Today we’d like to introduce you to Ginger Brown

Hi Ginger, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.

I have been the Executive Director of JP Centre/South Main Streets in Jamaica Plain, Boston, since 2017. I previously worked in a national department store in retail, opened an art boutique for a Massachusetts college, and owned and operated a pizzeria in Jamaica Plain for 2 years. My husband and I also own a small retail bakery.
At JP Centre/South Main Streets, I work with residents, entrepreneurs, and small business owners by providing technical assistance, hosting district promotions, and creating community placemaking. We bring together the residents, the businesses, and the city of Boston to support and improve our business district.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

The nature of my job changed dramatically with the pandemic. Our district is popular for retail and restaurants; we have very few vacancies. So the majority of my job responsibilities pre-pandemic was hosting fun events and bringing the community together. Occasionally we provided resources, links, and connections to technical assistance for some of our small businesses, but this was really just a business-as-usual atmosphere. There were few challenges to overcome, except perhaps commercial gentrification.
When the pandemic hit, we went into a crisis mode, but without knowing what would be needed by our district. We focused on public safety and economic sustainability. We created a pipeline to help our organization tackle the unknown effects of the pandemic and required shutdown. Even now, four years after the shutdown, our businesses and community are feeling the trickle-down effects, such as lack of employees, geographic displacement of the workforce and customer base, increased competition with online services, and depletion of cash reserves.
I have had to step up my knowledge base of crisis responses for businesses and public health in our community. My skill set has had to change enormously. We have shifted our programming as well to more technical assistance for businesses, than community placemaking.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

As Executive Director, I rely a lot on building relationships. It’s not always possible to follow a road map in this job – unexpected crises can happen at any time. So this job is a continuous process of learning what is available, what is necessary, and what is possible.
Our organization helps small businesses with any aspect of running their business, such as branding, advertising and marketing, raising funds, permitting/licensing, hiring and employee management, and whatever other challenges they might face. Every business is on a very personal journey, so there is no road map for them either. The best that I can do is keep track of as many resources as possible so that I can connect businesses with options. Often businesses are unaware that there is help available to them.
I pride myself on this approach. When I first started this job, I felt compelled to keep everything to a rubric, a checklist. In this way, I felt that I could build a step-by-step guide for businesses that they could all follow. But this wasn’t realistic or equitable. When I focused on getting to know people, businesses, and organizations on a personal level, when I let conversations and projects flow organically, then I learned a great deal more. I learned snippets of valuable information. I made more connections. I realized that maybe this person should connect with that person, maybe this organization can help that business. I became part of a larger network. I see myself now continuing to build that network even larger.
In return, I see that the community relies on me a great deal, and our organization is becoming known for being responsive and providing real help. This makes me proud. I built that reputation myself.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?

The best success that you can find is doing your job in a way that matches your work ethic and personality. I prefer social connections, I prefer full transparency, I prefer trust with any colleague. I work best when those are qualities that I foster and utilize for myself and others. So building relationships is a natural course of action for me, and allows me to do my job best.
Also do not underestimate yourself. It is so easy when you’re new to any endeavor to doubt your knowledge and to hold yourself to standards that you can’t control. But I have never regretted following my gut instinct, whereas I have plenty of times that I regret ignoring it. This is particularly true for any time that I have been faced with discrimination or disparity. Have faith that you know yourself best.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jpcentresouth.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jp_centresouth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jpcentresouth/
• Twitter: https://x.com/jp_centresouth
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jp_centresouth

Image Credits
Ginger Brown, Deborah J. Karson Photography