Close To Home

Welcome to Close to Home, a series about local business, community, and the power of proximity. Presented by Blockgraph.

For the final episode, host Jason Manningham visits two friends at Manual Labor Studio: founder and CEO Sam Choi and president Todd Cadley. The conversation starts with their philosophy of doing great work with good people and how they've built a business and team around it.

Sam then walks Jason through DUMBO to talk about the local businesses, familiar faces and working artists that make the neighborhood more than a destination for visitors. There's also an Ad Break and a round of Would You Drive for That? that Jason can barely finish asking.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/0pLUK8SQsWw

Chapters:

00:00:00 The Opener

00:05:23 The Neighborhood

00:09:17 Ad Break

00:10:36 Would You Drive for That?

00:13:42 The Creative Community

Watch more Close to Home episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdlMfBNuVSZU

Follow Blockgraph:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockgraph

https://www.instagram.com/blockgraph

https://www.tiktok.com/@blockgraphofficial

More from Blockgraph: https://www.blockgraph.co/newsroom

Welcome to Close to Home, a series about local business, community, and the power of proximity. Presented by Blockgraph.

For Denny Moe, a barbershop is built on trust.

In Episode 5, host Jason Manningham, CEO of Blockgraph, walks Harlem with Dennis 'Denny Moe' Mitchell, Owner and Operator of Denny Moe's Superstar Barbershop. They talk about four decades serving the neighborhood, why clients often tell their barber things they may not tell anyone else, and how service and community have shaped the business.

Denny also shares the story behind Cutting for a Cure, created after his father had pancreatic cancer, and how the barbershop has helped connect people with screening, early detection and prevention.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/Kux26S2lGQ8

Chapters:

00:00:00 The Opener

00:02:04 The Neighborhood

00:04:26 Service and Community

00:06:20 Ad Break

00:08:15 Would You Drive For That?

00:10:14 Cutting for a Cure

00:12:38 Too Close to Home

Follow Close to Home for more conversations with New York City business owners about the neighborhoods they serve, the communities around them, and the role proximity plays in building a local business.

Watch more episodes on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdlMfBNuVSZU

Follow Blockgraph:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockgraph

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blockgraph

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blockgraphofficial

More from Blockgraph:

https://www.blockgraph.co/newsroom

Welcome to Close to Home, a series about local business, community, and the power of proximity. Presented by Blockgraph.

At Sweet Pickle Books, the businesses nearby can become part of your support system.

In Episode 4 of Close to Home, host Jason Manningham, CEO of Blockgraph, walks the Lower East Side with Leigh Altshuler, Owner & Operator of Sweet Pickle Books. They talk about opening the store during the pandemic, the neighborhood's pickling history, and how the people running nearby businesses have become Leigh's unofficial coworkers, advisors and friends.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/An0RLriusXc

Chapters:

00:00:00 The Opener

00:01:23 The Neighborhood

00:04:04 Ad Break

00:06:06 Would You Drive For That?

00:07:30 Too Close to Home

Follow Close to Home for more conversations with New York City business owners about the neighborhoods they serve, the communities around them, and the role proximity plays in building a local business.

Watch more episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdlMfBNuVSZU

Follow Blockgraph: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockgraph Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blockgraph TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blockgraphofficial

More from Blockgraph: https://www.blockgraph.co/newsroom

Welcome to Close to Home, a series about local business, community, and the power of proximity. Presented by Blockgraph.

At TALEA Beer, every taproom is built for its neighborhood.

In Episode 3 of Close to Home, host Jason Manningham, CEO of Blockgraph, sits down with TALEA Beer Co-CEO Tara Hankinson at the company's West Village Taproom. They talk about how TALEA chooses new locations, what makes a block work for the business, and why each space needs its own character instead of a copy-and-paste formula.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/yAOmsy6sz9Q

Follow Close to Home for more conversations with New York City business owners about the neighborhoods they serve, the communities around them, and the role proximity plays in building a local business.

Watch more episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdlMfBNuVSZU

Follow Blockgraph: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockgraph Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blockgraph TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blockgraphofficial

More from Blockgraph: https://www.blockgraph.co/newsroom

Welcome to Close to Home, a series about local business, community, and the power of proximity. Presented by Blockgraph.

At OneTwoOne Café, the neighborhood shapes the business.

In Episode 2 of Close to Home, host Jason Manningham, CEO of Blockgraph, sits down with Emilienne Gray and Eric Gray of OneTwoOne Café.

They talk about why Bed-Stuy was the right place to build the business, what Emilienne felt was missing in the neighborhood, and why knowing who you're serving shapes the experience they create.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/d8Rf_SFHC-Q

Music: "Working on It" by Eric Gray, from the album Love is Here.

Chapters: 00:00:00 The Opener00:04:07 The Neighborhood00:10:38 Ad Break00:12:21 Would You Drive For That?00:15:17 Close

Follow Close to Home for more conversations with New York City business owners about the neighborhoods they serve, the communities around them, and the role proximity plays in building a local business.

Watch more episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdlMfBNuVSZU

Follow Blockgraph: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockgraph Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blockgraph TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blockgraphofficial

More from Blockgraph: https://www.blockgraph.co/newsroom

Welcome to Close to Home, a series about local business, community, and the power of proximity. Presented by Blockgraph.

In Episode 1, host Jason Manningham, CEO of Blockgraph, walks Park Slope with Miguel Aguilar of INKAICO to talk about why this particular location made sense for a second restaurant after more than 15 years building Surfish Bistro nearby in Gowanus.

They also talk about the neighborhood, the importance of regulars, and what keeps people coming back.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/lAGnvFj3Fd4?si=4vBDYf5nGk4ZXY_r

Chapters: 00:00:00 The Opener 00:05:10 The Neighborhood 00:07:38 Ad Break 00:08:19 Would You Drive For That? 00:09:56 Too Close to Home

Follow Close to Home for more conversations with New York City business owners about the neighborhoods they serve, the communities around them, and the role proximity plays in building a local business.

Watch more episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdlMfBNuVSZU

Follow Blockgraph: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockgraph Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blockgraph TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blockgraphofficial

More from Blockgraph: https://www.blockgraph.co/newsroom

Welcome to Close to Home, a series about local business, community, and the power of proximity. Host Jason Manningham, CEO of Blockgraph, walks the streets of New York City in conversation with the independent business owners who help define their neighborhoods. No scripts, no soundbites—just real conversations while the city moves around them. Each episode visits a founder-led shop, cafe, or storefront and explores the neighborhood around it. What comes through again and again: success is not about reaching everyone. It is about reaching the people close enough to walk through the door. Presented by Blockgraph.

Follow Close to Home for more conversations with New York City business owners about the neighborhoods they serve, the communities around them, and the role proximity plays in building a local business.

Watch more episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdlMfBNuVSZU

Follow Blockgraph: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockgraph Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blockgraph TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blockgraphofficial

More from Blockgraph: https://www.blockgraph.co/newsroom