The world of small business is very big. There are many businesses that you can see on the street, with their lights lit up at night, flipping their open signs in the morning. But there are a lot of business that you can only reach via the Internet that are open 'round the clock. During the month of November, there is an extra focus on shopping from local businesses thanks to Small Business Saturday, or #ShopSmall, that happens during the Black Friday - Cyber Monday weekend. Tin Shingle has launched a series on our blog that gives online businesses an opportunity to show us their local. We have asked members of Tin Shingle to submit photos of their physical locations and how they work within the community to help you get to know them better.

My Kid's Threads, Newtown, PA

Meet Lisa Batra, Founder and CEO of My Kid's Threads, the online kids consignment store based in Newtown, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. She has two kids, currently age 3 and 5, and has built a business that gives her flexibility to attend business meetings, a school field trip, or an occasional trip to the gym. "I do work around the clock though!" says Lisa. She starts her day around 6am and while getting ready, checks and replies to urgent emails. After snuggling her kids into bed, she can be known to pick back up where she left off to squeeze in a couple of more hours in the evening.

Where Is Your Local?

Lisa and her small team primarily work from her home office, and make visits to the warehouse and see the UPS and USPS people from time to time when arranging drop-offs of customer orders, and receiving deliveries from consignors from all over the country.

Community Involvement

"Although we are national, I am engaged with my community quite a bit. I have hosted events at my kids' school such as a Moms' Night Out for moms to have a relaxing evening with snacks, beverages and shopping for kids' clothing." My Kid's Threads also partners with local schools to give back, which is a form of donating that is not much thought of at the national level. Schools can benefit greatly from donations from those in the community, from art supplies to playground equipment. Lisa decided to build in an ongoing donation source from her business to the school that involved other moms: "We offer our mailer bags at the schools, and when a mom from the school consigns with us, we give back a percentage of the resale price of the sold clothing to the school to purchase supplies."

My Kid's Threads is a great example of a business with a large online footprint nationally, and a business that is making a big contribution to her local community.

Members of Tin Shingle can submit their businesses to be featured in this series.
Please see your Buzz Building Opportunities in your PR Center for details.