A community conversation series hosted by WHYY and the Free Library of Philadelphia recently highlighted the impact of Philadelphia’s small businesses, write Sandra Jones and Liv Barry for WHYY.

The November 7 Bridging Blocks event brought together small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs alike.

Fred Sutherland, former EVP and CFO of Aramark, expressed that the Bridging Blocks initiative is useful for uniting neighbors and communities.

“I think it’s important to try to bring people together,” Sutherland said of the program. “We’re so dichotomized these days, people heading a million different directions at once. We’ve lost over time. I think a sense of community – that we really need.”

According to Pew Research, self-employed ventures made up more than 82 percent of all businesses in Philadelphia in 2021.

In addition, immigrants made up 24 percent of the self-employed small businesses in the nation, representing more than double the group’s population.

Philly has experienced a growing number of empty storefronts, and the hope is for small businesses to help spark revitalization, especially downtown.

Jennifer Hunt Horton and Steve Horton, owners of Fifth of a Farm Creations, noted the fractured nature of city government as another challenge.

However, aspiring small business owner, Virginia Taylor, has faith she can persevere through the challenges.

Read more about the Bridging Blocks initiatives and views of local business owners in WHYY.

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