VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Shopping small makes a big impact
Lange: Welcome to The Cherry Pit, a small business located in the basement or should I say the pit… of Mccarthy Mercantile on South Salina Street in downtown Syracuse. That is Abigail Minicozzi. one of the founders of the pit. She realizes the impact that small businesses such as hers can have on their communities by adding their own personal touch
Minicozzi: That’s where the charm comes from I guess. Yes, you can go to the mall and get food and clothes, but when you think of Syracuse you think of getting food at your local coffee shop, at your house or going downtown and shopping at the little downtown boutiques.
Lange: Minicozzi started collecting vintage clothes as a hobby and turned it into a successful business. She said to me that one of her favorite parts of her job is when she collaborates with other local small businesses to host community events. She emphasizes the passion each member of the small business community puts into their stores. It is businesses like the cherry pit that remind us why shopping small is so important.
Minicozzi: But I think once you realize it’s better quality clothing than you’re getting at the mall, and for a better price. it’s going to pay someone’s bills. It’s not going to a corporate person who is not paying their workers. It’s definitely a more honest way of shopping. We all have our own types of personalities, and we are just pouring it through our stores.
Lange: Minicozzi and The Cherry Pit are a reminder that where we spend our money matters and that shopping small can have a big impact. Reporting from Syracuse, Casey Lange NCC News
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Cherry Pit Collective is a second-hand clothing store in downtown Syracuse. The small business, located in The McCarthy Mercantile on South Salina Street, reminds its customers why shopping small has made a big difference.
Abigail Minicozzi, a recent graduate of Syracuse University’s fashion program, is one of the owners of the store. She understands the impact that small businesses, such as hers, can have on their communities by adding their personal touch to a town.
“That’s where the charm comes from I guess,” Minicozzi said. “Yes, you can go to the mall and get food and clothes, but when you think of Syracuse you think of getting food at your local coffee shop, at your house or going downtown and shopping at the little downtown boutiques.”
Small business owners like Minicozzi have thrived over the years with the support from their communities. Minicozzi expressed how grateful she is to the Syracuse University community for supporting her throughout her journey when she opened this store as a first-year student.
Minicozzi and her collaborators are coming up on their fourth anniversary of the Cherry Pit. She said one of the most rewarding parts of her job is when she gets to host community events, in which she works with other small business owners to create. She deeply values the people she met through the process of opening up The Cherry Pit and expressed her appreciation for the community the store has grown over the years.
Each store in the McCarthy Mercantile has its own personality or charm. Minicozzi expressed that shopping at small businesses keeps shopping human.
“I think once you realize it’s better quality clothing than you’re getting at the mall, and for a better price. It’s going to pay someone’s bills,” Minicozzi said. “It’s not going to a corporate person who is not paying their workers. It’s definitely a more honest way of shopping. We all have our own types of personalities, and we are just pouring it through our stores.”
The Cherry Pit, along with the other stores in McCarthy Mercantile, is a constant reminder that where we spend our money matters, and that shopping small can have a big impact.