Salt & Vinegar

1. How did you come up with the name of your business?
I knew I wanted to carry items like salts, spices and this really wonderful brand of vinegars, Keepwell Vinegar. I love anything salt and vinegar flavored and I wanted something fun and food-related, so when I thought of this pairing, I knew it fit.

2. What is your business and who are your customers?
I own a specialty food shop called Salt & Vinegar located at 905 S 9th Street in the heart of the Italian Market. We offer a curated selection of local food, drinks and gifts, and especially products from women, immigrant and minority-owned brands.

3. How did you get started in this business?
I have worked in food for over 20 years, although the bulk of my experience has been working with larger global brands such as Whole Foods, Chipotle and Starbucks, and primarily in a marketing capacity. Like almost everyone else in food in Philly, I also had a stint at Di Bruno Bros as the Marketing Manager.

4. How did you choose the location and how is it a good fit for your business?
Well, when I opened up our first location on Christian Street, it was because we had a vacant space that needed some life and this was meant to be a temporary experiment. Moving to our current location on 9th Street was definitely purposeful in an attempt to have a more finished and updated space and see a little more foot traffic and be in the center of things. I absolutely love the Italian Market - it's quirky, irreverent, and so real. And, of course, the best destination in Philly for food, groceries and specialty shops.

5. What excites and energizes you most about your work?
I love being able to work with founders and startups that are beginning their journey. It's a tough, sometimes lonely road, and you don't know what you don't know, and I'd like to think after 20+ years, I've learned some things about this industry that can be useful to others getting started. And there is no greater feeling that seeing your little babies grow up and get onto the shelves of Riverwards, Mom's, Sprouts and Whole Foods and beyond.

6. Do you have a favorite memory of running your business since you've started?
This past Thanksgiving's eve stood out to me - I had a customer who had visited us last year that I remembered helping to put together a special gift box for his brother and he let me know his brother had really loved it! This year, we were helping him find the perfect cheeses, meats and jams for a cheese and charcuterie board, and at the same time we had folks visiting from New York looking for recommendations for dinner in the neighborhood, and someone else came in looking for rolls and snagged the last of the Lost Bread parker house rolls just before we closed. I was working late that day with Jessie, the first person I had hired back in 2022, and it just felt so good. The shop was cozy, we were slinging Pie Bird pies all day, and we got to make people's holidays better because of what we do. That's the part I will never get tired of.

7. What is one thing you need in your workspace to make it your own?
Music! I have to have the ability to turn up a playlist or artist based on my mood, the day of the week or what I have on my plate.

8. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room, what would it be?
This is so weird, but "Come Downstairs and Say Hello" by Guster. It's one of my favorite songs and seems like a sleeper but then it builds into something special. And I love the lyrics and message of being half asleep and then waking up and walking into a new direction. I think it's important to know you can always change directions and start again. Mistakes and failures are part of the process.

9. Do you go in Philadelphia for inspiration?
I wish my answer was the river front or the Wissahickon or something like that, but really it's other retail shops and farmers markets. That's where I'm happiest and I will always love being able to see, feel, smell real locally grown and made products or see a gorgeous display and excellent merchandising. I can't imagine anyone setting foot into Occasionette and not being super inspired and awed.

10. What’s your favorite piece of Philly culture?
I will have to say Isaiah Zagar's mosaics. I love that our neighborhood is so adorned with them and you never know when you're going to turn a corner and find an incredible surprise.

11. What’s your favorite local meal?
Ooh this is so hard because we're in the best neighborhood for food (in my opinion)! I am going to have to say Taco Heart for consistently excellent food that I enjoy at least weekly for breakfast or lunch. Everything there is just so good! Honorable mentions to my other favorites: Gleaners, Blue Corn, Royal Tavern and Alice.

12. What did you want to be when you were younger? Does that have any significance to what you do now?
I wanted to be a journalist for most of my childhood. At some point along the way, I think I decided I wasn't a good enough writer and went down the path of business. Although now both in marketing and as the Publisher of Edible Philly, I have to write all the time. Don't ask me to write anything longform but I can write social captions and blog posts with my eyes closed.

When I read "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand in college it had a profound effect on me. I think a lot `of people misunderstand Rand's teachings or just hear the sound bites. But the biggest takeaways that stuck with me to this day, and really influenced my outlook on business especially, come from her teachings: 'Work hard to achieve a life of purpose and productiveness' and 'Prosper by treating others as individuals, trading value for value.'

14. What do you need to make a decision?
A deadline! Ha ha, but seriously, I think prioritization or a sense of urgency often are the drivers of a lot of my decision making - the retail food world is full of emergencies, order windows, seasonality, and holidays that force you to be able to make strategic and important decisions very quickly, all the time. You have to assess the situation and assign priority quickly and hopefully you've prepared for this scenario in advance and have some good options in your toolbox. Ok, that sounds like we're dealing with brain surgery or something. It's not that serious, but I do think many of us are quite well versed at handling high pressure and thriving in a fast paced environment.

15. Do you have any plans or future projects you are working on?
Always! Right now we are operating a temporary holiday market in Reading Terminal Market in collaboration with Sisterly Love Collective and Les Dames d'Escoffier. The market will showcase products from over 25 Sisterly Love members and will be hosting pop ups and sampling events all month long. We'll be open from now until December 31st so definitely stop by!

 

To be in the know of all of the local Philly gems, follow Salt & Vinegar on Instagram, and check out the website at https://www.salt-and-vinegar.com/