Rochester businesses step up to 'support local'

After Covid-19 upended local commerce, a number of entrepreneurs and nonprofits stepped up to support the small business community. Now, as Rochester bounces back from the pandemic, some of those businesses are sticking around — and finding new ways to make it easier to shop local.

Wear Local

Three months ago, Ryan Froh founded Wear Local, an apparel company that gives 50 percent of its net profits to local businesses. Businesses in need can apply and Wear Local will create a temporary merchandise line for them. 

“We want people to put something on, represent their local community with a purpose behind it, and look good doing it,” says Froh. 

Froh says the apparel is printed in nearby Elgin, and businesses who sign up do not have to worry about overhead costs or carrying inventory. 

Wear Local has supported six local businesses and schools so far, including Riverside Elementary, Cameo, and Optical Vision with Flair.

“We either fund them or also help them with resources to help longer term — so a website, social media campaign, pay for some ads, etc.,” said Froh.

On Thursday, the company celebrated the grand opening of a new storefront at 415 South Broadway (next to INCubatoredu).

The store features Wear Local’s own apparel line alongside merchandise lines for local businesses. Wear Local also plans to renovate the 1,000-square-foot basement as a place to record podcasts.

Froh’s business partner, Pasquale Presa, said the store could become a destination for Mayo Clinic visitors as downtown looks to revive foot traffic.

“We’re just right around the corner,” said Presa. “They can come here and get memorabilia, something that's unique to Rochester.” 

Threshold Arts

Just one block away, another local organization is finding ways to support the area’s artists and makers.

Threshold Arts, a nonprofit arts organization, opened a market and gallery this past winter at 311 South Broadway, next to Café Steam.

Naura Anderson, director of Threshold Arts, said the idea behind the retail space was to help promote local artists, many of whom were unable to sell their art through fairs and other events.

The store now features work from more than 40 artists and makers.

“We want to support and empower artists at every level,” said Anderson. “And find ways to connect them with the community.”

The front half of the store functions as a retail area — displaying everything from handmade candles and wooden items to traditional paintings. The back half is a gallery, showcasing the work of different artists.

Threshold Arts also plans on reactivating its programming with lessons on stained glass mosaics, painting, photography, and more.

Gift Rochester

After local corporate gift-giving venture Gift Rochester successfully piloted a program in 2020, founder Sarah Miller says her team plans to launch several new and updated programs in the latter half of the year.

To date, programs developed by Gift Rochester — located between Wear Local and Threshold at 319 South Broadway — have generated over $280,000 in revenue for Rochester-area businesses. Instead of working directly with consumers, Gift Rochester reaches out to employers to act as a third-party facilitator, making it easier for managers to give local, thoughtful gifts to their employees.

“We want to have a huge impact in downtown Rochester and throughout the city,” said Miller. “Our mission is for corporations to buy their gifts locally, so those dollars circulate throughout the community — and to that end, our business is continuing to change and evolve to meet the needs of our clients.”

Miller says her creative team, which encompasses Gift Rochester and branding agency White Space, is “focusing on a strong holiday season and fourth quarter,” with several new programs in line to debut or restart this year — food vouchers, curated gift boxes, and online shopping portals among them.

“I’m super happy with what our team’s already accomplished, but there’s still so much left to do,” said Miller.

Haley Handelman is a summer news intern for Med City Beat. A graduate of Mayo High School, she now studies at Northwestern University.

Isaac Jahns contributed to this report.