Frederick's Child Magazine
When COVID-19 first shut down the world in March 2020, Sharyn Volpe decided to buy a takeout lunch from a friend’s catering service. Her friend was distraught because 90% of the catering events he was booked for had been canceled.
As a way to bring him extra business, Volpe began advertising mid-week family meals on her community’s Facebook page. “We got like 14 orders the first week,” she recalls. “He said, ‘That large order made my week.’” They organized a second week, specifically marketing add-ons, which was also a success.
Volpe decided to create a Facebook page specifically to advertise local Frederick businesses—Shop Local Frederick, Maryland. Today, more than two years later, the group numbers approximately 25,000 members and has become an invaluable resource for promotions, questions and advice on retail, entertainment and restaurant options in the area.
“I relate other businesses to myself,” she says. “Everybody has a family to feed and genuinely wants to see anybody who works for (himself or herself) to succeed.”
Volpe, who owns Frederick Window Tinting, which she started with her husband Joe in 2014, enjoys meeting other like-minded business owners through the page and creating bonds. “At this point, two years later, we (business owners) can adamantly say we have each other’s back,” she says. “If something happened, I can call any number of people. They’ve got my back, and I’ve got theirs, and we will drop everything to help each other. It is just a tight-knit group that brings the community together.”
The Volpes have three children, all of whom Volpe homeschools. The couple also recently launched two new business ventures: a marketing and consulting company, Lights Camera Local, and a video and photography company, Frederick Photo and Video. They both focus on serving the restaurant industry.
In addition to hosting events to help area businesses, Volpe also puts together an annual community giveaway around the holidays, setting out brand-new toys for anyone in need at their shop.
Lots to Love About Motherhood
Sharyn Volpe loves “watching my kids transform into their own creative people and see them hitting milestones.”
