‘It’s been busy already so far’: Philly’s historic Chestnut Hill sees solid foot traffic on Small Business Saturday

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For the past 13 months, Germantown native Gralin Hughes Jr. has been living his small business dream through Multiverse, a store he co-owns with his spouse, Sara Zia Ebrahimi Hughes.

“The idea of multiverse is that there are multiple realities and anything can happen,” said Hughes Jr., who is also an adjunct professor at Arcadia University. “We want to invite people who come in from all different backgrounds, different realities, different ways of living where all these things [and people] can exist together.”

Multiverse sells fantasy, magical realism, comic books, graphic novels, science fiction, collectibles and “nerd stuff” often created by local artists. The store was open during Small Business Saturday, an event promoted by the Chestnut Hill Business Association, which has many independent retailers among its membership.

“It’s been busy already so far. We had a great year,” Hughes Jr. said. “We have good foot traffic on the hill. It’s a destination for folks traveling.”

Small Business Saturday was launched in 2010 by American Express as a national initiative  to counter Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which primarily focuses on drawing shoppers to big box retailers and shopping malls. For Philadelphia retail corridors such as Chestnut Hill, the event allows the opportunity to drum up support for its independent businesses.

This year, the Chestnut Hill Business Association partnered with shop owners to offer free trolley rides dubbed a sleigh, for weary shoppers, trekking up and down the hill.

On Saturday morning, despite near freezing temperatures, hundreds of shoppers descended on Germantown Avenue, popping in and out of shops. The sidewalks were full on both sides of the street and parking along Germantown Avenue was scarce.

Courtney O’Neill, executive director for the Chestnut Hill Business District, said the corridor has always attracted independent mom and pop stores and shoppers who love the historic charm and the smaller store footprints.

“Some of the spaces don’t lend themselves to anything but maybe a quirky mom-and-pop store or a fun little bakery,” O’Neill said. “This neighborhood is almost like a little bit of an oasis, we’re part of the city but it’s really walkable and there’s lots of trees, flowers and green space. We try very hard to maintain that aspect of being able to breathe fresh air in the middle of the city.”

Over the years, Chestnut Hill has become a destination for shoppers and retailers. In 2022, 10 new businesses opened their doors on Germantown Avenue. In 2023, the corridor added nine more. And this year it has already added 11 new businesses so far.

“That to me is a sign that there’s confidence and momentum within the neighborhood that we’re doing something right,” she said.

O’Neill said that small businesses are more creative and they extend beyond products to offer services and classes. Many of the stores are pet friendly, and allow dogs on leashes.

“Things like that bring people into their space and allow them to feel part of a community,” she said.

The Chestnut Hill community has changed over the years and the store owners are much more diverse in background and experiences, said Georgia Forjohn, who along with her mother Susanna Forjohn, co-owns Giraffe, a womens’ fashion boutique.

Giraffe has been around for three decades, bearing witness to the changes in the retail landscape of Chestnut Hill. Forjohn said shoppers’ habits are also transforming.

“I think since the pandemic, the customer mindset has shifted and that people are more interested in shopping small,” she said. “I know for me, I spend way less now because I don’t need as much stuff and I want to make sure that when I’m spending it’s something that I really want.”

Hughes Jr. said he is also noticing that even though customers can purchase the same products online, they are choosing to pay him and his spouse a visit at the store.

“We have our customers who come out because they want to talk about their week, about their day and that’s one aspect of having our shop here that I really love,” he said. “You could order these books anywhere but coming into the store and being able to talk about these stories. I love when customers meet each other in the store and start talking about some of the things that they’re reading.”

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misidentified the neighborhood Gralin Hughes Jr. grew up in.