Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Dawson.
Hi Gina , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My husband and I moved from NYC to Philly in 2017 with the intention of starting a family and opening our space. We are both artists and always wanted a place that was part gallery part indie comic shop but NYC was financially not possible for us. Once we got settled in Philly and I gave birth to our son, we started looking for spaces to open the shop. Partners and Son opened in September of 2019, a little under 2 years from when we moved to the city. Of course the timing was terrible, 6 months later we found ourselves shut down due to covid and we had to pivot to keep the momentum going. Since I was in lockdown I decided to finally build out the website and try to keep us going with online sales. The benefit to this was between Instagram and being able to ship all over the world, we were able to grow out audience and actually take in revenue even while the store was physically closed. It took a while to get brick and mortar store to find its footing post lockdown. Our plan had always been to host lots of readings, signings, and art shows but it took another year before we could safely have more than 3 people in the shop at a time. Once we were finally back open at full capacity we were able to capitalize on the online presence we had built.
Today we host multiple readings/signings a month and an annual comics fest (PCX)!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
See previous answer
Oh and to add to that. One we were back at normal capacity things were going well for a few months and then in the summer of 2021 a water main burst at the intersection of the shop filling the basements of everyone within a few buildings radius with about 4 ft of water. Our AC/electrical was flooded and we were forced to close for a month while the landlord repaired. Then there was almost an entire year of major construction going on in front of our shop. Not only was the road not smooth, it was non existent and then completely blocked off to through traffic for 11 months!
The issue was finally resolved in April of 2022
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are an indie comic shop and art gallery specializing in small press and self published comics, zines and art books. We regularly host readings, signings, art exhibitions, movie screenings, and musical performances.
We also host the Philly Comics Expo, a showcase of approximately 150 indie comics and publishers from all over the country, every year which just had its 6th anniversary. We are very proud of the growing indie comics/art scene in Philadelphia and honored to be considered an important part of it.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Being a place where artists can showcase their work and find a community of other artists. Being open to weird and interesting and affordable art and helping anyone who comes in to discover something new, interesting, inspiring to them. Being a place where people feel safe and included.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.partnersandson.com
- Instagram: @partnersandson
