Philly’s small businesses need your support

Many small businesses in Philadelphia are on the brink of failure. While we’ve certainly seen businesses forced to close their doors during the pandemic, there is a quietly rising tide of business owners in Philadelphia sitting near the precipice of calling it a wrap. I fear that we — residents of the city and those who work within its borders — have taken for granted the beauty of having streets populated by the visceral joy and optimism of local shops.

We rarely pause to think about what they need to survive. The answer, in many cases, is simple: small businesses need our dollars.

Philadelphians have, by and large, stopped shopping local and shopping small. Instead, we too often default to demonstrating our support of small businesses through the generous dispersal of “likes” on social media. But without greater individual commitment, deeper dedication, and without our dollars, small businesses will be forced to close. The vibe of our blocks is going to change and so will their aesthetic appeal.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Imagine if each of us committed to spending just 10% of our disposable income on companies based in Philadelphia. What if we decided that we were going to support local makers and artisans by shopping with them one out of every 10 times we bought anything? What would happen if we showed our recognition of the value they add to our evening walks and daily commutes with our hard-earned cash?

For many of my peers, that commitment would be lifesaving.

In a city that’s over 43% Black, less than 3% of Philadelphia’s businesses are owned by Black folks. For Black women, the challenges are even greater. A pledge to spend 10% locally — to shop our values and protect the energy that brick-and-mortar shops add to our neighborhoods — could be a game changer for the city’s economy.

As a small-business owner in the city, one of the underrated joys I have come to lean into is the sense of camaraderie I feel with those who know this adventure: the wild ride of doing our best every day to succeed. There’s a real precariousness to small-business ownership and, at times, a real loneliness.

Our city’s small-business owners work, often seven days a week, to manage inventory, cover overhead, keep our community of customers engaged, and — in the era of social media — tell compelling stories as content creators. We are shop “keepers.” We also persist in our aspiration to add what feels like a distinctive flavor to the spaces where our goods are sold.

» READ MORE: It shouldn’t take a pandemic for Black-owned businesses to get support

After nearly five years of being in business, I’ve come to find something sacred in that exchange. At my store, Grant Blvd, customers are drawn to the way my design team approaches garment construction; in return, we commit to adding to the texture of our Powelton Village neighborhood. I know from my bonds with other small-business owners in Philadelphia that we are all concerned about our futures. Specifically, there is a growing sense of urgency that we feel to stay relevant, to repeatedly demonstrate our value, to survive.

Audre Lorde once wrote that “We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.” Her conclusion has proven accurate. Silence won’t save us or our city’s landscape of small businesses — only our persistent commitment to loving on them will. And when small businesses survive, the quality of all our lives improves.

Kimberly McGlonn is the founder and CEO of Grant Blvd, a sustainable fashion company. @kimberlymcglonn