KYW Newsradio's Community Comeback series checks in on Philadelphia neighborhoods and livelihoods to find out how small businesses made it through the pandemic and how they are surviving, and even thriving, today.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A colorful mural of musical instruments covers the facade of Centro Musical at the corner of N. 5th Street and Lehigh Avenue in West Kensington. Painted notes seem to stream from the front door of the shop. But co-owner Milagros Meléndez says, for them, the music has all but died.
"With this pandemic, it's terrible. We can hardly stand up," she said. "It's very hard. Right now not even one customer came in."
Centro Musical (464 W. Lehigh Ave.) specializes in the sale of Latin American music and instruments. Meléndez says the business has been a staple in the neighborhood's Latin American community for the last seven years. However, in the last 18 months, the economic effects of the pandemic have led many of even their most faithful customers to cut back on spending.
In the beginning of the downturn, when customers had some federal assistance cash, Meléndez says, they did spend a little bit at the store, but then everything went down again.
Meléndez says, like many of the stores around them in North Philly's 5th Street commercial corridor, they have had to make a shift in the merchandise they offer to attract customers. She says, however, that move is not always enough to keep a business from going under.
"We saw a lot of business closing, yeah," she said.
Meléndez says they have not gotten any federal pandemic loans or financial assistance, but that's not deterring them from keeping their doors open. For now, they are keeping the music on.
"I take it one day at a time," she said. "That's all we can do: Hope for the better."
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As Christopher Smalls can attest, there are signs of hope up and down N. 5th Street. For the last five years, he has dedicated his time and his money into opening 365 Fitness Loft and Boxing Club (1855 N 5th St).
"It actually broke my pockets," he said.
And then, just as he was putting the finishing touches on the two-floor, state-of-the-art gym and boxing loft, the pandemic struck.
"It was kind of real depressing," he said. "I worked so hard. Five years of work. Like, when am I going to be able to enjoy my success?"
Smalls says he took at huge blow with the city's gym shutdown mandate, because he was not able to get any local, state or federal assistance.
"I had to brave the waters by myself. I wasn't eligible because I was never occupied," he said.
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With more-relaxed coronavirus restrictions now in place, Smalls is seeing some relief. But they are not out of the woods just yet.
"The business has been good, but kind of slow, because people have been afraid to come back to the gym," he said.
Smalls' fiancée, Nadirah Cotton, has been along for the ride with him.
"I feel extremely blessed, extremely grateful," she said — not only because of his success but for hers as well. She recently opened a juice bar inside the gym.
"We're open and we're actually doing good business, and we're meeting customers," she said. "It's a good feeling, definitely a good feeling."
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Smalls says even though the pandemic is not over, the neighborhood around him has sprung to life.
"I've seen a lot of businesses open around here," he said, adding he hopes it's not a fleeting trend.
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