5 Reasons to Support Small Businesses & Car Culture - Automotive Photography by Blake Ferguson.
- Blake Ferguson
- Jul 25, 2017
- 13 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Proof that small names and small businesses typically do it bigger and better! Through severe dedication and wholesome personalized execution, this car show has come to represent the genuine output of a small business itself. 14% of small businesses declared bankruptcy in 2022, and I come to share my due diligence through updated correspondence, transitioning into a formal output to pass forward different ways of thinking for consumers today.
Aside from the downshifts over time, we preserve the name of Kloey’s Kloset as a contributor to car culture, and its own operations as a custom clothing boutique.
Table of Contents:
1.0 How Great Company & Great Cars Portray Sheer Summer Bliss.
2.0 What is Kloey’s Kloset? Introducing Your Car Show Hosts.
4.0 Browse The Full Kloey’s Kloset 2017 Car Show Experience.
8.0 The Full Video Recap of Kloey’s Kloset 2017 Car Show by CRBN QWN.
Summer Bliss for An Automotive Photographer: Great Company, Great Cars.
Another successful adventure, this time through the lens of car photography in its purest form—Grassroots, loud, and unapologetically expressive. From Newmarket to Hamilton quickly morphed into a full-day experience stitched together by the unmistakable scent of petrol, fresh barbecue, and the free-spirited summer air as I lingered to capture with my Sony A300 camera.
Rolling into town with close friend John Simon in his iconic Acura Integra and alongside Behn in his modified 2000 Volkswagen Jetta MK4 VR6, the journey itself set the tone—camaraderie, shared hype, and that familiar low rumble under the hood.
To our surprise, cousin Allan Heath—previously mentioned during the TURN6 event—made a grand, comedic entrance in his well-worn Honda CRV, living proof that it is not about the paint job, but the passion. A weekend experiencing car shows and absorbing the culture was never a dull moment, but always sweeter when sharing your passions with friends.
Introducing Your Car Show Host: Kloey’s Kloset.
This collective car gathering came together by a passionate small business specializing in custom boutique items and screen printing, connected to car culture through their designed passion, and serving vinyl diecut stickers to crews, clubs and other event names. Located in a small venue, the thrive for automotive photography lasted the entirety of the day in an urban back street parking lot.
Hosted in the central core of Hamilton, Ontario, the shop was on a cosey, small-town orientated street as to what I compare in Newmarket: Main Street. The car show took place behind the retail buildings, where it was solely about the cars on an early weekend morning.
I doubted the turn-out when it came to considering a car show hosted by a custom clothing boutique, but I stood corrected, and was taught never to judge a book by its cover.
Gatherings like this- it was not only a car show- but an independent initiative rooted in craftsmanship, culture, and connection. Tucked away in the discreet backlot of an industrial complex, the event transformed the space into a vibrant scene that felt both underground and magnetic. The atmosphere was lively, bordering surreal. A live DJ curated the soundtrack, while custom car setups flexed their sound systems, stance and style.
Small Business Hosts: Grand Car Show Turn-Out.
The turn-out was shocking, from the stance car culture I have grown accustom too; all the way to a grand presence from an iconic local figure in Toronto, Ontario. Let’s see what this small business unpacked for its turnout!
Everything from clean JDM classics to wrapped exotics like the Lamborghini Huracán and a wine-red Bentley GT Coupe popped out. Known local philanthropist and car enthusiast @hapyhipi rolled in with a fleet from his wrapped collection, adding even more energy to the eclectic mix.
While exotics and supercars were in attendance, the culture of stance was heavily rooted. Car club @n3xtlevel also pulled up strong, as did reputable names in the modelling scene like Victoria Colton and Cat Solomon—figures that added allure and authenticity to the occasion. A known presence that is yet rare to come across- the Got Ass Girls threw down, which always keeps the events intriguing and lively.
For those wondering about Cat Solomon- she is a recognized figure in the urban modelling and automotive community, known for bridging creative scenes and building visibility for independent projects. Across her modelling portfolio, she has contributed vital roles as a model among many music videos for independent hip-hop artists in Toronto, Ontario.
As a hobbyist photographer with my Sony A300 camera, I could visualize how Lightroom would help shape these moments into automotive art. The sun hit just right as chrome reflected movement, and candid snapshots captured expressions, engines and various aftermarket parts.
This article highlights the incredible display of automotive creativity and the independent spirit that powers car shows like this. If you have been slacking on supporting small businesses, consider this a reason to rethink your habits. If your support has been solid, feel free to dive straight into the coverage below—either way, this was a day worth documenting, and where legends require commendation, let this be an article to better attribute.
The Full Kloey’s Kloset 2017 Car Show Experience.
While updating these Insights, I could not locate any active links or recent presence for Kloey’s Kloset, the small business behind this incredible event.
What was a tightly knit car show blossomed into something unforgettable—charged with energy, authenticity, and a Grassroots spirit. That experience left a lasting impact on me, and why, I feel compelled to highlight the importance of supporting small businesses.
When you find an independent creator, service, or brand that aligns with your interests, invest in them intentionally. It is not vital to only shop at the nearest mom-and-pop store out of obligation—support someone whose passion resonates with yours. When we fuel small businesses, we support commerce—we sustain culture, creativity, and community.
Five Reasons to Support Small Businesses.
Concise and clear-cut, written by a small-business owner himself. Here are five of the essential reasons to support your local small business, whatever the occasion might be.
Communities Grow with a Small Business.
When purchasing products or allocated funds for small business services, a significant portion of those funds stay within the community, helping to expand into job opportunities. Furthermore, when one local business is under success, this expands their opportunities to incorporate other local services, vendors or suppliers apart of their expansion.
This sets a wave through the community, as the financial independance scatters throughout, which leads the way toward how the local tax base strengthens, funds education, infastructure and other public services.
Small Businesses Empower Diverse Job Creation.
I dislike believing that in today’s age, a small business has to be an independent journey. To say the least, that’s not the case, where small businesses typically open the same number of doors to employment compared to a scaled corporation.
Roles, salary and other compensation may vary between. However, small businesses are uniquely tailored, where the experience provided may be more diverse and exceptional to your experience in that trade or your career.
The more small businesses grow in terms of employment capabilities, the more potential the business has to grow. While loads become delegated, this empowers the owner, or other essential roles, to articulate a finer sense of business than originally demonstrated. This may grant small businesses to have longer hours, and hopefully, provide more accessibility for full-time workers, expanding the cycle of when business is conducted.
Between Kloey, the owner herself, she had assistance and help through her staff members that contributed to this collective car show gathering. While empowering the staff through providing extended work altogether, an impactful event came to bolster the community. It’s all around profit, not just on the side of finances.
Serving Innovative Ideas Refines How Service is Conveyed.
Mentioned throughout— we’ve all come down to purchasing the same couple of items, living in a world where everything is the same. Where it’s not always about what new products or technology might bring us, but about innovating ways and new ideas that serve niche products and services.
All of these aspects, larger companies typically neglect because there aren’t usually designated roles for experimentation. Small businesses are essentially the hub for innovative ideas and contribute to the characteristics big-box names piggyback from. Small businesses contribute a unique character to communities and marketplaces, where consumers are offered personalized, creative and more intrinsic options.
In this case, although Kloey’s Kloset does not directly cater to custom cars, it managed to extend this further than any big-box could. Without a statute of limited corporate rules, small businesses remain closed to genuine opportunities and experiences.
For example, as discussed through my designated About Page, working with me, opposed to a large-scale digital agency, is the simple matter of me being able to serve the grey areas that either conflict with the team-like roles of the agency, which, in a sense, if no one brings this up, these go overlooked. Communicating to an overseeing independent versus a Zoom call with a marketing team— everyone tunes in and dials in according to their own roles and responsibilities, and sometimes might be shy to expresss their new ideas.
When working with an independent coach, the communication comes refined and more powerful, tailored for two individuals, not a group chat. We’ve all been in a group chat, and the participation falls short far from 100%.
Small businesses are what compose of maintaining accessibility for everyone’s needs in a market altogether. As for Kloey’s Kloset— everyone loves clothing and fashion, but those who pefer true customization would utilize this custom clothing boutique.
Fostering Stronger Local Communities.
Whether it’s community-sponsored iniativies or hosting an event themselves— as demonstrated by Kloey’s Kloset and their 2017 car show, they have only empowered a strronger community.
For myself, this was an opportunity as a photographer to support with a paid entrance, participate in the car show, and capture favourable images. Those images have led on to empower niche-car pages, the owners themselves— typically scaling to indefenitiely. Like Kloey, owners of small businesses invest in the welfare of their neighbourhoods, promoting a sense of connection, trust and community identity.
Advancement of Sustainable & Local Practices.
Similar to my own practices, while serving printed fine-art, my goal has been to source my materials as domestically as possible. I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about economically considerate practices with underlying aspects such as VOC-free, and sourced responsibily through sustainable forestry. All of the funds that are allocated towards my fine-art photo prints continue to fuel the growth and development of these sustainability commitments, while contributing to the pockets of local workers.
Altogether, the practices of small businesses aren’t considered on the grandest of scales, but the most ethical investment possible, which supports environmental stewardship more than handwritten contributions by larger corporations.
The Problematic Route: 5 Aspects Defeating Small Businesses.
We tend to identify a small business as offering something we don’t need, or way below our expectations, but often the case, that’s wrong. Small businesses represent the backbone when communities are thriving and when the economy is resilient.
Small businesses are big-box retailers— only with a personalized touch, embodying creativity and independance. The human aspect of commerce, fostering innovating, empowering individuals and influcing local culture in ways that enterprises cannot. Where some cannot see the difference, but the support for small businesses are real when it comes to the holisitc foods we eat.
After the pandemic, support for small businesses is experiencing a decline due to several interconnected factors driven primarily by economic pressures, a culture of convenience, and evolving consumer behaviours, which, unfortunately, after revisiting Kloey’s Kloset custom boutique since after this car show, it was disheartening to know that it was not left in its place.
Here are five aspects that are slowly but surely ruling the phase-out of small businesses. With this awareness in mind, you’ll have an idea of which ways are best to lean for yourself as a Canadian consumer.
Consumer Habits Favour Large-Scale Suppliers.
Large platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and Shein are setting the standard with their rapid shipping, aggressive pricing, and hassle-free purchasing processes. Convenience drives this factor, as consumers increasingly prioritize speed and cost over community values.
Small businesses are the underdogs when it comes to competition, but when financial restraint is at its peak, it only serves to create more challenges. Small businesses struggle to compete with the inventory-scale that big-box names use to their advantage for pricing and logistics.
E-Commerce was on the rise, but during the pandemic, the circumstances only escalated this demand, where small business owners can no longer rely on their brick and mortor space for objective retail sales, but are forced to undergo digital operations, or risk forfeiting.
How Rising Costs and Inflation Limit Consumerism Choices.
The global economy remains plagued by inflation, soaring interest rates, and skyrocketing prices for essential goods. While these affect big-box names similarly— given that they own the current market and price-points, as long as they adjust appropiately, they’ll be fine. However, for small businesses looking to restock, this may not be sustainable as it once was.
Through economic hardship, this also variates the scenario for conumers— opting for lower-priced, mass-produced products, often at the expense of local or ethically sourced options. This trend is not just a choice; it reflects the pressure people face daily. We live in an age where instead of spending the time to source our products in person, we find them online, and “save the time” by having it delivered to our doorsteps.
Algorithmic Influence on Market Visibility.
Social media and online platforms heavily skew in favour of sponsored content and the marketing budgets of big brands. As a result, small businesses fade from the limelight. Following the pandemic, there has been plenty of shifts, where predominantly digital ads sufficed from large-scaled retailers.
As of 2025, we’re now in an era where advertisements are pushed towards us while incorporated in the short-form videos we’ve grown accustom to watching everyday on Instagram, TikTok, etc. Placing your foot in the right digital-swing as a small business has been trickier than ever, where it only seems much more straightforward for big-box names.
The value of the everyday “influencer” has exceeded, where it now comes to contract-based approaches, and less-open communications. Content creators are represented by agencies or management, similar to the uniform of the music industry.
Real Estate Pressures and Gentrification.
Across urban areas, small businesses have become displaced from commercial spaces due to exorbitant rental costs and aggressive redevelopment efforts.
I won’t name any names specifically, but as one who has helped many professionals and other small businesses through photography and design, I have come acquainted with those such as. With a good friend who runs a location-based vehicle spa, he was telling me how he was under the order of evacuating the premesis immediately.
Compared to tenants and rented properties, I felt this was so distraught. Here was a commercial building owner forcefully evicting his small business tenant. The details are in the lease or rental agreement for the most part, where I would not stand for being pushed out of what I would call my studio space.
This trend leads to homogenized shopping districts dominated by chains and franchises, severely restricting the presence and accessibility of local alternatives. This comes as a situation that threatens the very fabric of community commerce.
The Decline in Consumer Awareness & Pandemic Fatigue.
A revision to this article was made following the pandemic. However, there once was a movement called shop local, which was a significant movement that united us as Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unfortunately, as for the pandemic, this was just another fad that faded alarmingly. In all understanding as a small business operator, maintaining marketing efforts during this time came with new challenges, where it only led to burn-out thinking about fully supporting another campaign. This created a narrative to consumers which demonstrated a lack of urgency and importance from small businesses themselves, leaving consumers disconnected and feeling indifferent.
Support fatigue has set in, and it’s truly a consideration. Where we once had energy and interest to hear about and support external iniaitives and causes, the energy came spirited on feeling overwhelmed and uncertain of their actions making a differrence. Well i’m here to tell you that they do!
A simple comparison I have noticed from before and after the pandemic— while sharing my automotive photography and graphic design concepts alongside Strict Standards Streetwear; the world was once united, but now, it has been a community where people watch, rather than support. People once had the energy to support, but now we’re left with the energy to only absorb.
The Take-Away: Support Small Businesses Today.
The decline in support for small businesses correlates to convenience, economic strain, and digital saturation, overshadowing values-based consumer behaviour. Without systemic support, policy reforms or a cultural shift, small businesses face escalating challenges to survive and prosper in an increasingly corporatized and algorithm-driven marketplace.
I’ll speak for London, Ontario, itself, but by the time this article is published, only more and more retail spaces will be abandoned and left empty in the downtown core.
When considering a needed household item, for example, take an extra moment to think where you might be able to find a “more” unique version of that item. Most of the appliances we have in our homes are typically all the same. I’m sure a small mom and pop shop, or a small retail name, can provide you with more fashionable clocks, for example, than one from a big-box retailer. Chances are, thousands of people already have that same styled clock in their house.
The only difference follows the normalized patterns of knowing. We all know that whatever you might need, the big boxes will have it, where we autopilot to the store without checking for smaller, more superior alternatives.
Next time you step out for food, don’t just think fast. I can speak for London, Ontario, itself, but there are limitless options of diversely cultured food, which goes to support fellow small businesses. Make sure you explore the Downtown Map of London Businesses.
As consumers, we have not been fulfilling the roles in supporting these outlets, as if it’s engrainied in our brains that it does more harm than good.
I challenge you for your next grocery run, appliance sourcing, or fast-food run to take an extra moment to conduct a quick search and find a small business that can help with your needs. Instead of purchasing the same frames as everyone else for your photographic images, pop-in to businesses in Central London like Art Bank Gallery and Framing and see how they might have the touch to provide one more personalized for you.
Support Your Local London Small Business with Printed Fine-Art.
The Full Video Recap of Kloey’s Kloset 2017 Car Show by CRBN QWN.
Browse Blake Ferguson’s Commercial Photography Portfolio.
Browse Blake Ferguson’s Fine-Art Photography Portfolio.
Book Blake Ferguson’s Photography Services.
Consult with Blake Ferguson about your Graphic Design project.
Comments