OUR MARKET TOURS

CO-FOUNDER OF BEYOND THE BELL TOURS

Rebecca enjoys the outdoors (hiking, biking, and running) as well as the indoors (eating, sleeping, reading and watching tv). Even though Rebecca was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, she's constantly discovering new things in the city. Rebecca majored in Romance Languages in college and is multilingual. Rebecca wrote her thesis about inclusive tourism and has presented her research internationally. She's passionate about the intersection of tourism and social justice.

CO-FOUNDER BEYOND THE BELL TOURS

Joey grew up in Maine, and came to Philadelphia for college. Joey majored in economics in college, and is passionate about leveraging for-profit business models for social good. Outside of Beyond the Bell, he writes and shares poetry across Philadelphia, and volunteers as a peer counselor at the William Way LGBT Community Center.

TOUR GUIDE

Alma has grown up in the 9th Street Market with her large family surrounding her. Her parents run the family restaurant, Alma Del Mar and Marco’s Fish and Crab House in the Market. When Alma isn’t giving tours she is attending high school or playing soccer. She calls the market her home and is excited to share these stories with you.

TOUR GUIDE

Melissa's childhood at her mother's nail salon, where she witnessed the challenges faced by a Vietnamese small business owner, inspires her dreams today. Melissa works to translate divisions, co-founding her own startup Panbo to support Philly's small local businesses and recently joined Our Market Project to help amplify the city's immigrant voices through storytelling. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, her education has taken her from a job on D.C.'s Capitol Hill to the Galápagos Islands, South Africa, Vietnam, and Argentina---but nothing compares to being home in the great city of Philadelphia. Melissa's current sidequest is to talk to all 39,600 small businesses in the city, especially the ice cream shops on hot days.

TOUR GUIDE

Nicole Sonsini is a born-and-raised South Philly gal, and proud 9th Streeter. When she's not spending time making art, hanging with her very cute and very tiny black cat, Marlo, or trying to play matchmaker to all her single friends, Sonsini works in social services with the coolest teenagers on the planet. Sonsini is an Etsy artisan, pizza lover, and voracious celebrity gossip consumer. She is excited to share her knowledge and love of South Philadelphia (and beyond) to anyone who will listen, and especially through the Our Market neighborhood project.