Makin' A Way Where There is No Way: Fostering Small Business Connections in Camden, New Jersey By Gayle Christiansen B.A. Sociology Kenyon College Gambier, Ohio (2005) Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in City Planning ARCHVES MASSACHUSETTS INSTffTE at the OF TECHNOLOGY MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUN 2 3 2010 June 2010 LIBRARIES C 2010 Gayle Christiansen. All Rights Reserved The author here by grants to MIT the permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of the thesis document in whole or in part. Author -... dDep tment of Ufban Studies anu Planning May 18, 2010 C e rtifie d b y _AH P r of__ o y t Profpsor/L leife Hoyt Derrtment of Urban Studies nd Planning Thesis Supervisor Accepted by Professor Joseph Ferreira Chair, MCP Committee Department of Urban Studies and Planning Makin' A Way Where There is No Way: Fostering Small Business Connections in Camden, New Jersey By Gayle Christiansen Submitted to the Department of Urban Studies and Planning on May 18, 2010 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in City Planning ABSTRACT In Camden, New Jersey, the benefits of state funded revitalization efforts focused on waterfront tourism and educational and medical institution expansion have yet to reach the city's current residents. The next iteration of this redevelopment strategy should include additional support and development of small businesses primarily located on the city's historic neighborhood commercial corridors. Camden small business owners have extensive local knowledge and experience in the city, view being located in Camden as a business opportunity, fill local market needs, give back to the community, and serve as role models. At the same time, these businesses face challenges, which include a lack of access to financial capital, a disconnect from economic development entities, an opaque and inefficient permitting and licensing process, and the challenge of promoting themselves in a city with a negative reputation. To overcome these challenges and better promote small business development, connections among the small businesses, between small businesses and government and economic development organizations, between small businesses and rooted institutions, and between small businesses and youth should be fostered. Thesis Supervisor: Lorlene Hoyt Title: Associate Professor of Urban Planning ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I'd first like to thank the small business owners interviewed for this project: Adam, Barry, Connie, Corrine, Darien, Esther, Eunice, Jose, Kelly, Luis, Manuel, Marcellus, Miguel, Ralph, Rhonda, Robert, and Tyrone. I appreciate hearing your stories and learning about the great value you bring to the city of Camden. I am also grateful for the city hall department directors, economic development organization members, and community leaders who connected me with small business owners and provided a clearer picture of the city's economic development. A special thanks to Ray Lamboy and Sue Brennan who gave additional guidance as the thesis came together. Of course I never would have come to write this thesis without first learning about the city through the eyes of my students. Thank you to them and my teaching colleagues who taught me the real value of local knowledge. I am grateful to Lorlene Hoyt for her guidance, encouragement and support not only in this project but throughout my time at MIT. It is a pleasure to work with someone who is so enthusiastic about small businesses and Camden. Also to Karl Seidman, who provided thought provoking feedback, which improved each draft. I also thank the collaborative thesis group writers who I undertook this experience with and to Alexa Mills for her willingness to share her blogging know-how and take the time to so carefully edit this work. On a more personal note, I want to thank my family and friends for their support. In particular Josh, who frequently discusses Camden with me, my dad who contributed greatly to my thinking about methodology and who latter read and commented on a first draft, and to the Bug who kept it all in perspective by reminding me when it was time for a walk, play, or dinner break. TABLE OF CONTENTS A City Invincible?................................................................................................................... 5 Dominance and Decline..................................................................... 6 O ne of M any ..................................................................................... 8 Rising "with the Investment"................................................................................. 9 Small Business Development: A Critical Aspect of A Revitalization Strategy.................................................................. 13 Finding Small Businesses.......................................................................... 20 Taking it to the Street......................................................................... 22 The Shoe Kings..................................................................... 22 Loida D aycare....................................................................... 22 U niform C ity ........................................................................... 23 Marcellus Construction............................................................... 24 Friends C af6............................................................................ 26 C ity E yes............................................................................... 26 Universal Foto Estudio............................................................. 27 Luis Records and Electronics....................................................... 27 Jackson Associates Group, LLC.................................................. 28 Camden Printworks................................................................... 28 Arline Construction and Institute.................................................. 29 T otal Perfection ........................................................................ 29 C orrine's Place......................................................................... 30 Flowers by Mendez and Jackel...................................................... 30 Caribbean Mega Center................................................................ 31 Lessons Learned............................................................................... 33 Uncovering the Value of Camden Small Businesses.......................................... 36 "W e Love Our C ity".............................. .............................................. 37 "There is Great Opportunity Here"........................................................... 38 "G ive B ack to the C ity"............................ ............................................ 46 "Normal People Would Just Quit".......................................................... 52 Small Business Disconnect.......................................................................... 58 Hard Times and "Scrappy Survivors"....................................................... 58 "A fraid to C om e In .............................. ............................................... 61 "There's Not a Whole Lot of Support Here"............................................... 62 "You Need Money, Money, Money"....................................................... 71 "On a Merry-Go-Round"..................................................................... 75 Fostering Small Business Connections............................................................... 84 Connecting with Each Other................................................................... 86 Connecting Small Businesses with Economic Development Organizations and City Government........................................ 89 Connecting with Rooted Institutions and the W aterfront.................................................................................... 97 C onnecting w ith Y outh......................................................................... 100 C onclu sion ........................................................................................ 105 CHAPTER 1: A CITY INVINCIBLE? This is a viable city. It was great and it still is. ~Iraida Afanador, Camden City Director of Code Enforcement In the fall of 2004, when I checked the box "region most in need" on my Teach for America application form, I began my journey in Camden, New Jersey. During my first drive through the city I was struck by a sign posted at the city's entrance reading, "Experience the Rebirth." I immediately felt confident in the task of raising the educational achievement of 7 th and 8th grade students. I thought making public such a slogan must mean the city acknowledges its current state and has a willingness to improve. At the time, I didn't know that Milton Milan, the mayor when these signs were issued, was the third mayor in two decades to go to prison on corruption charges, and that newspapers and the media claimed that the city was on the verge of rebirth each time city leadership changed.' As a teacher I found my students full of potential in a city lacking opportunity. The state cares about the city's redevelopment, as its money established an expanded aquarium, built a minor league baseball field and concert venue, improved the central business district streetscapes and expanded educational and medical institutions. Yet none of this appeared to touch my students