GREENFIELD — Through the third installment of the “Take the Floor” pitch competition, four local entrepreneurs took home a total of $10,000 to invest in their business plans.
“This year, it felt like every business was viable and worth investing in,” said Greenfield Community College’s Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Max Fripp, who emceed the event at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center last week.
Of nine finalists, three were awarded $3,000: August Lilly of Pixxie & Co., Nalini Goordial of Kitchen Wizardry and Eli Vaillancourt of Filthy Kicks. A final winner, Diana Van Cott of Wildheart Housecleaning (formerly Honey Hive Care), took home a $1,000 investment.
“Our goal really is about business development,” Fripp said of the impetus behind Take the Floor. “Our goal is about higher-wage jobs. Our goal, ultimately, is about wealth creation and how can we usher in a new era of economic development in our rural region.”
Finalists were split into three categories: Creative Entrepreneurship, Food Systems Entrepreneurship and Small Business Entrepreneurship. Each entrepreneur gave their business pitch at one of three pitch competitions that took place at Greenspace CoWork in Greenfield and LaunchSpace in Orange. Entrepreneurs had five minutes to present their business idea to a panel of judges.
At the final pitch night, panelists included Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jessye Dean, Franklin County Community Development Corporation food manager Kate Minifie, M&T Bank manager Linda Goodnow and Common Capital President Raymond Lanza-Weil.
Pixxie & Co.’s August Lilly is a local designer who aims to create high-end, sustainable fashion and accessories using thrift fabric and materials. In addition to creating from scratch, they also mend clothing and invite customers to bring an item of clothing to be reinvented.
“I like to sew good feelings and nice things into clothes, so when you wear it, it feels like somebody who loved you made it,” Lilly said. “That’s my passion.”
Lilly currently sells their product at the consignment shop Buckingham Rabbits Vintage on Avenue A in Turners Falls. The business name, “Pixxie,” is reminiscent of a nickname Lilly had as a child.
“I really need space [to sew],” Lilly said, speaking to what they would do with the $3,000 investment. “I’m in a really cramped apartment. I sew on the floor with a headlamp. It’d be really nice to be able to give some of that money into getting studio space.”
In addition to renting studio space at Swanson’s Fabrics in Turners Falls — one of the locations Lilly sources materials from — Lilly will also use the $3,000 investment to build a website.
Based in Orange, Goordial makes handcrafted, organic spice blends and tisanes.
“At Kitchen Wizardry, I am driven by my passion for providing exceptional taste and quality through organic, handcrafted spice blends and herbal infusions,” Goordial said.
Goordial has a website, wherein guests will find spice blends for sale and recipes. She also offers workshops and cooking demonstrations, and sells her products throughout the region at festivals and farmers markets.
“As consumers become more adventurous in their culinary explorations, they seek spice combinations that transport them to different cultures, recipes that are easy to follow, and the ability to create healthy meals that are quick and delicious,” she said. “Kitchen Wizardry can meet this demand with meticulously curated offerings.”
Goordial will use the $3,000 she received through Take the Floor to upgrade her kitchen equipment, allowing her to ramp up production to meet growing demand. She is also exploring a monthly subscription service as a new revenue model.
Since April, Vaillancourt has operated his high-end sneaker shop, Filthy Kicks, out of The Goods Pop-Up Shop at 357 Main St. Since then, he has sold $17,000 in products.
Through Filthy Kicks, Vaillancourt buys, sells and trades designer streetwear with a focus on shoes like Air Jordans, Air Force 1s and Nike Dunk. After a successful few months on Main Street, he signed a lease with building owner Isaac Mass.
“I have a thriving business in downtown Greenfield,” he said. “I really want to transform my storefront into something I envisioned when I [started] in there.”
Vaillancourt told the audience at last week’s pitch event that his business grew from a place of passion. What started as a means to make money — selling the shoes under his bed in Orange — turned into an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of “the game of reselling,” and eventually, launch a full-time business.
He plans to use the $3,000 to transform his storefront into a well-branded and professional retail space that also serves as his production studio for his growing YouTube and TikTok content.
And finally, Wildheart Housekeeping is a Greenfield-based housecleaning service and one of the few green cleaners in the region. Van Cott started the cleaning company two months before the pandemic and has since successfully built a strong and growing business.
“I now really know that small businesses can play a major role in creating better employment opportunities in our region that will help members of our community have a better quality of life and drive economic development,” Van Cott said.
As demand for her work far exceeds her capacity, Van Cott is looking to make her first hire in the next six months. In addition to being a green cleaning company, Wildheart Housekeeping is committed to workers’ rights. Van Cott said she plans to offer a $20-per-hour starting wage with paid lunch and travel.
Van Cott will use the $1,000 investment to buy the cleaning tools and equipment needed for her first hire.
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.