Small businesses from Houston and other metros have been selected for Birmingham, Alabama-based delivery service Shipt's first class of LadderUp — a new accelerator program.
Houston companies will be joined by cohort members based in Atlanta, Birmingham, Detroit, and Washington, D.C., which were picked out of hundreds of applications. Shipt met its goal of reaching at least 50% LGBTQ+ and BIPOC participation in the program, with 60% of LadderUp retailers falling into at least one of the categories.
The businesses will participate in an eight-week program, learning from industry leaders about topics like driving sustainable growth, building a financial foundation, creating efficiency, marketing, e-commerce and the basic legal knowledge needed to run a business. The businesses span grocery, health and wellness, and floral and gifts.
Houston-area cohort members are:
Little Redbox Grocery
Calling itself “the anti-grocery grocery store,” Little Redbox Grocery aims to tailor its offerings to the needs of its surrounding Houston community, serving residents who may not have access to grocery stores. Setting up a brick-and-mortar store was step one, and now Little Redbox Grocery is looking to add online ordering and curbside pickup to strengthen its offerings and serve more of Houston.
Fresh Houwse Grocery
Located in Houston, Fresh Houwse Grocery aims to be a place where people come to shop, chat and learn about what’s going on in the community. The Fresh Houwse owner is looking forward to gaining skills to keep the store running smoothly and shelves constantly stocked.
Grace’s Nutrition Market
Looking to help people reach their health and wellness goals, Grace’s Nutrition Market has been promoting beauty, health and wellness among Houston residents for over 40 years. However, with a changing customer population, Grace’s Nutrition Market is interested in learning how to serve younger generations.
"When it comes to running a small business, it is extremely important to stay informed about industry trends, marketing conditions and evolving technology, while being able to adapt to change in this time and age," said Michelle Garcia, owner of Grace’s Nutrition Market. "Having the opportunity to be involved with industry e-commerce retail experts as mentors and advisers to provide guidance and valuable insights for running my business more successfully is absolutely priceless."
Other cohort members include:
Aurora Market
Located in the nation’s capital, Aurora Market is an organic grocery working with members of underserved communities in food deserts, curating its produce to the needs of its customers. With the help of LadderUp, Aurora Market aims to connect with a community of peers who are navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
"As entrepreneurs we know the challenges of walking a lonely road and believe in the power of being apart of like-minded community that is driven by results," said Pablo Ortiz Jr., owner of Aurora Market.
Bama Health Foods
A Birmingham-based health food store, Bama Health Foods supports the west side of the city, focusing on the BIPOC community who often lack access to nutritious foods. With LadderUp, Bama Health Foods is looking to expand its online presence and reach, serving other under-resourced communities that may not be reached through a physical store.
“As a women-owned business, we will be able to share our knowledge with other small businesses as well in order to strengthen our minority-owned business ecosystem," said Jacquie Fazekas, owner of Bama Health Foods.
Carver Neighborhood Market
The founders of Carver Neighborhood Market hope to become a community pillar in Atlanta.
“Carver Market has served our community well for the past decade. However, one area we need to grow and improve on is e-commerce. The ease of shopping from home and picking up groceries would make life even easier for our customers," said Jeff Delp, director of economic development for Carver Neighborhood Market .
House Plant Collective
An indoor plant retailer, House Plant Collective sells house plants around Alabama. Throughout the pandemic, the team at House Plant Collective had to navigate turning an in-person shopping experience into an online store. The team hopes LadderUp will help the company strengthen its online presence and expand its marketing.
“As a retail plant shop based in Birmingham, we believe this program will help take HPC to the next level by sharing the joy of house plants with others nationwide by shipping a variety of tropical indoor plants and botanical goods," said Jessica Watts, owner of House Plant Collective.
Leafy Greens Market
Seeing the disconnect between the food in grocery stores and the needs of its community, Leafy Greens opened its doors in Atlanta during the pandemic to give people access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The founders hope LadderUp will help the market learn how to effectively add delivery.
Marrow Detroit Provisions
Inspired by markets in Singapore, Marrow Detroit Provisions is looking to give Detroiters access to healthier, cleaner meats. The store is looking to expand its reach to allow all community members to be able to purchase fresh and locally sourced meat. Ping Ho, owner of Marrow Detroit, said she is looking forward to learning how to expand her consumer base and revenue opportunities.
Pillar & Pride
Noticing the lack of health-related offerings in Detroit, Pillar & Pride opened a store focused on wellness, education and empowerment. Pillar & Pride wants to be a home for anyone looking to live a healthier lifestyle through access to books, vitamin supplements and food. Looking to keep up with recent growth, the Pillar & Pride owner wants to learn how to expand his e-commerce capabilities.
Similar to Instacart, Shipt dispatches shoppers to pick out items from local stores for delivery to customers' homes. It partners with a wide range of grocers and retailers from CVS and 7-Eleven to Lidl and Petco. In December 2017, Minnesota-based Target Corp. (NYSE: T) agreed to buy Shipt in a $550 million deal. Shipt is a wholly owned Target subsidiary and operates independently.
