Best of Local - October 2019

BEST of LOCAL A SELECTION OF THE BEST BUSINESSES FROM THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA AREA

KIMBERLY BARR Local interior designer treats each room she designs like a work of art page 8

TRUE FOOD KITCHEN True Food Kitchen prepares food that makes you feel better, not worse page 6

LITTLE BAGS.BIG IMPACT The sale of these little bags is having a big impact on childhood literacy page 22

HEMLOCK AND HYDE High-quality, ethically produced leather goods made in Philadelphia page 10

EDITOR’S NOTE DEAR READER, I am so excited to bring you this new edition of Best of Local! I genuinely had the best time interviewing each of these amazing business owners, from Leanne Polidore of Hemlock and Hyde, to Kris Mendoza of Maestro Filmworks, to young Anna Welsh of littlebags.bigimpact. Anna’s success proves that determination and commitment to your dream can go a long way, no matter what age you are.

I learned so much from what these men and women had to say about their businesses and the challenges of running them – and I hope that you’ll learn something from them too! This book features a portion of each interview, but if one or more of these businesses piques your interest, you can find the full interview on our blog at ConlinsPress.com in the “Local Business” section.

Want to see your business featured in the next edition of Best of Local? Email me at ldalessandro@conlinscopy.com to see if your company is a fit for this book!

Best Wishes,

Lauren D’Alessandro Marketing Coordinator Conlin’s Print

TABLE OF CONTENTS TRUE FOOD KITCHEN

6

KIMBERLY BARR

8

HEMLOCK & HYDE

10

IVORY TREE PORTRAITS

12

MAESTRO FILMWORKS

16

STILLPOINT YOGA & FLOAT

18

NAVONA HANDMADE

20

LITTLE BAGS.BIG IMPACT

22

THE HISTORY OF CONLIN’S

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TRUE FOOD KITCHEN IS COOKING UP SOMETHING HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS

Name: Joel Stark Occupation: General Manager Company: True Food Kitchen Connect: www.truefoodkitchen.com The mission is simple: True Food Kitchen prepares food that makes you feel better, not worse, and offers a menu that celebrates the season’s most delicious and nutritious ingredients.

The award-winning restaurant brand opened its doors in King of Prussia in July 2017 and is quickly becoming a national phenomenon, with a home base in Arizona and 28 locations located across 12 states.

LAUREN: TELL ME ABOUT THE MENU THAT TRUE FOOD KITCHEN OFFERS. JOEL: True Food Kitchen’s flavor-forward menu rotates seasonally to allow guests to experience the season’s most delicious and nutrient-dense produce at the peak of its freshness and flavor. The menu features a variety of handcrafted cocktails and freshly pressed natural beverages, as well as signature dishes like the Ancient Grains Bowl, Grass-fed Steak Tacos, and Inside Out Quinoa Burger. Many of the brand’s delicious dishes are appropriate for a vegan, vegetarian or gluten-friendly lifestyle.

L: WHICH ASPECT OF TRUE FOOD’S CONCEPT HAS MOST CONTRIBUTED TO ITS SUCCESS? J: The integrity of its ingredients. We pride ourselves on emphasizing wholesome, simple ingredients with thoughtful preparations to highlight the natural health benefits and flavors of each ingredient. We prepare our food in the dining room, so there’s a real transparency in our food to let the ingredients that we use shine.

L: TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE UNIQUE EVENTS THAT THIS RESTAURANT HOSTS. J: On Saturday morning a couple of times a month we do some local business activities. We partner with Stillpoint Yoga and we host yoga here – we’ve had up to 35 people doing yoga in the restaurant. One of my favorites is Bar at the Barre, [where] they actually use the bar top as the barre. They do a barre workout while having a mimosa!

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INTERIOR DESIGNER KIMBERLY BARR GIVES HER ROOMS AN ARTIST’S TOUCH

Name: Kimberly Barr Occupation: Interior Designer Company: Kimberly Barr Interior Design Connect: www.kbarrinteriordesign.com Kimberly Barr has been a professional interior designer since 2001, but she’s been passionate about design since childhood.

After graduating from the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Kimberly has enjoyed an award-winning career and plenty of satisfied clients.

Besides her artistic eye, Kimberly owes much of her success to her strong people skills and her ability to create designs that are both beautiful and welcoming. She is especially adept at understanding each client’s personal style and creating a design that reflects their taste.

LAUREN: BESIDES DESIGN EXPERTISE, WHAT QUALITIES MAKE YOU MORE EFFECTIVE AT DESIGNING FOR CLIENTS? KIMBERLY: I’m a very social people person, and I listen very well to my clients. I think that’s one of the things I hear the most from them. They’ve worked with designers who just decide to create their own vision without listening to what the client really wants. A designer needs to listen, not just create what they have in their head.

L: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PLACES TO DRAW DESIGN INSPIRATION FROM? K: I like trade shows and visiting showrooms. I feel that’s where I’m going to get the most up-to-date trends and what’s new and hot out there. I like Pinterest of course, but I feel more inspired by pieces I’ve never seen before in Design Trade showrooms.

L: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE DRIVING MOTIVATION BEHIND THE WORK THAT YOU DO? K: I’m completely obsessed with design – I have been since I was really little. My grandmother was a decorator. I come from a whole family of artists, so I’ve always been around the arts. I was born to do this – I never wanted to be anything else. To me, creating the design [for each home] is like creating a piece of art.

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HEMLOCK AND HYDE PRODUCES QUALITY, ETHICALLY MADE LEATHER GOODS

Name: Nick & Leanne Polidore Occupation: Owners and Designers Company: Hemlock and Hyde Connect: www.hemlockandhyde.com High-quality, locally sourced and ethically produced leather goods – that’s what you get when you make a purchase from Hemlock and Hyde. Founded by husband and wife team Nick and Leanne Polidore, Hemlock and Hyde came into being when a good friend of the couple gifted them with $3,000 worth of vintage hides that were destined for a landfill. After a few personal design experiments with this new material, the company was born.

LAUREN: YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND STARTED THIS BUSINESS TOGETHER. WHAT ROLE DOES EACH OF YOU PLAY IN RUNNING THE BUSINESS? LEANNE: We both work on the design side. He designs the men’s line mostly and I design the women’s line mostly. He tends to design more of the wax canvas bags that we carry, and I design more of the leather. We do a combination of both. I work more on the design end [because of] my personal background [in design], and because of his love of business, he [works] more on the business end.

L: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU ENCOUNTERED IN STARTING YOUR BUSINESS? L: Marketing! That was where we were struggling at the beginning. We had cool designs and great feedback from people who saw it. We knew we had something good, but how would we get that out into the rest of the world? Really, marketing it toward the right people has been the most difficult part. I think we’ve finally hit our stride on Instagram, which is our main point of marketing. We’ve really started to make a name for ourselves.

L: WHICH STYLE IS THE MOST POPULAR WITH CUSTOMERS, AND WHICH STYLE IS YOUR PERSONAL FAVORITE? L: The Circle Cross-Body Bag is our number one seller. My favorite is the Half Circle Dowel Bag. I think it’s the most unique and it’s the purse that I personally use the most. It’s very stylish and you can actually fit quite a bit in it. You can use it as either a shoulder bag or a clutch.

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IVORY TREE PORTRAITS HELPS FAMILIES PRESERVE PRECIOUS MOMENTS

Name: Lara Aman Mattey Occupation: Owner and Photographer Company: Ivory Tree Portraits Connect: www.ivorytreeportraits.com The studio is gorgeous, and the portraits that come out of it are even more stunning. Lara Aman Mattey is the owner of Ivory Tree Portraits, a photography studio in Wayne, PA that specializes in family and newborn sessions.

Lara works with a team of three other female photographers, each an artist in her own right. They work hard to capture beautiful images that preserve precious memories for their clients, many of whom they have photographed for years.

LAUREN: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH A TEAM OF OTHER WOMEN? LARA: What’s amazing about this team is that it’s ubercollaborative. We are all artists. Everybody that’s on this team takes an enormous amount of pride in the work that they do; it’s their gift that they are sharing with the world. I think what makes us so strong is that collaboration. We all [bounce] ideas off of each other. Everybody is truly engaged in creating the most amazing product and experience we can offer.

L: TELL ME ABOUT THE CLIENTS THAT YOU PHOTOGRAPH. L: I think that a very important thing is that we grow with our families. We know their kids, we know what they like, and their kids know us. We watch them grow, and we get to capture every single one of those moments. We just had a session earlier this week – dads whose adoption was finalized. They came into us the day their adoption was finalized to capture that momentous [occasion]. We have this tremendous responsibility and honor to be included in these special moments.

L: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF RUNNING A PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO? L: Obviously, it’s working with amazingly talented artists! I also love meeting our clients. I’ve owned the studio for 3 years and have gotten to watch our smallest clients grow into little people.

I’m totally sentimental - every piece of artwork in my home has a personal meaning or connection. Being able to give that to other families is incredibly powerful.

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MAESTRO FILMWORKS EXCELS AT STORYTELLING

Name: Kris Mendoza Occupation: Founder and Executive Producer Company: Maestro Filmworks Connect: www.maestrofilmworks.com Maestro Filmworks is a Philadelphia-based, award-winning production company with a gift for storytelling. Their production team is more than just a technically talented group of people.

This team really gets to know each client and their industry on a deeper level to tell their story in the most authentic and engaging way. Founder and Executive Producer Kris Mendoza spoke with us about his company, his team, and how he got his start in filmmaking.

LAUREN: WHAT SETS YOU APART FROM OTHER VIDEO PRODUCTION COMPANIES? KRIS: We lead with the story first. While we are [knowledgeable on] the technological aspects of filmmaking and creating videos, stories are what people ultimately connect to. We really get to know our customers and clients and what it is they offer so that we can better craft their story to tell their narrative.

L: WHERE DOES THE NAME OF THE COMPANY COME FROM? K: I was working on a documentary 14 years ago. The name of the documentary was called The Maestro. It was about my grandfather, who was the National Artist for Music in the Philippines. He composed the lyrics to the national anthem. I felt like no one was telling that story. I found out about it through a textbook, and I didn’t even know that it was my own grandfather that the book was talking about. I set out to create a full-length feature documentary. The name just stuck as the company name.

L: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF FILM PRODUCTION? K: Creativity and collaboration. We get to produce videos that we are proud of. There are certain projects that I love to watch over and over because I know what went into it, technically and creatively. On the collaboration aspect, filmmaking is such a collaborative medium. There’s no one person who can do everything themselves. When you start to work with other creatives that you really respect, everyone brings something to the table and that’s when great things happen.

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STILLPOINT YOGA AND FLOAT IS THE PERFECT WAY TO RELAX YOUR BODY AND MIND

Name: Dianne Rutstein Occupation: Owner Company: Stillpoint Yoga and Float Connect: www.stillpointyogafloat.com Stillpoint Yoga Studio first opened in 2004, and Dianne Rutstein took over ownership in 2012. This unique spa is the only one in the Philadelphia region offering the combination of yoga and flotation, two services that are extremely beneficial when practiced together.

This past September of 2018, Stillpoint moved into their current location off of First Avenue in King of Prussia, which allowed the business to expand. It boasts two studio rooms for classes and the new addition of flotation therapy. Yoga classes are offered seven days a week, and float sessions are scheduled Tuesday through Sunday.

LAUREN: CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOUR FLOATATION THERAPY SERVICES ENTAIL? DIANNE: For our floatation therapy, we have four private suites.

You can book a 60- or 90- minute session. When you enter a suite, it’s your own private space. You lock the door behind you, and you have a shower and dressing area. The float pool itself is like a large bathtub with ten and a half inches of skin temperature water. Approximately 1200 pounds of Epsom salt is dissolved in the water. There is a light in the tanks, with a spectrum of eight different colors. We also have relaxing music, or you can bring your own music to listen to, if you choose.

L: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF YOGA/FLOTATION? D: I discovered yoga about 20 years ago, and I am a cancer survivor. I had gotten a little weak from the treatments, and yoga brought my body back. I was able to build strength. [It also helped me with anxiety.] Suddenly my sleep changed, and I wasn’t waking up in a panic. Floating did the same thing for me. I started because I had low back pain and I found that being supported by that water was relieving my back pain and took me to a new level of meditation at the same time. I [feel like] I’m doing the right thing when I see that my clients experience these benefits, too.

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THREE ARTISANS COLLABORATE TO FORM NAVONA HANDMADE

Name: Julia, Beth, & Christine Occupation: Owners and Artisans Company: Navona Handmade Connect: www.navonahandmade.com Navona Handmade is a collective of three art school friends who decided to use their artistic abilities to create a company that sells handmade items. Every year Christine, Bethany, and Julia take trips to new and inspiring places, and each collection’s design is based on the experience of that vacation. This inspiration leads to a gorgeous collection of fiber work, pottery, and jewelry.

LAUREN: HOW DID NAVONA HANDMADE GET IT’S START? CHRISTINE: There are three of us. I’m a jeweler, my friend Julia is a fiber artist, and Beth is a potter. We met as college freshmen at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. In 2015, Julia asked us if we wanted to run a business together.

The idea was that if we all shared the work of social media, of running the website, of photographing, that it would be easier to run a business together. Since we all work in different mediums, we set out to find a way to make a common thread between our work, and what we settled on in the end is going on vacation together. The vacation is the source of inspiration for our work.

We go on two trips a year [and afterwards] we sit down together, look at pictures we took, and we start designing work based on our vacation.

L: TELL ME ABOUT THE PROCESS OF MAKING YOUR PRODUCTS. C: Everything that I make starts in my sketchbook. I have to lay out full plans for the scale of things, for the wearability, and for textures. I make my actual work using CAD, which stands for computer-aided design. It’s a process where you’re drawing and sketching in three dimensions on the computer screen. The jewelry that I make is 3-D printed, and it comes off the printer in a wax material. Then you can go into this wax and carve it, add textures, and make it a little bit more unique. Then I take that wax and I cast it in metal. Most of the pieces I’ve made for Navona are cast in sterling silver, and sometimes they have gemstones that are set into them. For the collection that we are working on currently, we are planning on making mostly oneof-a kind pieces.

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THESE LITTLE BAGS ARE LEAVING A BIG IMPACT ON CHILD LITERACY

Name: Anna Welsh Occupation: Owner and Designer Company: littlebags.bigimpact Connect: www.littlebagsbigimpact.com In a 2016 sewing class, Anna, then 12, crafted three clutch bags.

Her mother was carrying one of them around shopping when multiple shopkeepers were intrigued by the bright colors and unique pattern and asked, “Where did you get that bag?”

That’s where everything began. Now 14, Anna and her mother, Cynthia, have been working to grow littlebags.bigimpact while Anna attends school. What started with a simple bag has turned into a thriving business, with 15% of the proceeds going to an organization that promotes child literacy in Philadelphia.

LAUREN: 15% OF THE PROCEEDS OF YOUR BAGS GOES TO CHILDHOOD LITERACY. CAN YOU BRIEFLY EXPLAIN THIS CAUSE AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU? ANNA: Treehouse Books is a literacy center. They are also a giving library where they donate books to kids. The kids can come in just like the library and take the books without money, and they don’t have to give them back. They do other programs like Words on Wheels where they go around the neighborhood donating book packages. I chose them because I am passionate about education. In Philadelphia there’s only one book that’s age-appropriate in about 300 homes. When I saw that I was stunned, and I really had to do something about it.

L: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU ENCOUNTERED IN STARTING YOUR BUSINESS? A: Production was number one, because I wanted everything to be handmade in America and all locally sourced. I couldn’t do it all myself because the demand was high, so having to find sewers in Philadelphia was a challenge. However, I reached out to my business network and found two local sewers to assist in production. It was also challenging to realize that I couldn’t do everything myself, especially as the business grew. I learned from a mentor to really think about and determine what I’m good at. Do those things for the business and then build a team of experts who can support me in what I’m not good at. This has probably been the most valuable lesson not only for the growth of littlebags.bigimpact, but also for my own personal growth.

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THE HISTORY OF CONLIN’S FROM THE BEGINNING, Conlin’s was a family affair, founded by husband and wife team Mike and Jane Conlin in 1980. Mike grew up in the printing business working for Philadelphia Blue Print Company, Teledyne Post, and the Xerox Corporation.

With his extensive knowledge of the print and copy industry, Mike launched his own venture in 1980. Since the inception of Conlin’s, Mike had always pursued the latest in technological advances in his field, and he built a successful business by staying ahead of the curve while still maintaining a personal approach.

In his younger years, Mike took on a variety of jobs, which included working as a milkman and a bellhop. When there wasn’t any work available, he hitchhiked to California to find work. Always an entrepreneur, he once sold trash bags at JFK stadium to protect Army-Navy game fans from the rain. At one point, he even had a t-shirt stand on the Wildwood boardwalk where he printed people’s photos onto t-shirts.

On July 22, 1950 at the age of 20, Jane and Mike tied the knot.

At the time, Mike was honing his salesmanship abilities at Philadelphia Blueprint. He also worked for Xerox from 19751980. At last in 1980, Mike borrowed $10,000 each from two friends to start his own venture, Conlin’s Copy Center.

Mike, Jane, and their son Bill all came together to get the company up and running. In that time, it was unusual for women to be a part of the workforce. Jane not only worked for Conlin’s, but she shepherded the early computerization of the company.

Five years later, Michael, his other son, joined the company as well. To keep costs down, the first Conlin’s delivery truck was a purple mail truck. This truck was actually Bill’s personal vehicle for a time.

Today, Conlin’s has expanded to two locations in King of Prussia and Malvern, and other family members have joined the business along the way. Bill Conlin, President, operates the business office with Bill Conlin, Jr. a Sales Executive. Businesses of all sizes trust Conlin’s to deliver quality printing and fast turnarounds. When other printers can’t meet your deadline, Conlin’s can! Our family approach to business has resulted in long-time loyal employees, some who have been with us for over 26 years.

For print inspiration, design tutorials, and marketing tips, please visit us online: www.conlinspress.com

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CREDITS DESIGN & CONTENT

LAYOUT & DESIGN Jaime A. Zucker - www.sugarlanegraphics.com INTERVIEWS & ARTICLES Lauren D’Alessandro

ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION Xerox Iridesse ®

TM

PRINTED ON: Production Press

PAPER STOCK: Cover: 120# Silk Cover Text: 100# Silk Text FINISHING: Horizon Perfect Binder BQ-280 with PUR Glue

KING OF PRUSSIA

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1011 West Eighth Avenue King of Prussia, PA 19406 610-337-4460 kingofprussia@conlinscopy.com

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