Tiffany Cantlin, owner of plus-size swimwear brand Swimbotie, sells her products online and at various pop-up stores, but maintaining momentum has been a struggle.
“I feel like people aren’t spending as much as they used to,” said Tiffany Cantlin, owner of Swimbotie, a plus-size swimwear store. (Kristen Mosbrucker Garza/WHYY)
Like Marrero, shipping costs have also cut into her bottom line.
“Everything is on the rise,” she said.
Pamela Thorton, owner of Pound Cake Heaven in Yeadon, said her shop has weathered the downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. She had hoped for a respite, but this year she’s seen fewer customers ordering. To combat the decline in sales, she cut her flavor selection from 24 to 12.
“It’s been really tough. Really, really tough. And I thank God that we’re able to survive in today’s economy. I mean, everything has skyrocketed and we’ve had to pivot and continue to survive,” she said.
Some of these companies are doing more than just cutting costs.
Meeka Johnson, a Philadelphia stylist who runs All Black Everything, a live shopping Instagram experience featuring creators like Indigo Stardust Candles, said this creative retail approach has helped her overcome challenges with overhead. Live shopping means founders take to social media and livestream to answer customer questions, show off products and show off what shoppers can expect.
“A lot of brick-and-mortar stores are closing. We have to transition to the future,” Johnson said. “We’re now doing live shopping with different Black brands across the country,” said Meeka Johnson, whose company All Black Everything offers a live shopping Instagram experience. (Kristen Mosbrucker Garza/WHYY)
But she keeps the collection of companies featured on social media within the U.S. to keep shipping costs and delivery times reasonable.
“If Amazon can deliver it in two days, we want it to be at least two or three days,” she said.
Still, the retail boom seen at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people had plenty of money to spare, has vanished.
“Some luxury brands are doing well, but everywhere is declining. If you’re a business, you have to be honest with yourself about how you’re going to save your business,” she said. Delaware Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester visited the booth of Pure Fuel, a local Black-owned hydration beverage company, along with Regina Hairston, president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. (Kristen Mosbrucker Garza/WHYY)
