Leftside Printing is still around despite the Great Recession. It has also survived COVID-19. Colorful shop at 15th Street and MacDonald Avenue. Ink smell and noise from printing machines are unfamiliar.
“I started Leftside to change my life and my community,” Diego Garcia, Leftside CEO, said. “Things have been difficult, but here we are.”
Leftside, despite the common belief that screen printing has died, has not only thrived but also survived by using a business model that is community-based.
The model is characterized by a business’s commitment to contributing to its community’s well-being, said Jillian Grennan, associate professor at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.
Grennan explained that small businesses, like Leftside, can improve their community’s welfare by allocating their profits towards initiatives focused on the community.
“Businesses build a loyal customer base, get community support and a sustainable operating environment which is an investment in the economic ecosystem that sustains them,” Grennan said.
Garcia, 45, was born in Mexico, and moved with his family to Richmond in 1977. He founded Leftside Printing in 2006.
“Diego is a committed entrepreneur who adds so much value to Richmond by giving back to high schools, families and youths,” Wesley Alexander, CEO of COBIZ Richmond, said.
In July, 2020, Leftside joined the rest of Richmond to support the family of the late Vanessa Guillén, an Army private who was sexually harassed and murdered by a superior at Fort Hood in Texas. Guillén’s death greatly affected Richmond’s Latino community, which responded with a series of vigils and protests. Leftside joined the cause, printing a design that read “In Loving Memory Vanessa Guillen” on T-shirts for free and charging $ 5 to design new ones.
Leftside and Richmond Main Street teamed up during COVID-19 to donate $2,000 worth of digital banners to local businesses to let them know they are still open. The banners were 2 feet wide by 3 foot high and read: “Yes, we are open.” The gesture was not unnoticed.
“The same businesses we gave free banners to, reached out and ordered printed masks and social distancing stickers,” Garcia said. “We allocate a part of our profits for community-focused programs and activities.”
Leftside was one of the sponsors for Garcia’s Richmond SOL Community Soccer Club, which he founded in 2003.
The city also have given him business, asking Leftside to print the 2023 “Taste of Richmond” marketing materials, said Lizeht Zepeda, Richmond’s senior business assistant officer.
Leftside is one of many community-minded businesses that are located in Richmond, and in other towns around the country. Owners sponsor events, give goods and services, and participate in local activities. It’s a model proven to be beneficial for businesses and customers, Grannan said.
“It fosters a symbiotic relationship that feeds back into value creation,” she said. “This connection is paramount, especially for small businesses, as it enables them to engender customer loyalty that they can rely upon in tough times.”
Grennan says that community-based business models share the same social responsibility as large corporations, which incorporate it into their strategies.
But there are some downsides. Andrea Portillo Knowles, executive director at Richmond Main Street, said that small businesses might not see a return on investment.
It also keeps a business’ focus local, which could make it less competitive in broader markets, Grannan said.
Garcia has seen the benefits of his model. He wonders if Leftside Printing could have survived if he had not created a strong bond with the community.
