Meet Kasie! The warm and bubbly woman who wanted to give Philly makers a home.
Bio
Meet Kasie! Kasie grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and has always considered the city her home. After college, in Radnor, PA., her love for Philly grew tenfold when she moved into the city limits in 2014. Like most Philadelphians, she can’t get enough of The Eagles, the food, and the parks. Though her favorite thing about Philly is the people!
This past summer Kasie and her partner bought their first home together. When she’s not running her business Kasie loves trying new restaurants, traveling, and most of all snuggling with her dog Pax!
Origin Story
Kasie has a love for all the special small businesses in Philly and believes it’s what makes the city so unique. When the pandemic started, Kasie worried the restaurants, bars, shops, makers, and local businesses she loves would not survive. She was in constant search on how to help.
So, Kasie got to work. She started an Instagram to post anything she could find about how to help support local businesses. If stores were doing fundraisers, online orders, pick up windows, etc., she would let her followers know. During this time Kasie realized so many Philadelphians wanted to help, but did not know where to start or where to find the things they wanted. As physical spaces started to find ways to do business she felt the makers were still left struggling.
“Going into quarantine I was definitely disenchanted with my job and industry in general. I hadn’t felt passionate about finance in a really long time. Quarantine gave everyone lots more downtime and it gave me a lot of time to dream!” So, Kasie went to work again. The next step was starting an online store platform for local creators to sell their products. Kasie saw that the online store was working, but knew if she wanted to make the impact she was hoping for, she would need to open a brick and mortar location. She went for it! On October 15th, 2020, Kasie opened the doors to Local PHL Market.
Roses and Thorns
Kasie loves the social aspect of owning her business. Getting to know locals and tourists alike always brings her joy. She loves sending people home with a little piece of Philadelphia. And, if you want a recommendation on things to do and places to stop by, she’s happy to help you out!
It’s been a year since Kasie opened and the biggest hurdle so far has been the unpredictability. “The rollercoaster, I’m starting to get used to it but owning a business is a lot of ups and downs and a lot of pivoting. Just when you think you have something figured out something changes on you. Also, I miss having co-workers. It can get lonely sometimes. That’s why I love all the customers so much!”
1135 Pine St, Philadelphia, PA 19107
https://localphlmarket.com/
@localphl_
