Young entrepreneur Ashley Bohan finds a home in Philadelphia’s restaurant scene

By: Sarah Punderson

Philadelphia, Pa- Six years ago, Kennett Restaurant owner Ashley Bohan came to Philadelphia for a doctors visit and decided not to leave. It was almost as if the city chose her.

Ashley Bohan (l), owner of Kennett Restaurant.

“I told my dad to drop me off at the Free Library, and I would find my own way home,” Bohan said.

Within two weeks, the Toms River, N.J. native had gotten an apartment and made fourth and

Pine St.

her home. Bohan and I know each other from her brief stint in Catholic education, where we attended Saint Joseph’s Grade School together (seventh and eighth grade) in Toms River. Facebook reunited the two of us a year ago when I saw she was living in Philadelphia. We hadn’t seen each other since we were 13 years old.

After high school, Bohan was hit by a car while attending the University of West Virginia in her sophomore year. Dealing with injuries related to the accident, she moved home, went to the local community college and then Rutgers-Camden once she made her move to Philly. Nearly 200 college credits to her name, Bohan did not earn a degree. She selected a different path.

“I started working in the restaurant business when I was 13 in Long Beach Island (N.J.). My first job with (renowned Philadelphia restaurateur) Stephen Starr came in 2006 when I got a text message that said there was a job at El Vez as a food runner," said Bohan. "I was still using a cane and hobbled into the interview with my mom, asking for the manager. He turns around and says OH MY GOD DID I SLEEP WITH YOU LAST NIGHT? I said no, but this is my mom and I’m here for a job. He said- I woke up with your name in my phone and couldn’t figure out why. After that he kind of had to hire me, and everyone made fun of him because he hired a food runner who needed a cane to move around. We’re still very good friends to this day.”

Bohan’s introduction to the Philly restaurant scene wasn’t pretty- she cried a lot in the beginning at El Vez and the chefs told her to quit. Two chef exes later and two and a half years under her belt, Bohan had mastered El Vez and was ready for greener pastures. She took a job at Starr’s newest restaurant- Parc, and after two weeks ran back to El Vez begging for her job back.

“I crumbled at Parc just like I did at El Vez when I started. But I stayed because people doubted me and I knew I had to stick it out. I stayed for another two and a half years.”

Turns out Parc is still in Bohan’s plan, as she’s going back to serve two nights a week to continue her wine and cheese education (Starr offers his servers continuing education on both topics).

When asked about the challenges of being a female in the restaurant industry, Bohan said she wasn’t fazed.

“El Vez is in the gayborhood, so I dealt with a lot of gay men there- serving margaritas and doing shots with your guests, that was fun,” she said.

“There’s more of an issue about my age than my gender. As a woman (she’s 28), there aren’t any problems,” Bohan said.

As an owner/server/bartender at Kennett, Bohan, the resident redhead, is often supervising staff that are years older than her. True to her Jersey girl, sand between her toes upbringing, Bohan seems better fit for a lazy day of surfing than a raucous late night commercial kitchen shift. She isn’t a yeller. She’s friends with her staff, and sometimes has issues when friends and business mix.

“It’s almost a matter of respect- sometimes if you don’t yell the staff won’t take you seriously, but that’s just not my personality,” Bohan stated bluntly.

Bohan and business partner at Kennett, Johnny Della Polla, opened the restaurant on December 4^th, 2010. She picks her schedule and works three days a week, while Della Polla, formerly of Yards Brewery, serves as general manager. During the rest of the week, Bohan likes frequenting other local bars including Time and Bar (where she contributed a start-up loan).

“I like eating out- Parc, Jose Pistola’s, drinking margaritas at El Vez and Bar,” said Bohan.

She’s usually at the restaurant until midnight, which serves food until 1 a.m.

“Sometimes I’ll sit at the bar, sometimes I’ll go home (to the same apartment she moved into six years ago),” said Bohan of what she does when her shift’s over.

As an owner, she’s constantly worrying. Will people show up? Why aren’t the lights on? What are the specials tonight? These are the stresses of being a small business owner.

Asked about the beer at Kennett, because of Della Polla’s relationship with Yards Brewery, the restaurant is especially tuned into the local suds scene. Bohan says the Philadelphia brewing community is very supportive and tight knit. Kennett’s relationship with Yards is a coup, especially since less than three miles separate the two businesses. Kennett also has Nodding Head on draught and has been known to support nano-breweries in the neighborhood. .

As for the future of her professional life, Bohan jokes she’d like to be retired in five years.

“I’d like to still be a restaurant owner. I’d like to have kids eventually. I don’t really do five year plans, I kind of take life as it comes,” said Bohan.

You can check out Kennett Restaurant at

848 S. 2^nd St

., Philadelphia Pa 19147

. Hours are listed on their website at http://www.kennettrestaurant.com/.

Compost, it's the shit.



Plotting thir attack. Photo cred Steph Aurello.



I've had a very farmy week, with visits to Weaver's Way's Awbury Arboretum and then West Philly's own Farm 51 today. I dropped in on Farm 51's first work day of 2012 with my good friend, surburbanite Stephanie Aurello, who will now share her experience with you about the chickens of Farm 51...

"Of all the things my parents told me to watch out for in West Philly, I was not expecting chickens...or that God awful turkey...they're not scared. (This makes me wonder if there's a close relation betweeen chickens and honey badgers."



Another one of Steph's new friends. Photo cred Steph Aurello.



When I asked Steph what scared her so much about the chickens (who I would playfully shoo with whatever farm tool was handy), she said: "Their beaks. Anything with potential to peck out your eyes, I'm out..."

On that note, thanks to my first-ever guest blogger, Stephanie Aurello.

Check back in tomorrow (Sunday) for the release of my interview with Kennett restaurant owner Ashley Bohan.

For Fairmount Bicycles boss-lady Shelly Salamon, it really is just like riding a bike

By: Sarah Punderson

The Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO) should be counting their lucky stars that smiles can’t literally light up a room, because Shelly Salamon, owner of Fairmount Bicycles, would be living utility-free if that were the case.

Salamon, who has called Philadelphia her home off and on since 2000, has been doing a lot of grinning since opening her bicycle shop in 2010 after spending much of her professional career in the restaurant industry. The story of her gentle pedal into small business unfolded before me as I sat down with Salamon at a West Philadelphia coffee shop recently.

Fairmount Bicycles is at 2015 Fairmount Avenue in Philadelphia.

SP: How did you enter the world of entrepreneurship?
SS: I got my start when I was 19 with my roommate and friend Chris Harne, making printed CDs. We got a big printer, advertised online and made some money. After that, my next genius idea was an auto detailing business when I was 22. I did it along with a friend and we used the van that my band had. We bought a shop vacuum, cleaning supplies and put an advertisement in the newspaper. We got one job.

SP: Did you go to college and if so how did that help prepare you for starting up Fairmount Bicycles?
SS: I went to Temple (’04) and graduated with a degree in film and media arts. I had never taken a business class in my life. Luckily, I signed up for a 10-week class that helped small start-ups, through a group called Entrepreneur Works in Philly. That class gave me much of the groundwork to get the business up and running.

SP: When did you conceive of the bike shop idea?
SS:  Chris was fixing up bikes at our house in West Philly in 2006 and he started to buy bikes in the suburbs, fix them up and resell them in the city for a higher price. He’d work two days a week, make enough money to cover rent and beer, and then stop working. I told him that was cool, but then asked him what he thought about turning his idea into a real business?

SP: So what was the next logical step?
SS: I knew this was a successful idea and that there was more potential for it. The light bulb really went off when I was visiting Montreal and didn’t have a bike, so I bought one there for 20 dollars. I brought it back to Philly and sold it for 80 bucks. I was at a point in my life where I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. I probably would’ve worked at White Dog (Café) my whole life. So I told Chris we needed to get a warehouse to expand the business and really do it. Like not have a boss do it. So we worked out the kinks and did it. But we didn’t have a written plan, which was a bad idea in retrospect- but we were fortunate enough to work through any problems we faced early on. The warehouse was in the Kensington section of Philly, and we stayed there for about a year. After about nine months of that, I took that business class I was telling you about.

SP: How did you decide upon the location of Fairmount Bicycles?
SS: I live in West Philly and was biking to Kensington to the warehouse all the time. I’d discover new ways to take the ride and found this nice wide street to bike on- Fairmount Avenue. I couldn’t find any bike shops near it. Once I saw there was a market that needed a bike shop, I knew I had to figure out what was involved.

SP: Once you had realized this great idea, did you feel protective of it?
SS: Yes! But in the business course, I learned to debunk some of those thoughts because most people won’t realistically steal your ideas and follow through on it. The course taught me it was not only healthy- but encouraged me to talk to people about my idea.

SP: So you had your idea, raised the money, now all you had to do was what?
SS: Once I secured the Fairmount location, I asked Chris (Harne) if he wanted to be a partial owner. He chose not to. He did want to work in the shop though. Otherwise, getting set up was pretty easy, just some painting, buying bikes and setting up slat walls with the help of friends. We rent our space, so there wasn’t any real estate involved in the startup.

SP: Let’s talk finances, how did you come up with the coin needed to start?
SS: Many of my friends invested. There aren’t loans, everyone pays into the company as an investor and then shares in the profits. Having investors has forced me to be very, very sure about any business decision I make. I do a lot of research.  I like the idea of people investing because it’s a reciprocal relationship. I like knowing that my friends can make money off of my success.

SP: Do investors get any immediate benefits when they buy shares?
SS: Yes and that was a priority for me, I wanted investors to get something tangible, a short-term benefit. They get things like store credit and free tune-ups.

SP: How much money did you need?
SS: When I was in the planning stages, I thought I would need $35,000 to start up and hold the business afloat for the first few months, assuming the worst case scenario was that no one walked in the door.

SP: Did you create a formal business plan?
SS: My business plan was a paragraph long. The real work was done in a cash flow projection. I like numbers. (Chris) Harne has crazy ideas and we balance each other out since I’m more of a numbers person. Proposing the idea to investors, I’d show them the projection. The projection said we probably wouldn’t make money for the first few years and here’s what we’ll need to get started and this is the potential. I also contrasted their investment if they put it elsewhere, to show them what kind of return it would make in a less risky environment.

SP: How did you decide what business structure to use?
SS: For me, a corporation made sense. I decided on an S-Corp. An S-Corp is a corporation that has received the Subchapter S designation from the IRS. It means there are less than 100 employees in the company. We have five. The S-Corp meant that our investors would own a percentage of the company and the profits are then paid out through dividends. It’s up to the individual investors to pay taxes on the profits. We do have a shareholders’ agreement. This is where it does get really formal and wordy. If someone doesn’t want their share, it’s on them to sell it.

SP: When did you know you were confident in your decision to start up Fairmount Bicycles?
SS: If I ever had any doubt, that was a before I was educated (through the business class). Once we had the storefront there was no doubt in my mind the shop would at least break even. I had such a good feeling. If knew if we did it right, we could make it work.

SP: How could you afford to start a business, did you work?
SS: My hours when we first started weren’t too crazy, I was working full time at Nodding Head Brewery (as a server) and then putting in 25 hours at the shop on top of that.

SP: Did you have any mentors while going through this process?
SS: Ali Castellini, a friend of mine, was a great help. She’s super connected (she used to work at local radio station 88.5 XPN) and we’d go out for drinks and she’d give me great suggestions. As for people already in the business, I didn’t know anyone when I started.

SP: What is your actual title at Fairmount Bicycles?
SS: As a corporation, I’m the owner and president. I own just under 75 percent of the company. I personally invested about half the money needed to start up.

SP: So how have you progressed in your first two years?
SS: The shop is profitable. We’ve expanded into the back apartment, which we turned half into a bike workspace and then kept a partial living space to rent out on AirBnB.com. (If you didn’t know, AirBnb is a website that allows individuals to rent out their homes/apartments/rooms online for any set period of time, ranging from days to months). This helps offset some of the rent and since it’s not always rented out, there’s a kitchen and some room to lounge.  

SP: Any plans for the future of Fairmount Bicycles?
SS: Last year the big project was expanding the shop. This year I’d like to start doing bike tours, which is one of the reasons I wanted to start this business. Otherwise, I just want to sustain the shop, get a little more space eventually-but I love our storefront and our location. I don’t have any plans to open another shop right now.

SP: Any advice for would-be entrepreneurs?
SS: Our business instructor suggested we ‘hire friendly because you can’t teach friendly’.

SP: What do you like to do in your spare time?
SS: I got to travel for almost a month this past summer. I like the idea of having this thing, my baby, but trusting my staff so that I can be gone sometimes. I’m simple when it comes to basic needs- I enjoy living in West Philly and biking to work. I work a lot and save up for travel.
Just two years into this venture, Salamon knows that it’s worth it.

SP: So what’s your favorite part about your job now?
SS: I haven’t ever dreaded going in, I like my job. It doesn’t feel like a job. Someone asked me recently if I drink coffee and I said no. Then I realized, oh wait yes I do, at work. I mean- at Nodding Head. I don’t think of the bike shop as going to work. 

Liquid words

In addition to today's earlier post:

Drinking: water
Reading: Rafa, by Rafael Nadal

Joe Sixpack & Next Small Business Interview...

Joe Sixpack, esteemed Philly beer writer, posted a insightful and humorous article on Bud Light Platinum today, check it out here .

If you are interested in getting his weekly beer-related articles (which are published in the Philadelphia Daily News), be sure to sign up on his site.

Also, coming this Sunday, the second interview in my series of small business owners- Shelly Salaman, a friend and owner of Fairmount Bicycles. I'd love to hear more feedback on my first article, so feel free to email me or post publicly!

Cheers!
Sarah

Interviews with small business owners in Philadelphia and beyond starts...today!

Dear Readers,
As promised, this is the first in a series of interviews with small business owners in Philadelphia and beyond. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I've loved doing the interviews. See below for The Institute interview.
Cheers!
Sarah

Just four years into opening The Institute Bar, owner Charlie Collazo proves he’s no rookie

Charlie Collazo is an unassuming fellow, quick to break into a wide grin or just as easily furrow his brow at the latest problem. Collazo, along with his wife Heather, is the owner of The Institute Bar, a craft beer bar located at 12^th and Green St. in the ‘Spring Arts’ section of Philadelphia. The couple, long-time North Philly residents who live just two blocks from their establishment, are a contributing factor to the quiet rise of this burgeoning neighborhood just off north Broad Street.

Charlie Collazo and his wife Heather at The Institute Bar.

If you’re skeptical, I can’t blame you. Until very recently, north Broad was a tangle of abandoned buildings (like the Divine Lorraine), littered streets and vacant lots. Now, in addition to Collazo’s bar, which opened its’ doors in May of 2008, many well-known names have joined the restaurant/bar rush.

Sitting at Woody’s at 10 o’clock on a weekday morning was a new experience for me (Sarah Punderson) as I sipped a piping hot Tazo tea waiting for my subject to arrive. But for Collazo, this was his jam.

SP: How did you get your start as a small business owner?
CC: My true passion is designing and building. I got my start at about three-years old when I helped my dad remodel our house. I’ve always been self-taught. I’m very much a hands-on learner and could never stand school. I dropped out of high school and got my GED and have worked since I was 13. My mom would always say, one day you’re going to regret not staying in school, time goes by so fast. Well she was right about one thing- time does go by quickly. I have no regrets about school, I think what’s important is what I’ve done with the rest of my life.

SP: What was your first business?
CC: I started a side business  17 years ago in which I designed and installed light systems for nightclubs in Philly. It was a hobby, and I did it on the weekends while working full time at Home Depot. The first club I did was ‘Zero’ which is now Fluid. I’m a licensed electrician, so that was also helpful with these projects. From there I went onto work lighting for ‘The Bank’, one of Stephen Starr’s first nightclubs, then I got involved with the Weiss brothers’ 2-4 Club (now Voyeur) and it all just rolled from there. The Weiss brothers also own Transit, the former martini bar Bump, and Woody’s. They have two new places in San Diego, California and I’m going out there soon to help them with those projects.  After working my way up at Home Depot, I took an offer from Staples and stayed less than a year before opening The Institute.

 SP: Can you tell me about the process of buying and renovating The Institute?
CC: We started the process of acquiring The Institute in December 2007. It was formerly called Jesse’s Tender Line Café (after a neighborhood gang). We acquired it in May, 2008 and shut it down for one month to gut and redo the interior. We decided to buy the property, rather than rent, like many bars/restaurants in the city do. That month, I lived there. From 7 am-midnight, myself, my dad and any family/friends that had construction skills where there around the clock working to get it open. From 2008 to the present, The Institute has evolved. We eventually put in a staircase and redid the upstairs.

SP: Let’s talk finances. The economy was in its downturn when you were raising capital for this new business endeavor. How did you raise the finances needed?
CC: Raising the financial capital needed was the hardest part of this entire process. I took out over $200,000 of equity from my house and asked several family members and friends for short term loans. I was lucky in that respect that I had the resources available to me. Bank loans don’t exist right now for bars, it’s one of the riskiest business endeavors to take on. Deciding to buy the property at The Institute was a whole different beast rather than renting, but I’m betting that it’s the smarter decision. We also took on a partner who owns 15 percent of the business. The short term is hell, but the long term could be golden.

SP: What are your future plans for the bar?
CC: The lot next door was acquired after the original purchase of our building, and we’d like to double the bar’s size to include an outdoor beer garden.

SP: Who chooses the beer list, you or Heather?
CC: It’s a joint effort. We don’t argue over beers because we both realize The Institute’s customers don’t mind paying for good to expensive beer as long as the pricier suds have a high alcohol by volume (ABV).  Heather loves Belgian beers. I know when I drink a $12 Belgian beer, it’s pretty good, but it’s not like balloons are going to fall out of the ceiling. We know our customers; they like to drink quality beer at reasonable prices. We leave the fancier stuff to places like Monks, Eulogy and Belgian Café.

SP: How do you and Heather divide the duties of running the bar?
CC: Starting up a bar can be insanely stressful, and it’s a complete juggling act every day. Heather handles the kitchen, menus, stuff like that. We work together on event planning and like I mentioned beer selection. I’m fortunate to be able to work with my wife and see her throughout the week. We have five kids who range in age from 4 to 13 years-old.  We live close enough to the bar that we can run back and forth; otherwise it would be much more difficult.

SP: What are some of the struggles you continue to face as you enter your fourth year in the bar business?
CC: In just four years, my learning curve has been tremendous. Paying bills is a daily struggle. Luckily, my support system can always be counted on if I’m in a tight spot. When we were doing the kitchen at the bar, we were in a pinch. My mom came through. Heather and I are frugal people; we still drive the same minivan we had before opening the bar. Eventually, this will all be for the kids.

SP: How is it to work with other owners in the Philly bar business?
CC: The cool thing about the business is networking. We’ve made good friends in the industry. The Craft Beer Express (CBX) has allowed us to meet many of the other owners and we learn from them and use it as a network. Although on paper I guess they’re my competitors, I don’t view it like that because patrons don’t want to go to the same place every night. We all talk the other places up and they do the same for us.

SP: Speaking of other bars, where do you like to go when you leave your fine establishment?
CC: I like to dine at Brauhaus Schmitz or Devil’s Den. Woody’s for drinking and Kraftwork has a great brunch. Pub on Passyunk East (P.O.P.E) is a good spot to drink in South Philly.

SP: Any advice for those interested in getting into the biz?
CC: There are a lot of assholes. They step on a lot of people in the process. I try to not be like that, I’ve been on both sides of the bar/restaurant industry as an employee and an employer. Don’t be dismissive-everyone has ideas. Be respectful and be yourself as you develop in the business world because a lot of people will remember that as you move up. Your business is a reflection of you. My mantra for working in this business can be summed up by a Captain America quote: “Not just a soldier, but a good man.”

SP: How have Facebook, Twitter and Yelp affected word spreading about The Institute?
CC: Word of mouth is more important now that ever. Now everyone is a critic (both good and bad) and the whole world knows.

SP: This might make you chuckle, but how is your work-life balance since opening the bar?
CC: (Laughing) you’re right. We haven’t taken a real vacation in a decade. Heather and I had plans to take a vacation with some other bar-owning friends of ours; we were going to rent a Winnebago and drive cross-country, hitting up breweries along the way. That fell through, and now there’s not an end in sight. My side business with the Weiss brothers is keeping me busy on top of my work at The Institute, but maybe I’ll get the family to the shore this summer.

SP: So, is it all worth it?
CC: If you’d have asked me a year ago, I think I would have said oh no! But now that we’re finally getting over the hump and starting to see The Promised Land, I’d say yes. This business is not for the weak-spirited. It’s super stressful and there’s always a problem. Even when you get to the level of established and comfortable, there are still problems. Dealing with stress is important; I don’t think you can micromanage once your business gets to a certain level. You just have to learn how to trust your employees.
SP: Do you have any mentors in the business?
CC: Within the Philadelphia scene, I like Jose Garces a lot. He’s very successful and I think he does it the right way. He’s got a great crew and he’s a standup businessman.
SP: I have to ask you, where did the bar name come from?
CC: We were brainstorming for names, and nothing good was coming out of it. Then one day, we were at the Franklin Institute with the kids, which we have a membership to and we’re at quite frequently. It’s also where Heather and I had our first date. I think I said, “Why don’t we just name it The Institute,” and Heather thought that was pretty good. It was a done deal.

Excited to announce that Charlie Collazo, owner of The Institute, will be my first featured interview- to be released on Sunday (2/12). Looking forward to it :-)

Its halftime America, and our second half's about to begin...

Since today’s Super Bowl (SB) Giants-Patriots match-up has about as much importance to me as the Philadelphia Eagles existence (ie: none), let’s focus on other important things surrounding the Bowl.

1)      Commercials:

Winners- Sketchers, French bulldog racing with greyhounds (adorable, I’m a sucker for small dogs with big ears), Doritos with baby.

2)      Losers: I get it- the Super Bowl sells cars. I’m glad Detroit is back at it. But does that have to monopolize so much of my SB commercial enjoyment? Also, blue bottles and new names don’t make a crappy beer any good. Budweiser is not a real beer (sorry NJ readers, I know this revelation might have the same impact as discovering the truth about Santa Claus). Next time I grab some buds, it certainly won’t involve anything Budweiser related.

3)      Madonna at Halftime: four stars. Out of four. Madonna as Cleopatra, two of my favorite ancient civilizations (Egypt and Rome) blend with some type of futuristic/spacey Richard Simmons as cupid. Love it.

I went on a New York Times hunt today, and came up empty-handed after striking out with tries at three different storefronts. The Sunday NYT is one of my favorite pastimes, and continuing the sabbath without it made me sad. I would endure, however, without any detailed international news, sports-related George Vecsey features, engrossing NYC real estate updates or the latest Ivy League financier engagement and settled for a good ol’ Philadelphia Inquirer. Shout out to the Inky for giving my La Salle Explorers a front-page sports section spot for their tight loss to the SJU Hawks last night. Good stuff, given its Super Bowl Sunday.

I have an exciting announcement to make, but I’ll let you wonder for a few days. It involves the first Farm Office feature interview with a local businessman. Hmmm…

Drinking: Harpoon Winter Warmer

Reading: The Philadelphia Inquirer (duh)

TGIF.

Sorry for the delay, followers (all six of you). I'm trying to figure out a schedule of which I can post a few times a week and stick to it. Probably a Monday and Thursday, but don't quote me on that. Anyway, much to update everyone on, but for now I'll leave you with this for your weekend reading/drinking pleasure:

Reading: Little Princes, by Conor Grennan
Drinking: Winter Warmer, Lancaster Brewing Company