Our Projects
We see community through the metaphor of a strong and beautiful fabric woven from many threads. Square Roots focuses on three particular kinds of threads where we believe we can best contribute and we seek to weave them into community life: Relational, Placemaking, and Economic.
Relational Thread
When relationships are strong both within and across racial and socioeconomic lines, a community is more resilient. Through our projects, we seek to weave relationships by bringing people and organizations together in order to strengthen the community fabric.
Placemaking Thread
Our common sense of belonging is enhanced when the distinctive elements of our area – including local art, history, and our beautiful landscapes and preserves – are more deeply woven into community life.
Economic Thread
A sustainable community must be economically strong and provide opportunities for everybody to take part in the life of the community. Our projects endeavor to weave the economic success of our community into opportunities, especially for those who have not typically had access to economic self-reliance.
Kennett Trails Alliance
Connecting Kennett to its natural beauty.
The Kennett Trails Alliance (KTA) is an initiative to physically connect the Kennett community to its natural beauty through the formation of a 12-mile hard surface, safe, interconnected and well-maintained pedestrian and bicycle trail loop through Kennett Township and Borough, named the Kennett Greenway.
This network of trails will eventually link some of our area’s most valuable community assets such as State Line Woods, Auburn Heights and Marshall Bridge, parks and fields such as Nixon Park, Pennock Park and Legacy Fields and other attractions such as the YMCA and the YMCA outdoor pool, Birch Street and Victory Brewery.
KTA works in partnership with Kennett Township, Kennett Borough, The Land Conservancy of Southern Chester County, Kennett Township Trails and Sidewalk Committee and Kennett Township Land Conservation Advisory Committee to design, plan, build and maintain the trail network.
To learn more, visit www.kennettgreenway.com
Southern Chester County Opportunity Network
Building a community where everyone can thrive
The Southern Chester County Opportunity Network (SCCON) is a collective impact initiative, made up of a growing group of people who want to see poverty addressed in comprehensive, collaborative ways in our community. Our work is based on the Bridges Out of Poverty framework, and involves bringing people together from every sector and socioeconomic class to solve problems together that none of us can take on alone.
In collaboration with Kennett Area Community Services (KACS), SRC provides support to The SCC Opportunity Network, a working group of community volunteers focused on implementing the Bridges Out of Poverty initiative through advocacy, education and action.
To learn more, visit www.sccnetwork.org
The Creamery of Kennett Square
A restored and reimagined community gathering space.
The original site of the Eastern Condensed Milk Company on Birch Street, The Creamery was reimagined as a pop-up beer garden and community gathering space in 2016 after falling into disrepair for many years.
As a community gathering space, The Creamery celebrates all things authentic and local – including art, live music, and food – and aims to make all guests feel at home. It is an inviting space for adults and children alike, who can enjoy games like bocce, corn hole and Jenga with friends and family over good food and drink.
The Creamery building is deeply connected to Kennett’s history. Built in 1902 by Theodore Pennock, a serial entrepreneur, his parents were some of Kennett’s leading abolitionists and hosted leaders such as Fredrick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony in their home on East Linden Street. Theodore Pennock’s son, Herb became a Hall of Fame pitcher with the Yankees where he was a teammate of Babe Ruth.
To learn more, visit kennettcreamery.com
Birch Street Project
Consistent with the Borough’s comprehensive plan, SRC is working to make Birch Street a place of art, culture and community.
Originally The Creamery was a two-year experimental pop-up project that validated the idea that Birch Street could be an attractive location for art, culture and community.
This sparked other developments such as Braeloch Brewery, art studios and other concepts in the works. We welcome these new businesses as they advance this vision of Birch Street. In addition, SRC also recently moved our offices onto Birch Street.
Kennett Trails Alliance recently resurfaced the Kennett Greenway from the YMCA to the artisan shop WorKS, connecting State Street to Birch Street via a wooded trail.
SRC has worked with Birch Street residents to minimize the impact to their lives from the popularity of Birch Street. We have a positive relationship with most, many of whom are thrilled to see abandoned derelict industrial properties live again. SRC also owns other properties along Birch Street which allow us to meet the town’s off-street parking requirements.
Voices Underground
Promoting the legacy of the Underground Railroad
At Square Roots Collective we believe that a community can only thrive when all of its stories are heard. Because of this, Square Roots Collective, in partnership with Lincoln University, launched the Voices Underground Project in the Fall of 2019.
The goal of this project is to promote the nationally significant history of the Underground Railroad in our region through scholarly research, creative partnerships, public experiences, and historical memorialization.
For more information on this project and how to get involved, please go to vuproject.org
Square Roots Property Management
Investing in a thriving community for all.
At SRC, we believe that good homes make good investments. Investing in rental properties presents us the opportunity to have both financial and social impact in our community. We make decisions based on our ethos – advance our community and ensure that all residents can thrive.
SRC has a small bi-lingual team dedicated to maintaining properties and tenant relations. We strive to provide safe and well-maintained properties that are fairly priced, hoping to attract a broad range of people who are eager live in Kennett Square.
In 2010, we turned a derelict building into six luxury apartments seeking to draw a younger demographic to the town center; our social experiment was a success and our property was an example of the growing revitalization that has consistently followed.