Original article archived on Chestnut Hill Local website, here.

N.W. Philly businesses sweep citywide competition

Harriet Alcott  
Published: December 17, 2009

In the end, it was a sweep for Northwest Philly businesses. On Dec. 2 at the World Café Live, the final stage of a citywide competition sponsored by the Empowerment Group saw the top three prizes go to businesses in Mt. Airy and Germantown. The first awards ceremony for what is expected to be an annual competition called "My Block/My Business" honored small businesses with an impressive impact on their communities.

First Place went to Trolley Car Diner, followed by the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts and then Philly Electric Wheels.

Each business will be featured on custom posters placed on SEPTA's Frankford bus line in the Spring - 20, 15 and 10 custom posters, respectively - and they will receive other materials of promotional value. The grand prize is worth $2600, according to Angel Rodriguez, executive director of the Empowerment Group, a nonprofit based in Northern Liberties that sponsored the competition.

Prefacing the final round in the competition, Rodriguez reviewed EG's mission: to accelerate entrepreneurial growth at the local level, especially where it will have an impact on community life.

The contest had several tiers including an essay, on-site interviews and the final round - talks by local business founders, presented to a live audience and a panel of four judges, headed up by Hal Real, owner of World Café Live, 3100 Chestnut St.

The top winner, Trolley Car Diner, has been serving good food and good deeds for a decade; its menu for both is impressive. Actually, the diner added a full deli to its family-friendly menu last year. The Philadelphia School of Circus Arts is in its second year and flying high. Philly Electric Wheels, dedicated to selling and servicing electric bicycles, opened this past October.

Ken Weinstein, owner of the Trolley Car Diner, summed up his approach to marketing during his talk at the World Café: "Supporting the community is good business."

Asked his biggest accomplishment, he had written, "Turning a derelict and vacant Roy Rogers building into a successful restaurant that now serves 4,000 customers a week and employs 60 individuals, mostly from our community. I am proud that we have contributed more than $100,000 over the past eight years to community groups who have participated in our very successful Helping Hands Program.

"I am able to use Trolley Car Diner & Deli as my platform for helping people in our community. We actively use our email list of nearly 3,500 customers to organize annual Martin Luther King Day projects, coat, food and recycling drives, a Teacher's Fund for Mt. Airy's five public schools and much more."

Shana Kennedy, of the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, said that as a first-time business owner, she was at first surprised to realize the impact of the school on formerly vacant structures and a nearby abandoned lot - a development she came to actively encourage. "The school's success has also been good news for several local enterprises. Even the pizza parlor sells more pies.

"Colleges and corporations now come to Germantown for team-building events. And we're working with private and public schools. Nothing concentrates the mind like standing on a static trapeze!

"This season, we launched a Circus Youth Troupe that performs throughout the city, and a 'Social Circus' program is in the works, geared to kids at risk. We have upwards of 250 students and 17 teachers. Our showcase performances are free or low cost, and we generally play to a full house."

Afshin Kaighobady, owner of Phew! (Philly Electric Wheels), said that from the beginning, he intended his store to be more than a business. He had the neighborhood and the planet in his sites when Phew! opened. For Afshin, community service and carbon footprint concerns are inseparable from the business.

Rodriguez summed up the event, saying that Philadelphia is home for many local entrepreneurs who are at the heart of efforts to improve the neighborhoods they live in and understand. In fact, the owners of all three winning businesses live within walking distance to work.

To eat, juggle and ride with the winners:

· Trolley Car Diner 7619 Germantown Ave., 215-753-1500. www.trolleycardiner.com

· Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, 5900 Greene St., 215-849-1991. www.phillycircus.com

· Philly Electric Wheels, 550 Carpenter Lane (at Greene St.) 215-821 9266. Mt. Airy. www.phillyew.com


Afshin Kaighobady, owner of Phew! (Philly Electric Wheels), 550 Carpenter Lane, was one of the top winners.

Shana Kennedy, of the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts in Germantown, a first-time business owner, was the second place winner.


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