Community Updates with Jabari Jones
November 21, 2022—Jabari Jones is a regular co-host on the Inside Scoop and shares insights on business, community and political news. In this episode, Jabari Jones joined us to talk about, among other things, the current political climate in Philadelphia.
The conversation began with business opportunities and the possibility of businesses taking advantage of vacancies across Center City. “Companies are leaving Center City due to a number of issues after Covid, which has resulted in empty space for terms longer than any landlord would expect and/or like. As a result, landlords in Center City are open to negotiating,” said Jabari when talking about the opportunity (to launch a business in Center City being more open than ever. The unfortunate reality, is that while this opportunity exists, the average small business is not likely to consider the possibility of a Center City business. This hesitancy is a shared feeling in small businesses across our communities. Because of that, these landlords aren’t receiving calls from people who are hesitant or don’t fully trust their vision. Business people need to trust and take risks, make those calls and seize those opportunities. This is the perfect time for “think of ouf the box” opportunities. Can you imagine the advantages available to a small business in the Center City district?
2023 Elections… After that discussion, we talked about the upcoming 2023 Mayoral Election. Currently, there are 8-10 candidates. Jabari mentioned how various candidates haven’t come out with a concrete/detailed plan attached to their run for Mayor. Is that because they don’t want to be criticized or have their ideas duplicated? We all agreed that people from the community should force candidates to speak up and be sincere about what they wish to accomplish to prevent finding out about the candidate’s plan a week or so before the Election. Our hope is that we can have an election where voters can make informed decisions when they go to the polls.
Jabari Jones is the President of West Philadelphia’s largest coalition of small businesses and the convener of West Philadelphia’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. Working to improve Philadelphia neighborhoods by helping residents start new businesses and helping existing businesses grow, thrive, and hire. He is a co-host who appears on The Inside Scoop on the third Monday of each month.
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