Buy Local Germantown shopping campaign

Buy Local Germantown shopping campaign lifts up and shines a light on the important role small businesses play in our community

Happening now through Jan. 2023, the Buy Local Germantown campaign features profiles of local business owners, an inside look at shops and products for sale, special offers and shopping events, pop-ups, and winter holiday celebrations. Also included are ways to support our non-profit infrastructure during the holiday season.

Community-minded businesses are true assets to the neighborhood and our local economy. This is just a small taste of all that Germantown has to offer! Our goal is a simple paradigm shift – you don’t need to always leave the neighborhood to shop, dine, give, enjoy time with friends and family. Spend your dollars here to support positive change and sustain revitalization.

Join the movement

Easy ways residents, businesses and organizations can help spread the word about the importance of buying and giving locally!

1. Share the link to the Buy Local Germantown page on social media, in emails, texts with your friends and neighbors and encourage them to buy local! New businesses are added daily. Remember, this is just a partial list. Germantown is home to hundreds of terrific small businesses. You can do your part to keep dollars in our community by shopping at any small business in Germantown.

2. Use the campaign hashtag #BuyLocalGermantown! Businesses, use the tag in posts about your business and available products. Shoppers, tag to show off purchases and share your fave businesses.

3. Get to know local business owners and organizations, and see what they have to offer, follow the campaign on GU’s Instagram and Facebook pages – like, comment and share our posts. Look out for special newsletters like this (and encourage people in your network to sign-up for GU’s mailing list to get news directly).

A look at participating businesses

The KDD Theatre
5427 Germantown Ave, 19144
267-331-9236
Black-owned, Women-owned
kddtheatre.com, follow: IG

A black box performance space and dance studio. Currently on view through Dec. 20: Supine Horizons, curated by Nicole Pollard. Tickets are free for this immersive installation for rest, resistance and renewal, featuring synthesized sound and projected visuals by local multimedia artist Gralin Hughes, Jr. (Television Sky).
     The KDD Theatre is also home to Kinesics Dance Dynamics dance studio, owned and operated by Kristen Clark. KDD offers structured leveled classes in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Modern styles to movers ages 2 through adult.
     Suggested reading: Power nap: ‘Supine Horizons’ promotes the political urgency of taking a break at Germantown installation [WHYY]

Truelove Seeds
trueloveseeds.com, follow: IG

Cyber Monday is over but Germantown businesses reliant on online sales need customers. Truelove Seeds grows 50% of the culturally important, open pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds sold in their catalogue. The rest come from 55 small farms in Philly and beyond, all linked by shared values of community food sovereignty, ancestral seed preservation and sustainable agriculture. You can support by purchasing seeds and print items online. Their beautiful 2023 wall calendar is now on sale!
     Pictured: Co-Founders (and Germantown residents!) Chris Bolden-Newsome and Owen Taylor. Photo by Neal Santos.

If you own a local business (including online, vendors, creators) or non-profit in 19144 or 19138, fill out this questionnaire to join. It’s quick!

About the campaign

Germantown United CDC officially launched the campaign on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 26), kicking off with a walking tour of seven businesses along the Germantown Avenue corridor with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, his fiancé Letitia Santarelli, and an entourage of city officials and employees, including Councilmember Cindy Bass who represents Germantown, Philadelphia Department of Commerce Director Anne Nadol, and GU’s Executive Director Emaleigh Doley and Business Development Manager Matthew George. The Mayor’s visit was covered by WHYY, generating positive buzz for all of Germantown’s business community. Check out the full story and stream the radio segment featuring interviews with G-town business owners. Thanks to journalist Sammy Caiola for coming out to Germantown!

A brief excerpt from the WHYY story:

Germantown business leaders launched the shopping season with multiple Small Business Saturday events, hoping to entice consumers who might be wary considering signs of a possible economic downturn. The largely-Black neighborhood — which has a rich anti-slavery history — has seen investment and revitalization in recent years, particularly along the Germantown Avenue corridor.

“Really it’s a kept gem in Philadelphia,” said Matthew George, business development manager for the Germantown United Community Development Corporation. He said local businesses have benefited from a combination of neighborhood cleanup efforts and assistance from the City of Philadelphia.

“I’ve seen the energy change,” he said. “I’ve seen the avenue come alive. We always look to these other neighborhoods as, ‘Oh, we should have something like that,’ and what I see is the business owners in this area wanting that as well and creating their own renaissance.”

Access the full story on WHYY >>