Entrepreneur Profile: Beth and Jamie Fox of FindZ

By Carolyn Wheatley
via Empowerment Group


Philadelphians are gradually becoming more and more aware of how many hidden jewels are scattered along Girard Avenue, and Findz is no exception. Just a block away from the Girard stop on the Market-Frankford Line, Findz occupies a small store with merchandise that spills out onto the street to create a mini sidewalk sale. The consignment shop houses tons of great clothing, jewelry, DVDs, books, games, shoes, toys, and other treasures, all able to be sold at much lower costs because of being bought as samples or traded in from customers.

Consignment shops have grown in popularity recently, but Findz is unique among them, because it is very much a product of the changes in its environment. Beth Fox, who co-owns the shop with her daughter Jamie, comes from a family that has been a part of Girard Avenue for decades, and has experienced its transformation. “We started across the street; my husband’s old business, Fox Electric, has been here forever. It was owned by his grandfather and started on 8th Street 75 years ago. This area has changed a lot in that time. I can’t really explain it; it used to be a bad area but now—it’s completely changed.”

Beth and Jamie know that customers appreciate their choosiness when it comes to what they will sell. “We pride ourselves on checking for spots or flaws, and we won’t sell it if the quality isn’t there.” Browsing through the store it’s easy to see their good taste in their merchandise. “When people come into the store, they’re so excited because we have designer clothing, gently worn, almost new, and new items. We also sell sample jewelry from nice stores for as little as two dollars. Our goal is to price it so that people can buy it—we don’t triple markup things like a lot of other stores do.”

For Findz, customer satisfaction comes easily but attracting new customers is by far the biggest obstacle the business faces. “Bringing in customers is tough. Once they’re here they love it, it’s just a matter of getting them here.” Beth and Jamie have tried advertising in newspapers like Metro and have recently begun to build a presence for Findz on the internet, starting with a Facebook page. Still, especially in this economy, getting the attention of potential customers is extremely difficult.

One of their plans to boost sales is to offer huge discounts on Black Friday, so make sure to visit Findz at 33 W Girard Ave, to take advantage of that. As they wait for business to pick up, Beth and Jamie will continue working hard in their shop and impressing the customers they enjoy so much. Beth says, “Having lots of customers coming in here, that’s my favorite part of the job.”

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Black Vulture Gallery Opening Reception Tonight!

Black Vulture Gallery - 208 E. Girard Ave.

As part of Frankford Ave.'s November 1st Friday, Black Vulture Gallery will open its doors from 6:30 to 10:30pm and will feature over 50 artists, and complementary food and drink. Come out and welcome this new business to the neighborhood!

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GIRARD FEST Saturday!!!

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Rebekah Templeton Contemporary Art presents Sample 3

September 9th - October 23rd, 2010

Opening Reception:
Thursday, September 9th, 6-9 PM


Rebekah Templeton Contemporary Art is proud to present Live!infili!, an exhibition of
new sculptures by New York artist Jason Gandy.

For Live!infili!, Jason Gandy has installed a new grouping of sculptures created out of
wood, leather and porcelain. Each piece conceals an aperture: a porthole in the
side of a finely crafted miniature ship or a peephole through a wooden skull. The
vessels are compelling, however the true beauty of this work is in the vast,
reality-defying, inner-worlds. Gandy creates mesmerizing scenes exuding wonder,
mystery and surprise. Using a variety of energy sources, including solar, balance,
wind and live performers, Gandy generates subtle movements within his vignettes.
In many pieces, it is the viewer during the act of viewing, which tips the balance and
prompts the motion within a piece. Using different methods of perspective altering
illusions, and varying mechanics, he keeps the viewer off-balance and involved. It is
this live aspect of the work, which creates a visceral bond between the sculpture
and those experiencing it, engaging the viewer through wonder and a desire to
understand without ever revealing the true constructs of his artwork.

Live!infili! opens on Thursday, September 9, 2010 with a private view with the artist
from 6 to 9 pm. This is Jason Gandy's first solo exhibition in Philadelphia and his first
with Rebekah Templeton Contemporary Art. The exhibition closes on Saturday,
October 23, 2010.

Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Saturday, 12-6 pm

www.rebekahtempleton.com

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Dos Funny Frogs in GRID Magazine!

This month's issue of GRID features a great article with Alex Suarez about his new cleaning company, Dos Funny Frogs, located at 223 W. Girard Ave.:
via. GRID


by Lee Stabert
After only a few minutes of conversation with Dos Funny Frogs’ Alex Suarez, it becomes clear that he has the mind of a scientist—discern a problem, research, test, solve. That enthusiasm for discovering a better (and greener) way to do things propels his business, a cleaning service and cleaning product manufacturer with an environmental bent, to growing success. Last month they opened a storefront location on a bustling section of Girard Avenue in Fishtown.

Suarez immigrated from Cuba over a decade ago. He attended Bucknell College, earning a degree in molecular biology. His mother, who followed him to America a year and a half later, started cleaning houses. “She doesn’t speak English, but she’s a very hard worker,” says Suarez. “Once I finished school, I noticed that she had a few customers, and that she was making a little bit of money.” Dos Funny Frogs was born.
“I wanted the name of the business to be something very different,” he explains. “And I wanted it to be Spanglish—unique to us, yet very friendly to Americans. So, that’s where ‘dos’ comes from—dos meaning two. It’s just me and my mother.” The “Frogs” part of the name was inspired by Suarez’s passion for biology. “I think they are very, very cool animals,” he continues. “So gentle, and they are a very good example of how we are devastating the environment.”

Once he went into business with his mother, Suarez started to notice all the waste that happens in cleaning operations. “My mother was spending a tremendous amount of money for paper towels,” he explains. “Why are we using paper towels? Not only are we killing a tremendous amount of trees, but we are spending a lot of money. So we had to do a little research, and it was, in my opinion, environmentally conscious to use rags that you can wash and reuse.” He also wanted to disinfect without the use of chemicals, so they came up with the idea of boiling the rags before reuse.
 Then it was onto the next challenge: Suarez was tired of using someone else’s cleaning products, so he got to work—research, test, solve. Dos Funny Frogs developed SAPOS, a hydrogen peroxide-based all-purpose cleaner scented with oil from discarded orange peels. (“I love orange. I love it. It’s like one of my things,” effuses Suarez.) Finding acceptable bottles was also a complicated task. They needed to be made in the US and composed of No. 2 plastic for recycling purposes. Suarez eventually found a suitable company in Iowa; their labels are manufactured locally using biodegradable ink. Eventually, the Fishtown storefront will house a refill station offering the cleaner at discounted rates.


In addition to the rags and the cleaner, Suarez has gone green with the company’s transportation system. To cut down on fuel costs and Frogs’ carbon footprint, employees travel en masse in the “Frog Mobile,” cleaning homes more quickly in larger teams. This eliminates the need for picking up and dropping off. The company’s website also features “The Frog Tracker,” allowing customers to remotely monitor the crew, seeing if they are en route, in progress or finished with the job.

Environmentalism informs every aspect of the business. The SAPOS label features a frog suspended in a bubble—it’s a carefully considered image. “Bubbles are very fragile,” says Suarez. “And that’s basically how everything is—life is very fragile. Today you have it and tomorrow you don’t. If we don’t take care of our everyday habits, the frogs will eventually be exterminated. Our great grandkids may never get to see a frog. I do have a real frog, by the way. She’s not here, yet. She’s at the old office. Her name’s Mango.”

dosfunnyfrogs.com, 215-740-5522,
223 W. Girard Ave

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July 10th, 6-9p, Art Opening @ Slingluff Gallery

July 10th, 6-9p, Art Opening
Featuring Artist Mike Egan
7/10 - 7/25
Slingluff Gallery, 11 W. Girard Ave.

View Current Artwork
Read About Mike



via Slingluff Gallery

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