The pandemic changed how we live, work, and connect and in the Valley, it also showed just how powerful community can be.
In this episode of Valley Girl Hour, host Lindsey Whittaker talks with Kimberly Maiden, operator of Pickwick Pub in Woodland Hills and founder of Maiden Community, alongside her right-hand woman and collaborator, Tracy Marone.
Kim shares how Pickwick Pub’s survival during COVID depended on neighbors showing up, sometimes just to buy a breakfast burrito. Plus the moment she realized that same community energy could help other small businesses get back on their feet. What started as a small Facebook group promoting local boutiques quickly expanded into restaurants, service providers, and a growing, vetted directory of businesses, while also building a real friendship network for members.
Kim and Tracy also talk about what it takes to run a fast-growing community behind the scenes, how they choose which businesses are the right fit, and how the Maiden Community continues to evolve now that the pandemic is “over,” but many locals are still struggling.
In this episode, we cover:
How Pickwick Pub rallied the community to stay open during COVID
The origin story of “Quarantine Shop” and how it became Maiden Community
Why supporting local businesses matters even more post-pandemic
How the group grew from storefronts to a trusted service provider list
The friendship element: “finding your pocket of friends” in a hard season
What it takes to run the community (admin work, scheduling, email volume)
Giving back: “$2 Tuesday,” meal trains, and community donations
The big vision: expanding beyond the Valley and funding bigger projects
This episode was recorded live in studio at KPCRadio.com in Spring 2023.
Follow along on Instagram for behind the scenes of the show: @valleygirlhour
