MANAYUNK

Posted by: Kelly Whelihan, Summer 2013 Intern

Brandy Schecter is the new owner of one of Philadelphia’s best gift shops, The Little Apple. Today I talked to Brandy to learn a little bit more about her, her adorable dog Bettie, and of course her big plans for The Little Apple.

First and foremost, Brandy is a Philadelphia native who is very familiar with the area of Manayunk. Her family lives only about five minutes away from Manayunk so they often come to Main Street to shop and dine. In high school, Brandy worked on Main Street at Smith Bros where she gained retail experience. Some of you may also recognize Brandy from her previous experience as a bartender at Zesty’s for four years. Brandy attended NYU where she majored in psychology and had a double minor in sociology and Italian. Before taking over The Little Apple, Brandy worked as the director of operations for Bobbi’s Best Hummus, an all natural food company.

Brandy was one of The Little Apples’ first customers and she has always loved the store. When she heard that former owner, Molly Cygan Rossettie, may be moving, she made sure to talk with Molly and keep in touch about the possibility of taking over the store. The Little Apple’s new owner has always loved how the store is unique; there is nothing else like it on Main Street. She loves how it is warm and inviting and has a sense of humor, a personality most customers can relate to. As a customer herself, Brandy could always count on The Little Apple to find the perfect gift for anyone and she enjoyed visiting with Molly and her French bulldog Penn from time to time. Owning a store like The Little Apple had always been a dream for Brandy, so when the opportunity arose, she was very excited to make the transition from customer to retailer in the Manayunk community.

Brandy has already added new merchandise to current customer favorites and has many plans in the making for the gift shop. Dog and cat boutique items, such as Chewy Vuitton, and more baby items have already been added. Brandy also plans to revamp and add more jewelry; for example, she is bringing in jewelry from an organic jeweler in California and store hours have been extended on Fridays and Saturdays until 9:00 pm! She wants to encourage customers to come shop after dinning out in the area. She also plans to paint the front of the store to change up the scenery a little bit on Main Street.

I asked Brandy what she loves about Manayunk and what she likes to do here. She said she loves the small town feel of knowing everyone and constantly seeing people you know; she really likes the sense of community here. When Brandy took over The Little Apple all her neighbors made sure to greet and welcome her to the community.  She especially loves how dog friendly Manayunk is and her adorable dog Bettie Paige does too! Bettie is a Chihuahua terrier mix Brandy rescued from the SPCA. So far, Bettie is loving hanging out at The Little Apple! She used to go to work with Brandy at her office which can be a boring environment for a friendly dog. Now, Bettie loves sitting on the stoop and greeting customers and dogs that come by the store.

We wish Brandy the best of luck and can’t wait to see everything she has in store for the future of The Little Apple! Make sure you stop in The Little Apple at 4353 Main Street and say hello to Brandy and Bettie! Or, you can check out their website: www.thelittleapplestore.com and shop online!