do outdoor bicycle drop-offs in the parking lot and then disinfect bikes and do consultations/send quotes via email or phone. We are also getting our online store set up so customers can browse our inventory online. Our biggest priority is keeping ourselves as workers and our customers safe, so we are following CDC guidelines and doing our best to adapt.”
Over these past few months, the bike industry has boomed as people are looking for alternatives to public transit and for ways to exercise and enjoy the outdoors while still being socially distant. According to Woody, “Bicycle supply chains can't keep up with demand so we are having a hard time getting bikes in the shop to sell. This is an unexpected difficulty, but we are definitely happy to see more people on bikes. I think this is a time that we might see a lot of proposed changes for infrastructure as more people are using our outdoor city space for walking and cycling, which is really exciting.”
While things aren’t what they completely expected, they are still thrilled to be part of the Kensington community. As Woody sums up, ”We're going to keep fixing bikes and selling bikes and plan to do that in the safest way we can for the foreseeable future.”
Leave Philly Alone
Leave Philly Alone is an initiative that provides a simple way for clients, friends, and customers to directly support their favorite local small businesses during the wake of the Covid-19 shutdown, from the safety of their home. When you purchase a shirt online or through Instagram, it allows you to choose a specific participating business or organization and $10 automatically gets donated to them. You get a shirt, they get money towards whatever expenses they may have.
Who all is responsible for this slogan that is packed with the Philly attitude we know and love? True Hand Design launched this campaign in 4 days with a little help from some friends. Mike Ski, owner and designer of True Hand Society was chatting with an old bandmate who had developed the online tools and logistics to support a project like this. Mike notes, “The slogan just came like a sneeze. We fast-tracked the design, accompanying graphics, webstore, Instagram, and were able to create the initial launch quickly. There has been a sense of urgency that has driven this initiative from the beginning where we recognize that small businesses, families, individuals affected by the shutdown need money RIGHT NOW. They don’t have time to wait for a grant, loan, stimulus check, or tax break in 2021.”
Over the last 5 weeks since they have launched, supporters have helped raise nearly $50,000 in donations. Mike remarks, “The response has been amazing and overwhelming. One of our local favorites used their contribution of nearly $1,500 to make meals to donate directly to families in need.”
He continues that an important part of the initiative was to include other organizations that could make a direct impact on the community beyond Philly’s small businesses. Philabundance, Manna Nourishes, Women Against Abuse, and Philadelphia Black Giving Circle, are organizations you can donate to via the Leave Philly Alone campaign. These organizations are able to see the direct result of immediate community support and translate it into action.
The hope is that Leave Philly Alone will remain as a mission-driven arm of True Hand. They will be keeping an open mind for how it can best continue to be effective in an urgent way. Mike adds, “One idea is to create neighborhood-specific campaigns that can provide relief and continue to build partnerships and strengthen the overall community in this awesome city. Another idea includes preservation campaigns of historic and interesting buildings that are disappearing to new construction.”
As we aren’t at the end of the road with this journey, Mike urges all to keep up the support, it is making an impact citywide on the businesses and services that we love and are proud of in our city.
Keeping On
This is only a small slice of the tremendous force that small businesses generate in Philly. We are proud that the Philly Home Girls team is part of this strong community and amazing city. We will continue together to see how we can support those around us. To echo Krissy from Myrtle and Magnolia…right on City of Brotherly Love, right on.
With its current moniker of Philadelphia’s “Little Italy”, Bella Vista prides itself on celebrating the best of Italian history and culture. In recent years, the neighborhood has become even more diverse, with growing Vietnamese and Mexican immigrant populations. The history of Bella Vista is vast, and one of the neighborhood’s modern highlights is the availability of different cuisine options.