WOW: Woman-Owned Wednesdays Coming To North Loop
When she took a leap of faith and opened her boutique, Story & Teller, in the North Loop six weeks ago, Rachel Cafferty knew she was joining a thriving community of locally-owned businesses.
What she didn’t realize was that at least 45 of those North Loop businesses are owned by women–and many have reached out to give her a warm welcome to the neighborhood.
“The women in the community have truly embraced me, have gone above and beyond,” she said.
Now, Rachel and others are working to showcase those businesses–through an online directory and map of female-led businesses as well as a once-a-month event called Woman-Owned Wednesday, or WOW.
“It’s so powerful to see how many businesses there are, but then sharing that out more openly allows people to really be intentional about providing support, because the statistics are pretty daunting,” Rachel said. “Woman-owned businesses represent 42%, roughly, of businesses in the U.S. but only account for about 4.2% of the revenue.”
Rachel Cafferty at Story & Teller
WOW is scheduled for the final Wednesday of the month in May, June, July and August. It could involve everything from extended hours and special events to prize giveaways.
“We’re really leaving it open to each business,” Rachel said. “They’re able to celebrate in whatever way they see fit. Knowing which businesses are woman-owned will hopefully inspire people to provide support, spread the word on them, do whatever they can to make sure that these businesses survive, because they contribute so much to our community.”
Her directory includes the names of more than 45 woman-owned businesses in the North Loop. If there are others in the neighborhood, she encourages them to get in touch with her through the website.
Also, a reminder that the North Loop Neighborhood Association has a full directory of all the neighborhood businesses we know about here on this website.
By Mike Binkley, North Loop volunteer