The second season of “Neighborhood Favorites with George Worrell” launched Monday night with a watch party at Cooper Mill in Old Town, bringing together local business owners and community members to celebrate the show’s continued spotlight on small businesses.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins served as the special guest, delivering opening remarks that emphasized the city’s unique character driven by its independently owned businesses.
“Over 80% of our businesses in the city are independently owned,” Gaskins said during the event. “I think the reason why I can’t stop using that statistic is it’s a reminder that when you come to our city, you get an experience, you get a feeling unlike anywhere else in the world, not just in the region, in the world.”
The show, which airs Monday nights at 8:30 p.m. on WHUT PBS, features seven businesses across four episodes in its second season. Creator and host George Worrell spent two months filming the new episodes, focusing on Alexandria’s King Street corridor.
Worrell, who operates as an independent producer without funding from PBS or WHUT, selects businesses based on personal experience rather than payment or promotion.
“I choose by going in, and if I feel like I could live there, I know it’s a neighborhood favorite,” Worrell told ALXnow at the event.
The show covers various aspects of small business ownership, including both successes and challenges that entrepreneurs face.
“You’re gonna see wonderful stories. You’re gonna hear anecdotes about the good and the bad in business,” Worrell said. “You’re going to hear about tariffs, you’re going to hear about foot traffic, you’re going to hear about dreams, hiring, who to hire, not to hire, all of those kinds of things.”
Season two features businesses including AR Work, Pippin Toy Co., and Evolution Home, all located along King Street. The premiere episode showcases two businesses, following the show’s format of highlighting multiple establishments per episode.
Mayor Gaskins praised Worrell’s approach to storytelling, noting how he discovered businesses by walking King Street and entering stores until he found places that gave him “that feeling.”
“Walking into her store, walking into Pippin, walking into Evolution Home, all of the places that you’re gonna see highlighted throughout this season, I think it’s confirmation and that reminder that what you have here is special,” Gaskins said.
The mayor emphasized the broader impact of small businesses on the community’s character and economy.
“Everywhere you go in the city is a business owner who’s creating jobs, creating culture, investing in the character of our city and creating that experience that you’ll never forget,” she said.
Worrell’s motivation for creating the show stems from his own experience as a small business owner and his observation that media coverage of small businesses typically focuses only on openings and closures.
“I think being a small business owner myself, the only stories that I saw in the media are when they opened and when they closed. There was nothing in the middle,” Worrell said. “There was no one coming in and saying, We want to know what you do. Follow us around, tell our story.”
The show aims to inspire viewers who may be considering entrepreneurship by showcasing the real experiences of business owners.
“As someone who’s worked a job for 40 years or 30 years, and they make great pies and they make great cakes. I’m like, you know, I’ve been working this job for 30 years. I like it, but I don’t love it,” Worrell said, describing the potential impact on viewers.
As an independent production, “Neighborhood Favorites” relies on donations and community support to continue filming. Worrell operates through his nonprofit, My Voice Media Group, and does not charge businesses to be featured on the show.
“We don’t charge businesses. So any amount of money that you give, we’re able to cover everybody’s business, whether you can afford it or not,” Worrell explained.
The show streams on PBS Passport and Roku, and viewers can watch on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on multiple platforms, including iPhone, Apple TV, Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Worrell’s team includes Chez Carter, who serves as cinematographer and editor, and Cassandre Saint-Preux, the creative director. The production process involves extensive community networking, with local connections helping identify potential businesses to feature.
Season one covered locations including Union Market vendors, Binge Bar on H Street NE, Anacostia Organics cannabis dispensary, and Reddz Trading consignment shop in Georgetown, demonstrating the show’s reach across the Washington metropolitan area.
The watch party featured a promo reel showcasing the upcoming season and a screening of the premiere episode. Attendees could donate to support the show through QR codes provided at the event or online.
Worrell hinted at potential additional content, mentioning “a little tease where there might be a second part to season one” but declined to provide specific details about future locations.
The show represents Worrell’s transition from his background as an event planner and fashion stylist to television production, drawing on 30 years of experience as a Washington resident and his ownership of George Worrell Style LLC, which specializes in workforce development and fashion consulting.
