Relying on the help and religion of the network and fighting for representation, 3 black business homeowners showed how to oppose all odds.
While many companies have been forced to close permanently due to COVID-19, those 3 actually opened their businesses amid the pandemic and have noticed that companies are growing.
“I nearly opened in March to honor my mother’s birthday, but ended up delaying the opening due to the pandemic,” said Rodesia Scott of Lynn’s Beauty Depot, an attractive store in Desoto, Texas.
Scott said he made the decision to make his grand opening during the eighteenth week of the weekend, a birthday party celebrating the end of slavery, as the occasion is widely celebrated in Texas.
At the heart of a traditionally black community in Charlotte, North Carolina, are Leah and Louise, a music venue. The South-inspired dining place opened in March, just days before North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced that all food would be closed and limited to takeaway or delivery.
“We were so focused on opening the restaurant; we weren’t preparing for the pandemic,” Gregory Collier, owner and chef of Leah and Louise, told ABC News.
“We had to be quick because we know we can be good. But we have staff who take care of the family, so it was vital for us to say, ‘OK, how are we going to do this without cutting anyone?” said Subrina. Collier, co-owner and wife of Gregory.
Meanwhile, Derrick “D” Hayes said he saw one to climb Big Dave’s Cheesesteak, his place to eat in Atlanta through assistance to network members.
“When the pandemic came, I said, “Look, we’re panicking,” Hayes told ABC News.
The place to eat has a must for Atlantans, even attracting the attention of hip-hop rapper Offset from hip-hop organization Migos.
Amid racial unrest and the global pandemic, commercial homeowners have had to think outdoors and locate resilience in the face of persistent obstacles.
“We have replaced our menu and costs to better satisfy the wishes of local consumers suffering financially from the pandemic,” Subrina Collier said.
Scott created a driving service for his good looking store.
“Literally, you can shop online and at the local store, and then you get to the shuttle, and it’s exactly the same as if you got to the store,” Scott told ABC News. “When they arrive, I call them, and they leave, and it’s also helping them. “
Despite some unforeseen setbacks, the owners said their biggest motivation is representation.
Lynn’s Beauty Depot is the black, female and veteran store in the city of Desoto.
“About 90% of the cash that goes into the good looks industry comes from the black community, and we own about 1% of the industry,” Scott said.
However, Sam Ennon, founder and president of the Black Property Beauty Products Association (BOBSA), says the number of owners of good-looking black products is slowly increasing. Black consumers spent at least $54 million of the industry’s $63 million in 2017. according to a 2018 Nielsen report.
“I know other people are counting on me,” Scott says. What makes me feel good, warm and confused inside is the fact that I see you, girls, teenagers and young adults, entering the store and they see me. . “
In Atlantic, Hayes has set itself the purpose of serving as a philanthropist and providing university scholarships to academics in his community.
“I’m a 33-year-old black man who made mistakes,” Hayes said. “This is my moment in life. Now I’m a network leader. “
As Gregory and Subrina Collier seek to find new tactics to showcase Memphis and original Southern-style food in the Carolinas, they say one of their most sensible priorities is with other young black chefs.
“We are great on the mentoring side. I actively show you: “This is how we do this, that’s how they do business “because they probably wouldn’t be with us forever. The journey is with us and they will do their thing that we teach them. We have contributed to the wisdom they have and the joy they have, ” said Gregory Collier.
With the help of the community, these commercial owners said the pandemic had allowed everyone to step back and locate tactics from a business and non-public point of view.
“The pandemic has yielded a key to my plans. But it also gave me a glimpse of what I would have missed if the pandemic hadn’t happened,” Scott said.
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