PHL Made Project Aims To Make Buying Local Easier
By John Ostapkovich
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Eating locally grown food -- called being a 'locovore' -- is a major trend, but there's a plan to extend the idea into other products.
The newborn PHL Made project takes its inspiration from a 4-year-old effort in San Francisco, says Michael Cooper, vice-president at the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, but modified for a place that still makes stuff. In fact, these "makers", whether it's an item or technology or art, are at the heart of this.
And the name is a nod to its inspiration, SFMade. "I think our goal would be similar in that, you know, if you're walking throughout any one of the commercial corridors in Philadelphia and you see a sticker or a sign of PHL Made in a window or on a product, you can immediately make the delineation that this is something that has been created by someone in our city and has created jobs and tax-ratables as a result of that."
The City made a start-up grant and even though this is a volunteer effort now, Cooper says it needs more funds.
"What we're focused on most is sponsorship," Cooper says. "We are going to be launching a Kickstarter campaign in September, where we'll be looking for donations through the popular crowd-sourcing method to try to supplement the funds that the city's put out."
To create a quarterly magazine, social media content, pop-up shops and a data base to get PHL Made in the public eye, and part of its buying decisions.
