This Women’s History Month, we shared NoHo’s #SmallBusinessWonderWomen. These extraordinary women are movers and shakers, business owners and community members, and above all else are critically important to our neighborhood and help make NoHo a special place to be. We’ve included a quote from each of them here on what makes them special. For more about each of these women, click on the link below.
Fatima Al-Saladin of M & D Shapiro Hardware: “What makes me a #SmallBusinessWonderWomen is I’m the glue of the community, I was open all during COVID, and love getting to know my customers. A sentence or two can totally change somebody’s day, and I’ve formed so many beautiful relationships since the pandemic started, and I love that.”
April Barton of Suite 303: “If you can make it here in NoHo, you can make it anywhere. I feel I’m a small business wonder women because although I’ve had hardships and setbacks and this year was shut down due to COVID, I’ve risen every time since 1995. No one said it would be easy, but it’s worth it!”
Maria Cornejo of Zero + Maria Cornejo:“My Zero + Maria Cornejo team is really what makes us #SmallBusinessWonderWomen. NoHo is like a little jewel of creative people and places and feels like a real New York City community amongst the madness.”
Jill Dienst of Dienst + Dotter: “I am a #SmallBusinessWonderWoman because the gallery – after 16 years – remains a reflection of my own personality and style: inclusiveness, curiousness, and a broad view of what defines beauty in art and objects. Every #SmallBusinessWonderWoman is wondrous in their own personal way!”
Dawn Fichot of Racked Stretch: “I would have to say it’s my focus on people. Our business is very small, but we outperform our size because we take time to understand our clients as individuals and we love making those personal connections.”
Kerry Fitzmaurice of Pure Grit BBQ: “I launched Pure Grit BBQ at the beginning of 2020. I wanted to create a BBQ brand that appealed to plant-based eaters, infused femininity into a predominately male category and of course, I wanted it to be produced in NYC. I was able to accomplish this all while sheltering in place and helping my daughter with high school. Pretty much every woman I know is a wonder woman. We are strong, tough and we persevere. For me, I guess you could say, I have pure grit.”
Marisa Seifan of Honeybrains: “Delicately balancing motherhood and work while also remaining calm when faced with the daily unexpected obstacles of running a small business.”
Ulla Johnson of Ulla Johnson Inc.: “As a lifelong New Yorker, NoHo was always somewhere I had an affinity towards, specifically this quiet block with trees lining the streets. It is the perfect spot for our flagship shop. We hope to have created a transportive space that feels intimate and inviting, with places for the eye to pause while complementing each incoming collection.”
Donna Lennard of Il Buco: “My son was born 16 years ago this week, and raising him, mostly as a single mom, with the extended il Buco family below and all around me, has been my greatest joy. He truly makes me feel like Wonder Woman!”
Siria Morselli of Misirizzi: “In 2017 we opened under the name Misirizzi. We chose this name because of the humor and metaphoric meaning it encapsulates. Misirizzi is a round-bottomed doll that always rights itself when pushed over. We knew that opening a restaurant would require us to embody the same qualities, and that is what makes me a #SmallBusinessWonderWomen.”
Jill Platner of Jill Platner Jewelry: “Lucky for me, I make jewelry so whenever I need to feel like Wonder Women I just double cuff it and fight the evil powers!!!!”
Selima Salaun of Bond 07 by Selima: “Handling sales, customer service and bespoke fittings has been challenging but the silverlining has been how our AMAZING NoHo customers have been ideal to work with.”
Anna Sheffield of Anna Sheffield Jewelry:“I can honestly say it’s a talent of my mom’s which I merely try to emulate- which is to be fierce but loving with graceful and daring tenacity. No small feat! But I try.”
Gwenolee Zürcher of Zürcher Gallery: “In my exhibition program, I am committed to presenting work by under-recognized women artists of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries who have been overlooked in the past.”
