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Second Frankford Business & Professional Association Meeting of the Year

 

The Frankford Business and Professional Association had a GREAT general meeting this morning! We welcomed two guest speakers, Iola Harper of InGoodCompany LLC and George Van Note from the City’s Health Department.

Iola, who runs classes and workshops on small business marketing, gave a wonderful presentation on the basics of marketing your business on a budget. Topics included how to target your ad campaign to a specific group of consumers as well as how to tap into resources that are readily available, such as social media and news outlets.  You can visit her online at igcphilly.com.

George Van Note, Program Manager at the city’s Office of Food Protection, focsued on food safety for special events open to the public.  He discussed what types of licenses are needed from the City when planning a special event, as well as the methods and requirements for safely serving food at special events.

We hope you’ll be able to join us at our next meeting, June 20th at 8:30a at Frankford Aria Hospital (4900 Frankford Ave), where we will hear from the Tobacco Control Project and The Business Center.

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Frankord Gazette Interview with the Frankford CDC Part 1

Back in November, I sat down with Tracy O’Drain and Michelle Feldman of the Frankford Community Development Corporation (CDC) for an interview.   The CDC is a major force in Frankford and people should be able to hear what is going on.  I have serialized the interview that we did and this is the first installment.  Feel free to comment or ask questions and we can address any issues in future installments.

[fg_youtube]http://youtu.be/jkGnzkYH9b4[/fg_youtube]

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Better Know a Frankford Business: Soul Purpose

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.