Hide Article Text (OCR)
^imtjpitMiwuiicii pain uuuiu ue me ruciu iuindependence day for many Afrikan Americansby Denise Porter-RossAs Americans of all colors and cultures celebrate Independence Day, it is fitting that we take a moment to focus on what freedom means to the entrepreneur.It is often said that the business of America IS BUSINESS. That is as true in the urban community as it is in the suburbs. The Entrepreneurial Spirit is alive in southeast Fort Wayne, and home based bulftiesses, small businesses. Even national chain stores have found our community a good place to conduct the business of business.Just as the perception Of problems with crime and poverty overshadow majority of law abiding and hard •working residents that live, work, worship and play in our community, so too does the perception that south Fort Wayne is a vast wasteland, draining from the many successful businesses that do provide goods, services and jobs for the residents in the area. More than 50,000 people live in the zip codes of 46803, 46806 and 46816 and many of them try to shop as close to home as possible. There are more than 1,200 registered5 businesses and organiza-tionssiliifid;l(?zlprc^ea^ni6 of which are major businesses, but most are sole proprietorships or have fewer than 50 employees.While the entire community playsthe “what if’ game over Southtown Mall, Southgate Plaza has enjoyed a nearly 100 percent occupancy rate for the past seven years. National furniture retailer Heilig Meyers, recently was named the chain’s top store in the region, and one of the top locations in the nation. Other major businesses suph as Kroger, Blockbuster Video and Sally Beauty Supply make Southgate popular with consumers who can’t, or won’t, go north to the “Mall”.“Why spend half of your time stuck in traffic, or hassling for a parking place when I can get most of the things that I need right here?” seems be the sentiment of many consumers on the south end of Fort Wayne. Yet, they were quick to note that they do long for more stores and a wider variety of merchandise on this side of town.Some creative entrepreneurs have heard those pleas and are beginning to open a number of new shops and services in the-urban community. Southtown Mall is home to boutiques featuring apparel for men, women and children, gift and craft chops, financial services and even = restaurants: Mama’s ; Place; IF■ and _ tfbplmf’s-Buffet' have enjoyed so much success in Southtown that both are besieged by standing-room-only crowds on Sunday afternoons.Up and down Oxford, Calhoun,Hanna and Pontiac streets, one finds the signs of snack shops, beauty salons, insurance agents, realtors, auto repair shops, and child care providers. The Spirit of Independence even exists within our spiritual community, with new church buildings and congregations investing in for-profit ventures.A trip to the African/African American (sic) Historical Museum on Douglas Street shows that the black community of Fort Wayne has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Before the Great Depression, William Warfield owned several businesses, and the Howell Hotel and Wilson’s Chicken Shack were mainstays in the community. In the ’40s and ’50s, the Westfield Area and Lewis Street had every thing from restaurants to services and specialty shops.The medical, dental and legal fields launched successful practices for dozens of blacks in Fort Wayne. In the ’60s, Coffee Break, a forerunner of Frost Illustrated, was estab- * lished by Attorney Edward N. Smith in 1968. In the 1970s, ,the Pontiac area was bursting with black business vitality and downtown Fort:T Wayne '’ifaSPa^Tb’i xjuai t^rbiack owned supper club, the Melting Pot.Long-time residents tend to cite the shutdown of the Harvester plant in 1982 as the biggest blow to theurban community. In 1979, International Harvester was the city’s largest employer with more than 10,000 people. A few years later, the massive building was the International Flea Market. The lesson was learned that no matter how well or how long you work for someone else, in the end, your job can be terminated. Self-employment gives the satisfaction that you control your own destiny.But, how do you make the transition from big business to self-employment? Many entrepreneurs begin as home-based businesses, and with the development of online opportunities and information technology, businesses don’t need to rent an office or store front to be successful. Others work with limited inventory on hand and make or create products as orders come in, thus freeing up capital for alternate uses.Nationally, there are more than 880,000 businesses owned by Afrikan Americans—an increase of 108 percent , from 1987 to 1997. Their revenues were up 109 percent, adjusted for inflation'. More ■than 580,000 employees worked for ’ biack-dwned businesses•ifff997. ’*Is this a good time to declare your independence and start your own business? Do some homework before you take the plunge. TheNortheast Indiana Small Business Development Center, at 1830 Wayne Trace, is a great place to get your feet wet. Begin with a business plan to help clarify what it is you plan to do and its feasibility of success. A business plan is the key piece that you will need to obtaiq, funding from a bank or private sources. A marketing plan, which is part of a good business plan, will help you attract customers to your business. Contact the Marketing Department at Frost Illustrated to assist you with your marketing efforts.Remember, however, that as an independent business owner, you may not have a “boss,” but you also don’t have a guaranteed paycheck. There also are government regulations, customer expectations,employee and family obligations to consider. The job is never done and, in the beginning, you could need to continue working a “regular” job as you get your new career established. But, the rewards are limited only by your imagination and abilities.Who knows? Maybe nextIndependence Day* you’ll celebrate• ytiixt'^ThdepenCferice'froiTi'clrc wortc-'” place.Denise Porter-Ross is director of marketing for Frost Illustrated and founder of Marketing W.O.W.
Newspaper Details
Fort Wayne Frost Illustrated
Fort Wayne, Indiana, US
Wed, Jul 05, 2000
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Marilyn H.
USA 25 Mar 2025
Other Publications Near Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne Daily News
Fort Wayne Daily Gazette
Fort Wayne Daily Democrat
Dawsons Fort Wayne Weekly Times
Dawsons Fort Wayne Daily Times
