Today we’d like to introduce you to Betsy Bober Polivy.
Hi Betsy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
What began as a whimsical idea some fifteen years ago became a life’s work rooted in curiosity, advocacy, and a deep respect for small business owners. I set out to walk the side streets of Manhattan, believing that the true soul of New York City lives just beyond its main avenues. Over time, that idea grew into Manhattan Sideways (GoSideways.nyc), a comprehensive exploration of the city’s numbered side streets from 1st Street to 155th.
Along the way, I met nearly 15,000 small business owners, listened to their heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking stories, and shared them through my website, photography, podcasts, and two self-published books. Like the first scene of Beauty and the Beast, each day unfolded through opening shop doors, passing neighbors, playground laughter, and the aromas drifting from restaurant kitchens. During the Covid pandemic, that commitment deepened when I raised more than one million dollars to support small businesses struggling to remain afloat.
My connection to this work is personal. For ten years I owned and operated a children’s bookstore and understand firsthand the vulnerability, resilience, and creativity it takes to run a small business. I tell these stories so people can connect with the person behind the business, the human who has poured their heart into creating something meant to be shared.
When my son moved to Salt Lake City six years ago, a familiar spark began to take shape. Each visit revealed a city rich with independent businesses, strong neighborhoods, and people deeply invested in where they live and work. That spark led to the launch of SaltLakeSideways in the summer of 2025. Since then, I have had the privilege of interviewing more than 200 local business owners, continuing the same street-level storytelling that has always guided my work.
Last winter, my husband and I made the decision to move to Salt Lake City, a place we now proudly call home. SaltLakeSideways is a natural extension of the path I began in New York, grounded in the belief that cities are best understood through their small businesses and the people behind them. Wherever I am, the mission remains the same – to listen, to document, and to shine a light on stories that so often go untold.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest challenge has always been visibility. The stories only make a difference if people see them. Time and again, readers tell me they finally walked into a business they had passed for years after reading about them on SaltLakeSideways. Making sure those stories reach as many people as possible remains the hardest part of the work.
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Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My professional life has not followed a traditional path. It has grown organically from a long-term commitment to storytelling, relationship-building, and advocacy for small businesses. Over the years, that work has expanded across writing, photography, books, podcasts, and community initiatives, all rooted in the belief that cities are best understood through the people who bring them to life.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
In addition to storytelling, I have curated Sidewalk Events for some fifteen years. These have been neighborhood-based gatherings designed to get people out of their offices and homes and into local businesses. Guests have been able to meet the owners, sample what they create, and experience several businesses within one neighborhood.
In addition, I have curated numerous photography exhibits, first in Manhattan and most recently in Salt Lake City, highlighting the individuals behind the storefronts.
For the past year, since I arrived in SLC, I have hosted numerous small business gatherings in a shared space where anywhere from a dozen to thirty plus local businesses come together to offer samples, share their products, and connect with new audiences – and with one another. Watching these owners meet, collaborate, and support one another has become one of the most meaningful parts of my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://SaltLakeSideways.com
- Instagram: @SaltLakeSideways
- Facebook: SaltLakeSideways
- LinkedIn: SaltLakeSideways
