BEYOND BIG BUSINESS. an examination of Philadelphia’s
industrious entrepreneurs Brought to you by The Merchants Fund and Grid
MEET THE MERCHANTS FUND
The Meaning of Merchant Foundation supports local trade by giving grants to small businesses by patricia blakely
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erchant,” once narrowly defined as a shopkeeper or a wholesaler, now includes pretty much anyone selling anything, including high-tech services. The Merchants Fund, which celebrates its 160th birthday on January 28, has similarly grown, changed and taken on new meaning.
Patricia Blakely Executive Director, The Merchants Fund
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When The Merchants Fund was chartered by Pennsylvania’s State Legislature in 1854 (the same week the City of Philadelphia was consolidated into the geographically defined area we know now), every neighborhood in Philadelphia had an avenue that thrived with local trade. The Merchants Fund’s mission was rooted in serving these local businesspeople, specifically to alleviate poverty in the merchant class. When I joined The Merchants Fund in 2007, I was asked to update the mission. I talked to government leaders, community partners, and pretty much anyone who would talk to me about small businesses and the support system in Philadelphia. What could we do to be assistive, additive and transformative, to propel us into the 21st century? The answer: provide small grants to small businesses in the City of Philadelphia. We opened our first grant offering in September of 2007, and have been hard at work ever since, touching every corner of the city and dispensing close to $2.5 million to more than 200 companies. In partnership with Grid, The Merchants Fund is honored to profile a handful of those
businesses in this insert. I gave the staff at Grid a list of grantees, along with the task of selecting the businesses to be included. While I would have been hard-pressed to leave out any of our businesses, I delighted in reading about these. By the time I was done, I longed for some ice cream (Little Baby’s and Zsa’s); decided I could stand to have a little body work done (Eviama); and that I needed to brighten my dull winter house with something living and breathing (Urban Jungle). My wide-eyed hope is that we—The Merchants Fund and the citizens of Philadelphia— will succeed in bringing back that local trade, one company at a time. Looking back at the vibrant, creative, independent local businesses we have supported over the last few years, I’d say we’re well on our way. “Buy local” is not just a catchphrase, but the power of each consumer to create jobs and local wealth, and revitalize neighborhoods. I challenge you to become more intentional in spending your consumer dollars with small business in Philadelphia and the region. Now, if you will excuse me, January 28 is fast approaching. I have to call the Night Kitchen to order a birthday cake.
p o rtrait by a lbert yee
MEET THE MERCHANTS FUND
Capital Ideas Even sole proprietors don’t need to go it alone
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wning and running your own business can be a great joy, but it also presents its share of challenges. Fortunately for local residents, there is a wealth of free and low-cost resources available to small businesses in the City of Philadelphia. Here are a few key websites to get your start-up started or keep your existing business thriving.
Enterprise Center
Provides access to capital, building capacity, business education and economic development opportunities to high-potential, minority entrepreneurs. The Enterprise Center seeks to better position minority enterprises to compete in the local, regional and global economies. theenterprisecenter.com
The Commerce Department of the City of Philadelphia
Sets and leads policies that help both small businesses and major corporations in Philadelphia thrive, including supporting programs that revitalize and strengthen neighborhood commercial areas and helping to back businesses and entrepreneurs starting a business in the city. phila.gov/commerce
Entrepreneur Works
Provides business development resources for small businesses, and focuses on growing businesses and jobs in our local communities. Their goal is to promote successful entrepreneurs in underserved areas of the Greater Philadelphia region who then become economic engines in their own neighborhoods. entrepreneurworks.org
Philadelphia Industrial Welcoming Center for Development Corporation (PIDC) New Pennsylvanians Founded by the City of Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce to promote economic development throughout the city. PIDC manages a diverse loan portfolio to attract investment, and create and retain jobs in the City of Philadelphia. pidc-pa.org
The Temple Small Business Development Center
Provides resources for immigrant-owned businesses. The Welcoming Center revitalizes struggling neighborhoods by helping small business owners on key commercial corridors. welcomingcenter.org
Wharton Small Business Development Center (WSBDC)
Provides free and low-cost services for small businesses and entrepreneurs supported by the Fox Business School at Temple University.
One of 18 small business development centers in Pennsylvania. The WSBDC provides free consulting services to entrepreneurs, as well as educational workshops for a nominal fee.
sbm.temple.edu/sbdc
whartonsbdc.wharton.upenn.edu
United States Small Business Development Center
Created as an independent agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, and to preserve free competitive enterprise. sba.gov
Women’s Opportunity Resource Center (WORC)
Provides training, individual business assistance, job placement, and access to business and financial resources for economically disadvantaged women and their families. worc-pa.com
Sustainable Business Network
Membership organization connects you to resources to build a just, green and thriving economy in the Philadelphia region. sbnphiladelphia.org
BEYOND BIG BUSINESS | 3
LITTLE BABY’S ICE CREAM / ZSA’S GOURMET ICE CREAM
Two Scoops Ice cream shops whip up tasty concoctions using local ingredients, but that’s where the similarities end by emily kovach
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hiladelphia’s ice-cream history just keeps getting richer. Already home to Bassett’s, America’s oldest ice cream company, and the birthplace of “Philadelphia Style” (an ice cream that does not contain eggs), our city boasts two unique, independent businesses that are philosphically similar, yet quite distinct from each other. Little Baby’s Ice Cream and Zsa’s Gourmet Ice Cream share a dedication to local ingredients, unorthodox retail venues and a knack for social media marketing, but their flavor profiles are wildly different. Little Baby’s has built a reputation for concoctions that read less like ice cream flavors and more like culinary dares. Try a scoop of Everything Bagel, Pizza or their now classic Earl Grey Sriracha. The company was founded by Pete Angevine, Martin Brown and Jeffrey Ziga, friends through the Philadelphia music scene who started slinging regular and vegan scoops in the spring of 2011 as a part-time venture (or “tedious hobby,” as Angevine puts it). While their original business plan was to sell ice cream outside of concerts, such as at the First Unitarian Church, they quickly recognized that their product was appealing to a larger market than just punk showgoers. “It was hectic and stressful, and a pummeling summer,” Angevine says. “Our capacity and equipment were woefully insufficient and we could not keep up.” Little Baby’s quickly expanded to include three roaming tricycle carts, a seasonal stand at music venue Union Transfer, and shops in
Fishtown and the Cedar Park neighborhood of West Philly. Zsa’s Gourmet Ice Cream also began as a parttime passion for owner Danielle Jowdy in 2009. Together with her fiancé and business partner Parker Whitehead, she began selling ice cream at small farmers markets in the Philadelphia suburbs. The pair make flavors they describe as “traditional with a modern twist,” such as Salted Caramel and Pumpkin Gingersnap. Their flavors were so well received that they decided to invest in an ice cream truck. Jowdy found a vintage truck on eBay, but it was beyond her budget. “I put together this crazy payment proposal to the seller,” Jowdy says, “but little did I know that Parker was on a computer on the other end of the couch telling the seller to disregard anything I was saying, because he was going to buy it outright!” With their new wheels and a small commercial kitchen, Zsa’s began increasing their production, and in 2011, Jowdy was able to work on the business full-time, sell-
Little Baby’s Ice Cream Established in 2011 10 to 26 employees, varying seasonally The Merchants Fund grant awarded $10,000 in October 2013 to establish a partnership with a local ecofriendly packaging company
Zsa’s Gourmet Ice Cream Established in 2009 Two full-time employees and one part-time baker The Merchants Fund grant awarded $10,000 in October 2013 to purchase refrigerated box truck
ing at larger farmers markets and brokering wholesale accounts with local co-ops. The two companies agree on approach—both produce small batches using seasonal and local ingredients—and where to get their milk and cream: Trickling Springs Creamery. So, whether it’s the subversive or the sublime you crave, you know you’re getting a wholesome treat. “Ice cream is a universal equalizer—everyone can relate to it," Angevine says. “It makes people happy and brings them together.”
From left to right, Little Baby’s Ice Cream pulls in crowds during the grand opening of its Frankford Avenue location in 2012. The company boasts inventive flavors such as Earl Grey Sriracha and Everything Bagel, and dispatches three roaming tricycle carts to deliver their goods
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l eft p hoto by Jason Mi ller
LITTLE BABY’S ICE CREAM / ZSA’S GOURMET ICE CREAM Zsa’s Gourmet Ice Cream sells cold treats from a revamped ice cream truck, and features flavors such as Salted Caramel and Pumpkin Gingersnap
BEYOND BIG BUSINESS | 5
URBAN JUNGLE After the popularity of Urban Jungle, owner Curt Alexander found an ever-growing demand for his green thumb
Jungle Nook From a lush oasis, Curt Alexander is creating a more verdant Passyunk Avenue by jon mcgoran
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ast passyunk avenue was in the midst of a retail renaissance in 2010 when Curt Alexander opened Urban Jungle, selling plants and self-watering planters, window boxes and green wall systems. That change has accelerated, and Urban Jungle has been a big part of it. “When I came in I felt like somehow I became the biggest small business owner on the avenue,” Alexander says. The store’s lush greenery had a visual impact, and as green things do in a fertile environment, it has spread. Alexander’s handiwork is visible at half a dozen businesses on E. Passyunk Avenue, plus establishments such as Avance (1523 Walnut St.) and the OCF Coffee Houses (21st St. and Fairmount Avenue and 20th and Federal streets). “Everybody just kept coming to me to do window boxes and irrigation,” Alexander says. Living just three blocks from his store, Alexander is excited to be part of the community. “My goal was to have as small a carbon footprint as I could and help as many people as I could, creating greenery and life in the city without having to commute,” he says. The community was happy to have him. “A 6 | BEYOND BIG BUSINESS
lot of restaurants [and nightclubs] were wanting to come in,” says Alexander, “[but the owners] were very environmentally conscious, so when they heard about Urban Jungle and our concept, they let me sign a five-year lease.” Business has “been growing like crazy every year,” Alexander says, who is already looking at expanding. “I want to find a larger piece of land in an underdeveloped part of the city where I can bring some more life into that area that needs it more, and where it’s more affordable.” He also wants to start reaching out to clients in New York and Washington, D.C. How long can he keep up this pace? “Till I’m 85, maybe, if I live that long,” he says. “I can’t see myself stopping anytime soon. There’s no way—we’ve just got too much momentum.”
Urban Jungle Established in 2009 9 to 12 employees, seasonally The Merchants Fund grant awarded $50,000 matching grant in 2010 for building improvements and store fixtures
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NIGHT KITCHEN BAKERY Night Kitchen Bakery Established in 1981, purchased in 2000 20 employees The Merchants Fund grant awarded $5,000 in 2008 to replace refrigeration and a matching grant in 2010 for building improvements and store fixtures
The Night Kitchen owner Amy Beth Edelman says her interest in sustainability was stirred by Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.
Layered Success The Night Kitchen sustains a reputation for more than great cakes by jon mcgoran
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he Night Kitchen has been an institution in Chestnut Hill for 30 years, but not always the same one. When Amy Beth Edelman bought the business in 2000, it had a core of enthusiastic customers and a reputation for hearty, seedy breads and signature challah. Edelman wanted to make changes, but she knew to tread carefully. “I didn’t remove any products for some time,” Edelman says. “I just added them.” She added considerably, developing a reputation for elegant pastries, pies, cookies and cakes, and artistry with wedding and other specialty cakes. The Night Kitchen still offers breads, but cakes, Edelman claims, are now the real breadwinners. The Night Kitchen has also developed a reputation for sustainability, both in its operations and in the broader community. Though the child of radical Mt. Airy lefties, Edelman’s environmental fervor was first stoked by Dr. Seuss. “It was The Lorax,” she says. “We watched
the movie, the original one, when I was in grade school at Houston School. ... It really changed the way I thought about things.” Another pivotal moment came in 2007, when she discovered the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), which helps restaurants become more sustainable, and offers a Green Restaurant certification. Struck by the waste and inefficiency in the food industry, Edelman decided to do something about it. While pursuing GRA certification—which she received in 2009—Edelman stopped using plastic bags, began composting with Philly Compost, bought local ingredients and started a garden behind the bakery, becoming more energy-efficient and less wasteful. She shared her enthusiasm with other area restaurants, and while none joined her in getting GRA-certified, they did change their ways. “It was great how receptive they were, even some that I didn’t think would be,” she says. “They saw how being less wasteful and more efficient could also save them money.” Edelman then turned to the community, creating Green in Chestnut Hill (GRINCH) with her friend Jenny Reed. GRINCH established recycling programs for electronics, shoes and Christmas trees; held composting and rain barrel workshops; and brought “Big Belly” solar-powered compacting trash and recycling receptacles to Germantown Avenue. The Night Kitchen’s 2010 expansion added 20 seats, and in the process of remodeling they made several key improvements, including purchasing energy-efficient equipment. With the help of the Stock Group, they used recycled wood flooring and countertops. So, what’s next for the Night Kitchen? “Izabella, our six-year-old, says she wants to be a baker when she grows up,” Edelman says. “So, perhaps you should ask her.”
BEYOND BIG BUSINESS | 7
MARIPOSA FOOD CO-OP
Market Driven Mariposa Food Co-op expands its role in the community, along with its retail space by jon mcgoran
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ood co-ops are hardwired to work with others—other co-ops, other businesses, their neighbors. It’s part of their founding principles, their bylaws and their DNA. When Mariposa Co-op expanded to a nearby location after 40 years in business at 4726 Baltimore Ave., they quintupled in square footage, tripled their staff, doubled their membership and quadrupled their sales. But perhaps the most important expansion was their involvement in the community.
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Mariposa Food Co-op Established in 1971 46 Employees The Merchants Fund grant awarded $50,000 in 2009 for refrigeration
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MARIPOSA FOOD CO-OP
Peter Frank
“Our total space was 500 square feet,” says Bull Gervasi, expansion project manager, and now produce department and facilities department coordinator. “We did as much as we could with the space, but … there were limitations to how involved we could be in the neighborhood, and the support we could give to other organizations and businesses.” Mariposa was also only open to members, a once common restriction among co-ops that is increasingly rare, but made sense given the store’s physical limitations. By 2007, it had become clear to the staff that a change was necessary. The following year, the membership gave its blessing to search for a new location. “Our membership is very concentrated around the old store, and we wanted to stay within a five-block radius of that store for that reason,” Gervasi says. “We didn’t want to move to an entirely new neighborhood and hope that our members would follow.” A year later, the co-op began negotiations to purchase the Beulah Tabernacle Church, one block away at 4824 Baltimore Avenue. “There’s only so many spaces in a five-block radius that are significantly larger than our place and for sale,” Gervasi says. “We looked at four or five
other locations seriously ... this one was far superior … aesthetically, as well as strategically being placed so close to the old store.” Before the expansion could proceed, several organizational changes had to be made. “The biggest change was opening our store to the public for shopping rather than only to members,” says Peter Collopy, board secretary. “It made both financial and ethical sense to offer our services to everyone in the neighborhood.” Some members opposed the change, but a referendum passed with more than 90 percent of the vote. Another change was the creation in 2009 of a board of delegates (previously all major decisions were made by the entire membership). Mariposa secured the new building in September 2010, and as the architects and contractors started planning the expansion, the staff was hard at work figuring out how to raise $2.5 million to pay for it. The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), the Reinvestment Fund, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community Economic Development were major funding sources, but the biggest single component—30 percent—came from grassroots fundraising. When renovation began in September 2011, the
Bull Gervasi BEYOND BIG BUSINESS | 9
MARIPOSA FOOD CO-OP
Laura Smoot
co-op was still closing in on its fundraising goal. “The moment that I realized we had no choice but to succeed was when construction started,” says Leah Pillsbury, who coordinated the capital campaign. “They were downstairs spending money and I was upstairs trying to raise it. My job was to keep up.” But the fundraising campaign was a pivotal point in Mariposa’s blossoming interaction with the surrounding community. “There’s a baker that we work with who ended up giving us a loan toward the expansion, in the process before we actually opened up,” Gervasi says. “There have been many local businesses 10 | BEYOND BIG BUSINESS
that have donated gift certificates and products for raffles and silent auctions and things like that, going through the expansion process. Different businesses in the neighborhood hosted events as fundraisers for us. So, yeah, there’s been a lot of help and community building along the way there.” But it wasn’t just the neighborhood community that pitched in. “The co-op to co-op generosity was really amazing during expansion,” says Peter Frank, Mariposa’s organizational facilitator. “That conversation is continuing to grow and expand … with Weavers Way and Swarthmore and even
Newark Natural Foods in Delaware. Thinking about how can we collaborate together, share services. During expansion, there were a lot of co-ops that lent Mariposa money, which was really amazing, and co-ops that aren’t even local, not even in the state of Pennsylvania, contributing large amounts of money … that was pretty amazing.” Gervasi agrees. “And even beyond the financial aspect, especially Weavers Way went above and beyond, offering consulting help, offering their member labor to set up the shelves when we were getting ready to open up, looking over our plans for the store,” he says. “Almost every aspect of the store, they offered help with, which was extremely valuable, having just gone through their renovation in Chestnut Hill … to have that help was amazing, and made it a hell of a lot easier.” Mariposa’s new store opened in June 2012. The design has won awards, sales are way ahead of projections, membership has increased by 62 percent, and payroll has grown from nine mostly part-timers to a staff of 46, with 35 full-time. The expansion also allowed Mariposa to expand its product lines. “We’re trying to squeeze in as broad a variety of products [and] price levels … as we can, for as broad a selection of folks [as possible] so we can be their one-stop shop, keeping their money in the neighborhood,” Gervasi says. And more of those new products are local. “Bringing in fresh and frozen meat, the vast p hotos by n ea l sa ntos
MARIPOSA FOOD CO-OP
majority of that is locally sourced. The vast majority of our dairy and eggs is locally sourced. In season, most of our produce is locally sourced,” he says. “It probably averages out to be about 40 percent of our produce ends up being locally sourced. In the summer, it’s a much higher percentage.” Removing the membership requirement has made those products available to more local people. “We have a lot more sales from non-members and people who were not exposed to our product are now being exposed to it,” Frank says. “Some of those folks are now joining, slowly. But way more folks are getting fresh and healthy produce and products from us.” Other businesses in the area have also noticed an increase in business. “There’s been quite an uptick in activity on the whole block since the expansion,” says Vince Whittacre, co-owner of the Gold Standard Café. “Now that they are open to non-members, they have opened up to a lot of the neighbors. We were able to join as a business, which is great. Now we can get last minute things and fresh produce, so that helps a great deal. They have also joined the business association, so they are really helping to promote the whole avenue.” A year and a half after the expansion, the relationships with neighbors, businesses and organizations that helped make it happen are stronger, broader and more robust. Just as Mariposa received support and expertise from co-ops like Weavers Way and Swarth-
more, they are sharing the lessons they learned with startups like Kensington Community Food Co-op and South Philly Food Co-op. “Mariposa studied the Weavers Way Chestnut Hill expansion to see how you line up financing, how you line up the fundraising drive, how does actual construction work,” Frank says. “And now we’re kind of able to give really amazing advice to some of the startups.” Mariposa has become an active part of the regional co-op scene in more structured ways, as well. In 2012, Mariposa and Weavers Way helped establish the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA), which seeks to help all sorts of co-ops—including credit unions, worker cooperatives, consumer co-ops and housing coops—to work together to grow the cooperative economy. Mariposa is also active in the Mid-Atlantic Food Co-op Alliance (MAFCA), a group formed in 2010 to help promote food co-ops. In 2012, Mariposa hosted a quarterly meeting of the MAFCA, which includes 21 co-ops in six states. Mariposa’s connections to the local community continues to strengthen as well. “There’s lots of small nonprofit organizations that look to us as this sort of big brother institution,” Frank says. “We’re able to partner with a lot of them and help them with their smaller projects, whether it’s selling Mill Creek Farm’s produce or the West Philly Tool Library, having some of our member labor go work for them.” Mariposa directly supports or partners with dozens of local groups, including Cedar Park,
Eastern Conference for Workplace Democracy, Urban Nutrition Initiative and the Philadelphia Student Union. “It’s part of being a good neighbor,” Gervasi says. “We want to support the neighborhood. I feel like that’s very different than the traditional business model, where maybe a corporate chain store doesn’t necessarily have as much investment in the neighborhood that they’re in. Whereas we—most of us live in the neighborhood, we work in the neighborhood, our neighbors come through the doors and we want to support them. We want to be good neighbors. … Our mission kind of states that: We are trying to supply the residents of West Philly and beyond with locally sourced, healthy foods.” Plans are already in the works for more improvements: a new, more efficient heating and cooling system, an expanded deli and prepared foods department, and expanding offerings in the co-op’s new community room, which already hosts workshops, cooking classes, film screenings and a very popular Scrabble night. But while the expansion was officially completed a year and a half ago, much work still remains. “We’re still very much in expansion mode,” Gervasi says. “We’re still going through a lot of growing pains, figuring out what policies make sense, and adjusting that and settling into that space… figuring out how to work most effectively and be as good a part of the community of co-ops and the West Philly community as we can be.” BEYOND BIG BUSINESS | 11
GEECHEE GIRL RICE CAFé
The Rice Harvest Geechee Girl cuisine is both Lowcountry and local
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by jon mcgoran
veteran of notable Philadelphia restaurants such as the Commissary, La Terrasse, Roller’s and Jamey’s, Valerie Erwin had long thought about opening a restaurant, especially in her own neighborhood. But 10 years ago, when a restaurant became available near her Germantown home, she was at a loss as to what cuisine to offer. A friend suggested a noodle theme, but noodles didn’t inspire her. Then Erwin’s sister came to the rescue. “Alethia said to me, ‘What about rice?’” Alethia was referring to the rice-centric Geechee cuisine served to them as children. Erwin describes Geechee cuisine as “Southern cooking with some added layers … the sea coast, the use of rice as the staple grain, and the strong influence of the African food ways.” Erwin’s mother’s family was from Charleston, South Carolina, and her father, who taught her how to cook, grew up in Savannah, Georgia. Both had strong traditions of Geechee cooking. But what attracted Erwin to Geechee cuisine was how “it could be interpreted in many ways,” she
Valerie Erwin, who owns GeeChee Girl Rice Café, wanted a restaurant that offered something distinct, so she chose a staple from her Southern background
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says. “There’s a direct African link in both Lowcountry and Caribbean cooking. Sometimes we explore that link. Sometimes we try to go back to the source. Sometimes we just do a riff on it.” Geechee Girl Rice Café opened in 2003, focusing on ingredients that are fresh and local rather than strictly authentic. Erwin bought from neighborhood farms such as Wyck and Weavers Way, then Paul Tsakos and now Lancaster Farm Fresh. But there are some southern ingredients she misses. “The big one is fresh field peas,” she says. “You can get them by the bucketful in the South.” When it comes to rice, she’s a stickler, buying only from Anson Mills in South Carolina. “They are the premier heirloom grain grower and purveyor in the country,” Erwin says. “They have
Geechee Girl Rice Café Established in 2003 8 employees (2 full time) The Merchants Fund grant awarded $10,000 in 2008 for a laptop, signage and exterior lighting and a dish washing machine.
the best philosophy of capturing heirloom grains and bringing them back into the market.” Ten years later, Erwin’s sisters are still by her side—Alethia and Michelene are regular servers, and Lisa and Alexadria also help out. Now located in Mt. Airy, Geechee Girl Rice Café’s reputation has spread far and wide among local diners, critics like the Inquirer's Craig Laban, and national correspondents from National Public Radio and the Food Network. Erwin has become a frequent speaker and advocate for the Southern Foodways Alliance and her own culinary literacy projects. And while the “girl” in the restaurant’s name refers to the picture in the Geechee Girl Rice Café logo, Erwin says, “If people think of me as the Geechee girl, that’s okay with me.”
FIREHOUSE BICYCLES AND WOLF CYCLES
Wheel House
West Philly bike shop expands to a second location by emily kovach
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Firehouse is Bicycles, which Monco-owned by i, ica Pasquinell m above, and Sa ily Davis, primar hed sells refurbis bikes—keepof ing them out landfills
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Firehouse Bicycles and Wolf Cycles Established in 2001 7 employees, circulating between the two shops The Merchants Fund grant awarded $9,000 in 2012 for website and online development
very neighborhood deserves a great bike shop—one with grimy, committed mechanics, affordable new and used bikes, and fast service. Firehouse Bicycles, at 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue, has been West Philly’s bike shop since 2001. Monica Pasquinelli, who now co-owns the business with Sam Davis, says it began pretty organically. “We were first,” she says, “having some sales out of here that we’d flyer for, and as people started to realize there were bikes up here, it slowly started to blossom into a real bike shop.” Though they sell some new bikes, 75 percent of Firehouse's stock is refurbished, keeping older bikes out of landfills and making bikes more affordable for those who can’t spend thousands on a brand new bike. They also keep tools and a pump on their porch, so neighbors can make repairs. “We believe in having stuff available and people being empowered,” Pasquinelli says. In 2012, Firehouse added a second location, buying Wolf Cycles (formerly Wolff Cycles), Philadelphia’s longest-operating bike shop, when the previous owner—only the second owner since the shop opened in the 1930s—decided to retire. Pasquinelli says the idea of buying the shop seemed like fun, but it has been a challenge. Located at 43rd Street and Lancaster Avenue , Wolff Cycles is well known by the neighborhood’s older generations, but Pasquinelli and company are working to develop a younger customer base, establishing a website and social media presence, selling new bikes in popular brands, repairing and selling skateboards, and making the building’s second floor available as a community space, hosting shows and plays. Still, Pasquinelli says it’s the history and legacy of Wolf Cycles that convinced them to take over the business. Curtis Wahlgren of Narberth purchased his first good road bike at Wolff Cycles in the late ’70s. “They gave me a good price, and it was an excellent bike,” he says. He shops at the new Wolf Cycles because the staff is knowledgeable, does good work and cares about more than just making a profit. “They don’t push people to buy things. It’s just kind of an old-fashioned bicycle store where it’s really enjoyable to hang out and talk with the employees,” he says. “Almost everyone who walks through the door there says, ‘I got my first bike here!’” Pasquinelli says. “Moments like that are what make us excited. It’s cool to be carrying the torch.” BEYOND BIG BUSINESS | 13
EVIAMA LIFE SPA Enviama Spa owner Penny Ordway turned her passion for promoting human wellness and ecoliving into the city’s first green spa
Nurture by Nature
Eviama Life Spa pampers your body and your planet by emily kovach
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enny Ordway faced a dilemma: She was passionate about her human wellness work, but the spa where she was employed regularly used processes and products she found questionable. She wanted to be a good employee, but not at the expense of her clients. In 2001, she decided to start her own business, Eviama Life Spa—the first green spa in Philadelphia. In the 12 years since, there have been many milestones. “Surviving the first few years, learning who’s in your corner, navigating City Hall, crossing the $500,000 threshhold for gross earnings in one year—there are many small achievements that add up to the whole,” Ordway says. The biggest milestone came this year: recreating, designing and building their new location at 13th and Chestnut Streets. After 11 years at 16th and Spruce Streets, they were refused a new lease. “We miss the old location with its two beautiful and majestic black locust trees out the back windows,” she says. “While we mourned, we also found inspiration—it’s the best thing that 14 | BEYOND BIG BUSINESS
ever happened, landing in this light-filled space in Midtown Village.” The interior of the spa, which features exposed brick and natural textures, was built with salvaged and recycled materials, non-toxic finishes and paints, and low-voltage or natural lighting. Guests enjoy purified air, distilled water and special herbal teas, as well as products that are carefully vetted, a process that can prove to be tricky. Ordway says that even organic products can contain undesirable preservatives, and that makes the decisions more complicated. “The plant’s polypharmacy—its healing properties which we may or may not know fully—can trump a small dose of a less desirable chemical,” she says. “I have my work cut out for me in this respect.” Eviama’s services go beyond standard facials and massages to include energy work such as Reiki, vibrational therapies and Mayan spiritual healing. But even the cosmetic services incorporate Eviama’s holistic outlook. “We have our sights set on transformation,” she says, “even when you’re getting a brow wax!”
Eviama Life Spa Established in 2001 10 employees, five full-time The Merchants Fund grant awarded $12,000 in March 2013 for a courtyard garden, entryway and lightwell plantings, new identity design, and printing a new menu
QUEEN VILLAGE ART CENTER
Queen Village Art Center Established in 2004 15 employees The Merchants Fund grant awarded $8,000 in 2012 for easels and kilns
Young at Art Queen Village Art Center offers art for all ages
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by emily kovach
ith four studios outfitted for sculpture, ceramics, painting, and more, Queen Village Art Center is a wonderland of art-making. The hallways double as gallery spaces, showing off students’ work. And the huge skylights on the second floor flood the entire 3,200 square-foot space with light. Housed in what was formerly the Philly AIDS Thrift building on 5th and Bainbridge Streets, every aspect of the design by Solerno Ziegler Architects was carefully considered to match the art center’s mission. “We believe that learning happens in the process, so our studios are spaces that allow for collaboration,” says founder, director and lead teacher Jill Markovitz. “They’re very open, so the creative process can be heard and seen by everybody.” Along with offering art classes for adults, Queen Village Art Center also provides a bevy of classes to teach the little ones to think outside the box
With an undergraduate degree in Art Education, a Masters of Fine Arts and two decades of teaching experience, Markovitz is deeply knowledgeable about the power of art and music education for children and adults. “I love teaching young kids, they can do so much,” she says. “Art teaches them about being in a group, being social, sharing, as well as critical fine-motor skills. Parents learn how to help their child be an outof-box thinker.” Markovitz opened the Fairmount Art Center in 2004, and bolstered by its success, she and her staff opened Queen Village Art Center in 2011. Both facilities offer a range of classes and activities. Adult classes such as painting foundations and experimental drawing, and crafts like sewing and jewelry making. Children’s art classes run the gamut from music classes for little babies to “Jackson Pollock Art Parties” for tweens and teens. Other programs include drop-in playgroups, art therapy, afterschool programs with pick-ups at local schools, and day camps for days when schools are closed. “There is such a great energy having so many people from the neighborhood here to celebrate their kids’ creativity,” says Shelley Crognale, administrative director at the Queen Village Art Center. “The parents get to meet each other, exchange phone numbers, tell each other about birthday parties, stuff like that… The kids express themselves and experience each other in a different way than if they were just doing homework or kicking a ball around,” Crognale says. All three of Crognale’s children, ages 2, 8 and 10, have taken classes and attended playgroups at the Art Center. “We’re passionate about the role art plays in community.” Markovitz says. “We just had a huge year end art show and the sense of community was so touching.”
BEYOND BIG BUSINESS | 15
The Merchants Fund is a Philadelphia charity established in 1854 to provide charitable gifts to business persons facing financial hardship. It evolved from the Mercantile Beneficial Association, an organization dedicated to providing business advice, networking opportunities, and protection from financial failure or default due to illness, old age, or disability at a time in our Every year, The Merchants Fund awards nation’s history when there grants to small businesses in Philadelphia. was health disability If you ownno a small business or that’s profitable and at least three years you may beplans. insurance, orold, pension
Boost Your Business! eligible to receive funding.
For more information, call 215.399.1339 or visit merchantsfund.org