BLACK OWNED BUSINESS

The CEO of Black Leaders Detroit is biking the distance to make a difference.

East Village Detroit – Ever walk into a place and think “man, this is chic!” It’s a combination of the food, the atmosphere, and the cocktails. That’s how you feel when you walk into Ivy Kitchen + Cocktails, owner Nya Marshall’s first restaurant. It works to represent the old Detroit, blending and coming together with the new Detroit. The restaurant opened up just about 90 days before COVID-19 hit Michigan and shut down the restaurant industry. Ivy Kitchen + Cocktails is located at 9215 E Jefferson Ave, Detroit.

DETROIT – In two short years a father went from launching inclusive puzzles to making it on the list of Oprah’s Favorite Things. “It’s a priceless galactic level explosion,” said Matthew Goins, owner of Puzzle Huddle and a Detroit native. Goins, a gather of three, was making breakfast for his kids when he found out Puzzle Huddle had caught the media tycoon’s attention. Puzzle HuddleFor more information on the Puzzle Huddle or to place an order click here. Kids puzzles can be used as a tool to support the development of fine motor skills, imagination, and learning about contextual environments.

DETROIT – A Metro Detroit couple started a business in their basement, worked together for years while traveling a lot and building on their ideas. Their products are about to appear on the shelves of Walmart, the world’s largest retailer. Local 4 business editor Rod Meloni has the story. You can watch his full report in the video player above. Read more: Local and national business headlines

According to the lawsuit, McDonalds steered Black franchisees to stores in inner-city neighborhoods with lower sales volumes and higher security and insurance costs. Once Black franchisees owned a store, they would be asked to rebuild or remodel within a shorter period of time than white franchisees without the rent relief and other financial support given to white franchisees, the lawsuit says. Theyre the same everywhere.Ferraro also noted that the number of Black McDonalds franchisees has fallen by half over the last two decades. In 1996, McDonalds leadership acknowledged that Black franchisees werent achieving parity with their white counterparts and resolved to make changes. They claimed McDonalds shifted advertising away from Black customers, graded Black-owned stores more harshly than white ones and implemented business plans that had a discriminatory impact on Black franchisees.

“My father and his partner actually developed the entire block, the physical block,” explains Stephanie. She called the development a “labor of love” for her family, so they called the restaurant “The Block” to commemorate that. They are very proud to be Black developers and like to use their success to help promote other Black-owned businesses. That is a part of their Black Wines and Spirits Happy Hour, along with the McBride Sisters Estate Wine “Black Girl Magic Rose,” Uncle Nearest Whiskey, and Anteel Tequila. All Black brands are $5, and Happy Hour is weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

DETROIT To own and grow a small business, one has to have that special drive -- and theres one Black business owner who is using his own success to help others get in the game and thrive. RELATED: Black business owners in Detroit on the importance of community supportI was raised in the hair salon. He opened Directions Salon in Detroit in 1988. When we got downtown, there werent a lot of Black businesses at all, Ginn said. Most of the help I get is from the stylists here and the people that work in the bar, Ginn said.

DETROIT In the past few weeks weve heard a lot of talk about supporting Black-owned businesses especially during the month of August. Local 4s Evrod Cassimy sat down with several Black businesses owners and they explained why its so important now more than ever. In the Black community often times I think we dont really push entrepreneurship the way that we should, said Detroit District 5 Councilwoman Mary Sheffield. Mary Sheffield is an advocate for supporting Black owned businesses. These business owners believe in supporting Black-owned business so much theyre even putting their money where their mouth is.

DETROIT As the movement for racial equity continues, a lot of people have been making an effort to support Black-owned businesses. RELATED: Push to support Black-owned businesses intensifies amid Black Lives Matter movement, JuneteenthA new app is making it easier. It launched in Detroit a few weeks ago, but has already garnered attention for bringing Black-owned restaurants to customers who might not have found them. I just noticed like I would have to search for these Black-owned restaurants, Cabello said. In Detroit, theyve found at least 100 Black-owned restaurants with dozens already on the app.

DETROIT Recent killings of Black Americans have triggered a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement nationwide, and many people are looking for ways to support the cause. One initiative aimed to support the movement has taken the internet -- and Detroit -- by storm: Shopping at Black-owned businesses. Across the country Americans are calling on one another to vote with their dollar by seeking out and supporting small Black-owned businesses. By shopping at Black businesses, White Americans and non-Black people of color can directly fund the Black community in support. The push to support Black-owned businesses ramped up this week amid Juneteenth celebrations in addition to the national protests.