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When Annie Johnson first started her business, she was told that collaboration was key.

“The only way small businesses can compete like big box stores and Amazon is by working together,” Johnson said. “So this is kind of a sign of that.”

Johnson’s company, the care packaging business Take Care South Bend, is one of five local businesses that now form The Portage Collective in the area near the northwest of South Bend. Other businesses include Raw Oats and Refillery, South Bend Challah Company, AndAubreyWas Studio and Mind Your Beeswax.

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Renovation of a former detached house

According to Raw Oats and Refillery’s Kelly Bailey, the idea to form the collective didn’t necessarily stem from a desire to work with other businesses.

“Some of us were looking for space, but obviously the whole building is a little overkill for one or two businesses. I was looking for it, and from there a group was formed.”

The former single-family home at 905 Portage Avenue has now been transformed into a space where each business owner can have their own corner space to showcase and sell their wares.

Raw Oats and Refillery offers homemade cleaning and beauty products. Take Care South Bend is a South Bend-based artisan item-crafted care package that allows customers to work more directly with their owners at the time of creation. For the South Bend Challah Company, it’s baked challah (pronounced haar), babka, and other Jewish heritage wares. For AndAubreyWas Studio, you can buy prints and fiber art, and take classes and workshops. At Mind Your Beeswax, customers can get beeswax balms, essential oil blends, herbal tea blends, and more.

The operator said it also plans to offer a small space in front of the building for other local businesses to sell their goods.

Ward Baking Company has similar plans

The new collective is directly across from The Ward Baking Company, where developer Mike Keane plans to implement a similar idea and refurbish the space where several shops, businesses, artists and other tenants can operate. is located in

“[We]have the same landlord, but Mike is working on creating a shared space there,” Bailey said. I have.”

“And they don’t necessarily work collectively,” Johnson added. “They rent space independently.”

So what’s the difference between a collective space and a shared space? The Portage Collective operators say everything is centered around the community.

“I think we all work together to bring a little bit of everything to the neighborhood,” Bailey said. I think we all have many desires to do something balanced.

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Collectives also lean towards the essential need for collaboration. Bailey and Johnson said they are already brainstorming ways to incorporate Portage Collective’s Care He package through Take Care South Bend, and companies can also share employees for customer service. Customers currently have to make individual purchases at each store. In other words, if you buy tea from Mind Your Beeswax and challah from South Bend Challah Company, the operator compares it to Farmer’s Market as well, making it two separate transactions.

“There was no good way to do it like one universal system,” says Bailey. “It would have been extra leg work.”

The business owner, who plans to hold a soft opening on Sept. 7, says he’s already received a lot of supportive feedback from customers at the recent pop-up event, especially those who live in nearby neighborhoods. says.

Sheer Brown of South Bend Challah Company said:

The Portage Collective is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 11am to 6pm, with hours varying depending on pop-up and workshop events.

Please contact Mary Shown 574-235-6244 and mshown@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @maryshownSBT and @marketbasketSBT.