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Philly small business Tinker and Trade doesn’t just sell handmade goods; it showcases the stories of the artisans behind each item.
“The community gets to have a place where they can hang out and stay for a while.”
Cassie Torres, owner of Tinker and Trade
When owner Cassie Torres opened the Brewerytown shop this spring, her goal was to help fellow makers shine and support the surrounding community, she told Technical.ly. Every aspect of the store, from the mural on the bottom floor to the flowers displayed around, is sourced locally. All 35 vendors who’ve set up shop are based in Pennsylvania, New Jersey or New York.
“It’s just about supporting local artisans,” Torres said. “Being able to just give them that space where they can have their little, tiny storefront.”
Beyond supporting the vendors at Tinker and Trade, Torres also wants the store to be a hub in the community. The store hosts events regularly, like cake decorating classes, a neighborhood book club, bakery pop-ups, charm bars and make-and-take crafts.
Cassie Torres shows off the store’s Ben Franklin tote bags (Gabby Rodriguez/Technical.ly)
10-year-old Sofi sold her resin gummy bear art at the store this summer (Gabby Rodriguez/Technical.ly)
“The community gets to have a place where they can hang out and stay for a while,” Torres said. She tries to create a cozy environment with multiple seating areas featuring fluffy throw pillows and complimentary tea.
The effort extends outside of Tinker and Trade’s doors, too. Simple acts like a corkboard for other orgs to post a flyer, or stepping in to be a part of a neighborhood raffle, are all a part of the store’s neighborly ethos.
Over the summer, the store also worked with local children for a display called Tinkerlings. Kids ages 5 to 10 could sell their handmade crafts at the storefront and learn about running a small business, Torres said.
It’s all because another Pennsylvanian supported Torres’ small art business first.
From artisan vendor to store owner
Torres is originally from California, and moved to Philly in 2020 after falling in love with the city during a visit the previous year. After moving, Torres was a stay-at-home mom, but also started designing drinking glasses as a way to channel her creativity.
At her first maker market, she met the owner of a store in Dublin, Pennsylvania, who offered Torres retail space to sell her glasses. After two years, Torres was offered the opportunity to take the store over, but it was over two hours from where she lived.
“I thought, where could I do that closer to home and have the same type of concept that she had, but in Philadelphia,” Torres said. “I felt like there wasn’t too much like that here.”
So, earlier this year, she built it.
Torres still makes her can drinking glasses, selling them at Tinker and Trade (Gabby Rodriguez/Technical.ly)
Small business Life with Monroe sells sensory kits at Tinker and Trade (Gabby Rodriguez/Technical.ly)
Torres’ own experience as a maker feeds into how she runs Tinker and Trade, she said. She understands the grind of constantly pushing your products, signing up for markets and paying fees for a space you’ll only use for a few days.
The makers at Tinker and Trade rent their space from Torres and pay her commission on what they sell, and they can use the space for multiple months. Being in one retail space means there are fewer fees and Torres helps to promote the products, she said.
One maker featured in the store is a mom of children with disabilities who makes sensory bins and play kits. She often donates a portion of her profits or supplies to the Doylestown NICU.
Stoked Pineapple designs flannel shirts using upcycled materials (Gabby Rodriguez/Technical.ly)
Another vendor is passionate about upcycling and designs flannels with custom back panels, using whatever material she can find, Torres said.
Tinker and Trade isn’t her only business. Torres also co-owns the Broken Spine, a romance bookstore that rents space on the bottom floor of the shop. The bookstore helps bring more people to the storefront and see the artists who also display their work in the space, she said.
While Torres would love to expand to multiple locations in Philadelphia to reach an even wider community, she ultimately doesn’t want the store to grow so big that it loses its small business focus.
“It’s so important to support these up-and-coming small businesses and these local artisans,” Torres said, “because it’s hard out there.”