PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia today announced details regarding its partnership with North Broad Renaissance to support local businesses as they begin to gradually reopen in the Green Phase. The City and VISIT PHILADELPHIA also announced a new online resource encouraging consumers to support local businesses on commercial corridors as they begin to reopen safely, with care.
North Broad Renaissance (NBR) launched the Reopened with Care campaign to help businesses on their corridor reopen safely when the Stay-at-Home Order was lifted, with the goal of not only supporting businesses but also restoring consumer confidence by letting people know that businesses are following recommended safety procedures to keep customers safe. The campaign served as the inspiration for the City’s overall plan for moving to the Green Phase—Reopening with Care—in an effort to promote a citywide message of safety and accountability for businesses.
“While the Reopened with Care campaign originated and has been going strong on North Broad, as we prepare to enter the Green Phase, the City is proud to help take this campaign citywide,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “As more businesses and activities resume, they must take the necessary steps to keep employees and customers safe and healthy. It is also critical that we help promote our local neighborhood businesses in every possible way, and I’m excited that VISIT PHILADELPHIA created a new online resource highlighting our diverse commercial corridors, which not only give this city its vibrant character, but are economic anchors for our communities.”
The City’s Department of Commerce and Philadelphia City Council will work with North Broad Renaissance to bring more commercial corridors throughout the city on board with the Reopened with Care campaign—getting them to sign a pledge committing to follow the Department of Public Health’s safety guidelines and supporting them with other needs associated with reopening.
As part of the collaboration with NBR, the following activities and initiatives will be rolled out in the coming weeks:
- A pledge that businesses can complete online, committing to the Reopened with Care standard.
- Distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other items to help businesses reopen safely.
- A Reopened with Care digital toolkit, where businesses can download posters about social distancing and safety precautions that they can hang in their establishments.
“Our neighborhood businesses are eager to reopen after the devastating economic impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shalimar Thomas, Executive Director of North Broad Renaissance. “As Philadelphia begins its gradual reopening, it is vital that standards are put in place—and followed—so employees and the public are safe, while protecting the health and economic vitality of our communities.”
Additional support for local businesses comes with VISIT PHILADELPHIA’s new online resource, “Explore These Small Businesses in Greater Philadelphia,” highlighting various commercial corridors in nearly 20 city neighborhoods and the four surrounding counties, encouraging people to support local restaurants and shops as they reopen. The continuously updated page, visitphilly.com/smallbusinesses, covers international restaurants, cool shops and fitness studios lining business corridors in neighborhoods from Mt. Airy to Mayfair and Germantown to City Avenue.
“Small businesses are a vital part of Philadelphia. They give our neighborhoods character and authenticity, and they’re a big part of the reason why people choose to travel here,” said Jeff Guaracino, president & CEO, VISIT PHILADELPHIA. “As we ease into reopening, locals will be the first ones to start dining out in restaurants, shopping at neighborhood boutiques, touring museums and staying in hotels again, and this new page on visitphilly.com is a great resource to help them do just that.”
NBR launched the Reopened with Care campaign to make health and safety a priority for local businesses, while providing marketing services to North Broad businesses who agree to the standard. This was especially important, as North Broad Street is home to predominantly Black communities that were among the most impacted and remain among the most vulnerable to the pandemic. The Reopened with Care campaign provides an opportunity to encourage businesses to open safely, with care, to protect their customers, employees, and the public as Philadelphia reopens. To learn more about supporting this initiative or to get involved, visit northbroad.org or email info@northbroad.org.