Frankford Gazette » Business

Another Day, Another Round of CDC Events

Frankford Community Development Corporation — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:00:14 +0000

The Frankford CDC just can’t stand sitting still, so on Tuesday we held not one, but two, business spotlight events. We started our day at Frankford High School, where we teamed up with the Student Success Center to hold a round table discussion focused on owning your own food business. The panel consisted of three women entrepreneurs based here in Frankford, Lily Fischer of A Cupcake Wonderland, Tegan Hagy of Philly LoveBar, and Therice Denby of Denby’s Sweet Sensations (4428 Frankford Ave). All shared great insight in to the hard work involved in being a small business owner, their decision making processes, and where they see their businesses headed in the next few years. As always, the Frankford High School students were wonderful, and asked some great questions!

In the afternoon, we headed over to Aria’s Frankford Campus for our first Business Spotlight Day. As you may remember, Aria and the Frankford CDC are launching a new program whereby four Frankford businesses, four times a year, set up a table for an afternoon in Aria’s cafeteria and get to know Aria staff who might not ordinarily find themselves shopping on the Ave. We had a great time speaking with Aria’s dedicated staff, and think some great connections were forged!

Stay tuned for more information about coming events, and for details about how to get involved! And if you have an idea for a business support event, we’d love to hear from you! Just call our offices at 215-743-6580.

4728 Griscom Street Cleanup

Gil — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:00:49 +0000

Back on May 6th we posted about the Frankford Civic meeting and the complaints about the 4700 block of Griscom. It did not take long before things started happening by way of the Frankford CDC cleaning up and sealing 4728 Griscom Street. It had been an ongoing concern to the CDC (which owns the building) but what made it more of a problem was that a squatter had taken possession of that building. Squatters are difficult to deal with but the opportunity presented itself and possession of the building was secured.

The alley between 4728 and the building next door (4732-34 Griscom) which is owned by the city was also cleaned. The pictures below show what was done. Now the challenge will be to keep it that way. We’re hoping some concerned residents will come to the PSA1 meeting on Tuesday May 22nd to talk to the police about the problems they are having on the block.

Quaker City Dye Works Showing Frankford How Kensington Does It

Jim — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:47:50 +0000

A massive development along the El in Kensington leaves me hoping for a better Frankford future.

I love pushing the idea that Frankford has [any] potential. And since I take the El to work, I’m always eager to draw comparisons to the neighborhoods I pass by every day, especially Kensington, which I think has many favorable comparisons to Frankford.

Naked Philadelphia has a blog post about the Quaker City Dye Works down in Kensington located at Oxford and Front Streets soon to be re-purposed as light industry and residential development. It has an eerie resemblance to our own Globe Dye Works, both in name and future.

Things can grow under the El. Things are growing under the El now. And they’re 15 minutes away from us.

Cupcake Wonderland is in Frankford

Gil — Thu, 10 May 2012 03:10:08 +0000

There is a very nice story that just popped up on Philly.com about Lily Fischer and how she went from preschool teacher to cupcake entrepreneur.

The South Philadelphia woman and her friend Erin Bailey were preschool teachers at Friends Select in Center City in 2009. “I was having a stressful day, so I decided to go home and bake something,” Fischer said. The something was a batch of cupcakes, which they brought in the next day for a coworker.

Noticing the stash, the mommies bit: “Oh, my God! I want to order from you!” Fischer said, re-creating the squeals. What started off as a hobby turned into a side business, A Cupcake Wonderland.

The Frankford CDC worked with her while she was looking for a location and guided her in the direction of the Globe Dye Works.

They were picked and flown out to California to compete (for Cupcake Wars, the reality competition series). Fischer missed her last week of classes but did graduate. But they won their episode. The $10,000 prize allowed them to go legit, setting them up with space in the entrepreneur-rich Globe Dye Works building in Port Richmond. They share a space with LoveBar, a chocolate bar.

Unfortunately, the story has the location of the Globe in the wrong part of the city. They say where they are on their web site. No matter where they are, congratulations to Cupcake Wonderland.

Behind the Scenes at Gil’s Upholstery with the Frankford CDC

Frankford Community Development Corporation — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:34:24 +0000

Gil Pons has been skillfully repurposing pieces of furniture on Frankford Avenue for decades. He’s mastered the tricks of the trade and knows how every piece of furniture is different. But, more importantly, he knows how to meet the unique needs of each of his many clients.

This past week, the Frankford CDC stopped by Gil’s shop to observe him in action. He was hard at work restoring a couch that he believes was originally produced in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The process Gil must undertake may seem simple, though proves to be anything but straightforward, as the CDC’s visit demonstrates. First, the couch has to be stripped down to its wooden frame, and then stuffed with new padding. Once Gil makes the new seat cushions, and before the back of the couch has been reassembled, the client will make a trip to the shop to test out her new sofa and determine just how far forward she wants the back to extend. Gil will also replace the coils in the base of the couch with springs, to fulfill the customer’s desire for a firmer seat.

This forty year old piece has a lot of history wrapped up in it, specifically when it comes to the technique and materials used to manufacture and repurpose furniture. The couch was originally stuffed with coconut fiber, which has since gone out of fashion in the industry. However, trends are cyclical, and Gil noted that coconut fiber is making a comeback in part due to its eco-friendly nature and will be used for this particular project. So, not surprisingly, this piece will have a bit of the future woven in to its fibers, too.

Gil believes this piece was not mass produced, but rather built to meet the desires of its original owner. That dovetails perfectly with the ethos of Gil’s shop: a specialty store intended to deliver a customized product. Gil manages about six projects a month, and the CDC intends to keep you updated on the story of this particular couch. So stay tuned, enjoy the pictures below, and go visit Gil at 4529 Frankford Avenue (or give him a call at 215-744-5385) with more questions about how exactly he does what he does.

After 107 Years a Venerable Educational Institution Leaves Frankford

Gil — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:40:39 +0000

Aria Health School of Nursing

Aria Health School of Nursing, Founded in Frankford in 1904, packed up and left Frankford this week. Moving vans have been at the building on the 4900 block of Penn Street all week. A statement released by Maria Cerceo Slade, senior director of marketing and communications for Aria Health Systems stated:

Aria Health recently relocated its School of Nursing to a larger facility that will support growing class size, larger lecture space, and state-of-the-art training labs. Aria has safely secured the School of Nursing’s previous location on Penn Street and is actively pursuing alternate use for the building that will help it remain a vibrant anchor in the Frankford community.

While we respect Aria’s right to make sound business and economic decisions, we have some issues with the lack of notice to the community. Hopefully they will show their good will by ensuring that the now vacant building is used in a way that will benefit the community.

IMPACT Services Needs a NAC Coordinator Assistant

Gil — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 21:42:39 +0000

There is a job opening for a NAC Coordinator Assistant position with IMPACT Services. This is a link to the complete job description.

This is a brief summary:

Position Function:

The NAC Coordinator Assistant is responsible for supporting the NAC Coordinator in providing information and assistance regarding housing and community related services.

Education/Experience Requirements:

A High School Diploma or a general educational development certificate (post secondary education a plus) and experience with housing, education, financial literacy, and/or community development.

Applicants should contact:

Steve Blackburn
Frankford Neighborhood Center
4451 Frankford Avenue
215 535 1093

Kimberly Washington, Esq.
Coordinator, Northeast EPIC
Cora Services, Inc.
8540 Verree Road
Philadelphia, PA. 19111
(215) 701 – 2588

Connect Philly

Gil — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:41:38 +0000

In the Inky today Jeff Gelles gives a preview of the event to be held at City Hall for the roll out of a new service. For the person who does not have internet access at home, you can now use your cell phone to find the nearest WIFI location.

Send an address or intersection by text message to 215-240-7296, and you’ll get a response directing you to a site that offers access. Add a word such as disabled or WiFi after the address, and you’ll be steered to particular kinds of facilities, which can also be found with an interactive map at the Connect Philly website.

The code behind this service was written by our own webmaster, Jim Smiley. He will be at City Hall later today along with the mayor and the folks from Technically Philly for the big event.

Frankford is Getting to be a Small Business Incubator

Gil — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 17:12:52 +0000

John Loftus and the Northeast Times spotlight two of our newest businesses in Frankford this week. A Cupcake Wonderland and Love Bar are specialties that have moved into the Globe Dye Works thanks to the business development work of the Frankford CDC.

The aroma is stronger on the second floor, where Tegan Hagy and Lily Fischer make chocolate and cupcakes in the 1,000 square feet of production space they share.

Entrepreneurs Hagy and Fischer are not partners and neither is a retailer. They each have their own business. Fischer is the baker. Her business is A Cupcake Wonderland. Hagy owns Love Bar. She makes chocolate — from cocao beans to candy bars.

Read the story here, you can almost smell the aroma.

Better Know a Frankford Business: Soul Purpose

Frankford Community Development Corporation — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:05:23 +0000

If you walk up and down Frankford Avenue these days, you will be surrounded by wonderful small businesses, and fantastic small business owners. But commerce is blooming off the Avenue in Frankford, too – and Terra Dukes is just one example.

Terra is a Soul Purpose Lifestyle Entrepreneur. What does that mean, you ask? Terra sells all natural products by Soul Purpose, including shea butter balms, sugar and salt scrubs, body lotions and gels, perfume essences, foot care (soaks, scrubs, etc), all natural soy candles, and more. Her products promote sustainability right down to the packaging, which encourages recycling. Even though you can get her goods through her website, soulpurpose.net/esuite/home/terrad, Terra loves to meet and get to know her customers. So don’t be surprised to find her at events in Frankford, or throughout the City.

Terra began working with Soul Purpose in 2007, but as she puts it: “I have always been interested in beauty and body products and even more interested in products that are good for us. It is so important to be very particular to not only what we ingest into our bodies but equally concerned to what we apply on our bodies. Also it is no surprise my name is ‘Terra’ which refers to the ‘Earth’.. And I know that the earth produces simply the best products for our bodies!”

Her goal for the coming years is to open a retail outlet, a venture the Frankford CDC is helping her pursue. And she would love to stay in Frankford, the neighborhood she considers her own. “I am a Frankford girl. I lived for some time on the 1300 block of Foulkrod. I still have good friends in Frankford, and I love to shop and frequent Frankford as much as possible. I love this community’s diversity. She has high hope’s for Frankford’s future, as well: “I hope to be part of the growth within Frankford, and I hope to see businesses thrive here. I want to offer and be part of a truly enjoyable shopping experience. I want my neighbors and those who will frequent Frankford to look forward to shopping here, I want to offer an outing for families to partake in. To not only spend their money here but to also spend some quality time and just socialize with one another.”

We at the Frankford CDC expect that while this may be your first time hearing about Terra, it will not be your last! So check out what she has to offer – Mother’s Day is coming up – and remember that there is more to Frankford than meets the eye. This neighborhood has many a hidden gem.