Startups
COVID-19 / Ecommerce / Small businesses

Momentary Ink CEO launches Love Your Local to support small businesses during the pandemic

The website allows you to buy e-gift cards to multiple local businesses to help keep them afloat.

Online shopping. (Photo by Flickr user, used via a Creative Commons license)

As Jordan Denny, founder and CEO of ecommerce company Momentary Ink, began to see his fellow small business owners suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic, he thought: There must be something he could do to help.

Momentary Ink, based in Callowhill, produces temporary, personalized tattoos and had “thankfully” just started free shipping for its products, Denny said. But he and other small business owners he knew were starting to feel the hit of the pandemic.

“I wanted to use what resources we had to help other local businesses. It was kind of an inward conversation,” Denny said. “What can we afford to do as a business?”

So, over the weekend, he and some of his team from Momentary Ink set up loveyourlocal.org to bundle e-gift cards for local business and services like restaurants, salons and stores across the city.

By purchasing more than one gift card on the site, customers will actually save money, Denny explained. When buying two gift cards, you’ll receive 10% off, while three gift cards gets you 15% off and four gift cards gets 20% off.

Denny said he’d been reaching out to his CEO network, on social media and asking folks to spread the word as well. After the launch this weekend, there are currently about 17 businesses included in the bundling, but the goal is to hook up as many business who can and want to sell e-gift cards with the site.

Currently, you could grab an e-gift card for startup clothing subscription services wearwell, to boutique hotel Lokal or burrito spot El Fuego, among others. Multiple businesses say in their descriptions that they’re looking to continue to pay their employees during this time.

There’s also more than 100 businesses on the site that aren’t bundling, and you can still purchase them through Love Your Local.

While the creation of the site was purely a response to businesses struggling during the ongoing pandemic, Denny said he can see Love Your Local continuing on after.

“I would love to get like, a Brewerytown bundle or a Fishtown or NoLibs bundle,” Denny said.

He added that he has conversations ongoing with local business districts about getting more business onboard.

“I just want us to be able to continue funneling money into the businesses in our city,” Denny said. “That’s what I’m shooting for — just the goal of making an impact, keep their revenue up.”

Companies: Momentary Ink / wearwell
Series: Coronavirus
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