GREENFIELD — Four budding entrepreneurs were inspired Thursday night during the fourth annual “Take the Floor” pitch competition, splitting a share of $10,000 to invest in their growing businesses.
The contest is part of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation’s UPstart program, which launched both Take the Floor and CDC’s entrepreneurial training program to jump-start the local economy. Thursday’s event at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center was emceed by Max Fripp, who has led the event for several years.
Take the Floor serves as a platform for early stage entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas, receive feedback from judges including Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jesse Dean, CDC’s Tricia Wanko, Greenfield Savings Bank’s Ian Vukovich and Common Capital President Raymond Lanza Weil, and win a cash prize to invest in the community.
Ethereal World is a clothing brand founded by 20-year-old Jaylin Charles along with his brother and a friend. They design custom streetwear with the goal of bringing new fashion to Franklin County.
“Greenfield has a large, diverse, young community that wants original streetwear,” says Charles, “and Ethereal World fills that void. We’re a young, diverse group of creatives bringing new fashion to Greenfield and beyond.”
In pitching the business, Charles said that T-shirts and sweatshirts are the main products, with limited-edition items available to drive demand. Ethereal World merchandise is available online, and some items are sold at Filthy Kicks on Main Street.
Charles said he hopes to use the money he makes to invest in a DTG printer so he won’t have to rely on outside printers anymore.
Charles said it “feels surreal” that he had won the event’s creative category, adding that the extra funding will “be a massive help as I’ve been spending my own money on the business”.
You can find Ethereal World on Instagram @EtherealWrld.co
Kneaded Goods Bakery has had a stand at the Greenfield Farmers Market for over a year and is an allergy-friendly bakery started by Greenfield High School senior Shane Toomey.
Toomey makes allergy-friendly bagels, cinnamon rolls, breads, cookies, muffins and gluten-free products in his parents’ home, which he offers at his booth at the market and also fills wholesale orders with other businesses at the market.
“I make high-quality, allergy-friendly foods, but they need to be affordable,” Toomey said, noting that these specialty items usually cost more to produce and sell. “Butter is more expensive for the same type of food.” “I’ve had successes and I’ve definitely had failures. … I’ve observed and learned what I need for my business.”
His growth plans include improving the image and marketing of Kneaded Goods Bakery, which he says will lead to “longevity” for the business as customers promote his creations by word of mouth.
“Image means reinventing the stand event setup from the ground up,” he said, “all with the aim of creating the most attractive and engaging storefront possible.”
“God bless your family to have a little bakery in their home,” joked Wanko when I asked Toomey about his growth plans. Toomey said their “biggest bottleneck right now” is oven space, which is why they’re opting not to do too many wholesale partnerships for now.
Kneaded Goods Bakery can be found on Instagram: @Kneaded_Goods_Bakery.
There was a tie in the Small Business category, with Matt Allen’s Valley Youth Sports and Nikita Unhurian’s UNG Detailing receiving the same number of votes.
Allen said Valley Youth Sports is a “homebase-less” initiative for now, but that he wants to create a “community space for youth” where families and athletes can practice, congregate and participate in a sports academy.
“The biggest problem for Valley Youth Sports is finding a location,” Allen said, adding that he currently runs basketball camps at Smith Academy in Hatfield.
“We’re also a very avid sports family, so off-season training, strength and conditioning is a must,” Dean said.
Allen said the prize money will help pay for the LLC’s annual report filing fees and help launch basketball camps. For more information on Valley Youth Sports, visit valleyyouthsports.org.
Unilian, an 18-year-old from Ukraine who moved to the U.S. about six months ago, is preparing to launch UNG Detailing. He said he plans to operate it through an app because “it’s easier” than picking up the phone and making an appointment. The company will only offer one service package: “Perfect Condition.”
“After a long week, the last thing you want to do is get your car washed. Just give us a call and we’ll get it done in a jiffy,” he said. His goal is to get the business up and running as quickly as possible and hire more staff.
“I think you’ve told us more about our wonderful hosts’ minivans,” Vukovich joked. Fripp joked that he has an “adventure van” for outdoor activities. He added, “It’s a very clean van now.”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.
