https://vimeo.com/18391449]
A small coffee house called Mugshots could be the catalyst to revitalize a long suffering area of North Philadelphia.
With the help of a $50,000 government grant left over from some stimulus money earmarked for struggling neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Mugshots and development company MMPartners LLC, are spearheading an effort to revamp the West Girard Avenue business corridor in Brewerytown.
“Everyone has different approaches on how you revitalize,” said Fairmount Community Development Corporation’s President Rebecca E. Johnson, who works closely with development companies and business owners in trying to open up new stores. “I’m the voice of the community, we partner with Dave and Jake. [Co-Partners of MMPartners LLC.] They want to bring in businesses and they’re great at it. My perspective is a little different, if a business has been there 30 years, how do I handle that? You have to be sensitive. Barber shops and salons are services people in the neighborhood really use, she says.” “It’s part of who lives here, you can’t ignore that.”
However opening up any small business in Philadelphia these days is difficult. A report on the city’s website calls the development permitting process “confusing, unpredictable, time-consuming and costly for anyone trying to do business in Philadelphia.”
In the past 20 years W. Girard Ave. has seen disinvestment in businesses as well as population losses in the neighborhood. Johnson, however, believes the opportunities are ripe for small businesses like Mugshots on the corridor. “There’s lots of resources from the government that help in business corridors, and that’s not an issue in Center City.” The West Girard business corridor is one of 17 in the city’s Corridor Management Program, which helps the area strengthen economically for commercial growth.
Mugshots has two other locations in Philadelphia, one on Fairmount Ave. and one in Manyunk. Owners Angela Vendetti and Jill Fink wanted to open a third location on W. Girard, but didn’t have the money needed for start-up. “Angie wasn’t going to open without the money,” says Johnson. “She did her research and found out she would still be breaking even 3-5 years in.”
That’s where MMPartners LLC. came in. They liked the idea of the popular coffee shop moving into the neighborhood, they are headquartered on the same block, and wanted to help. They bought the location at 2831 W. Girard Ave. and rented the place to Vendetti and Fink. They received the $50,000 grant from the city’s Commerce Department to help with the start-up costs. Without it, Mugshots never would have had its third location.
Unfortunately for Mugshots, a problem arose with the zoning board. The board demanded that in order for the business to get its permit as a restaurant, they needed to have at least 30 seats. Jacob Roller, a Co-Managing partner with MMPartners knew they needed their help. He began sending out emails to other local businesses urging them to support Mugshots. Without the board’s approval, Mugshots would not get its grant.
The Restore Retail Grant is given out by the City of Philadelphia’s Commerce Department. It matches the investments made by a small business, up to $50,000, in order to assist with capital costs of fitting out and equipping interior spaces for new and upgraded retail uses consistent with the strategy of the neighborhood commercial corridors. They want to make business corridors like the one on Girard Avenue. to feel more welcoming. Their goal is to develop a system to attract and retain businesses on these corridors.
In order to receive the grant, The Merchants Fund, the charity organization that gives out the money, is looking for new desirable businesses to help out. They want to help create jobs and help eliminate the blight that is present in some areas of the city, including Brewerytown.
When Vendetti and Fink got to the hearing, they were met by nearly all of the business owners on the W. Girard corridor. The overwhelming support from the neighborhood helped sway the zoning board into overlooking a few potential rule snags and awarded the grant to Mugshots.
“It’s a great testament to the work that all of these groups have been doing together,” Johnson said. “The civic groups, the development groups, and the business associations really communicating.” People in the neighborhood want something to happen. They’re starting to see stuff happen and there really excited about it.”
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A few good restaurants or cafes are always a great way to jumpstart development in Philadelphia Neighborhoods.