After a 38-year career in journalism that took her around the world, Kathy Jackson retired to her hometown of Flint and opened up the Healthy Dollar Store. After a decade in business and establishing a reputation in the city, she, like so many small business owners, had to close her store because of COVID-19. With no business […]
There’s no shortage of talented cooks in Flint and Genesee County. In the last five years, residents happily witnessed a steady stream of food-based businesses move from home-based kitchen counter operations to mobile food truck and bricks and mortar locations. That’s a good thing, according to area small business advocates like Sean Gartland. The certified […]
Twenty-nine-year-old Charlie Burt was previously the general manager at Porter’s Orchard in Goodrich, handling all the day-to-day operations and the business side of the company. The orchard was the only job he’d had, having worked there since he was 17-years-old. He began by picking apples and bagging them for sale. He also helped make cider. […]
In a warehouse somewhere in the country sit — or lay, or maybe hung — two 1970s llama ties. Both cream and brown, and fuzzy, this was going to be Zack Lessner’s proof that he and his wife, Hannah, had contributed to the clothes on Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. “I took a picture and […]
Nearly 100 friends, relatives and clients gathered on a sleet-soaked Friday for the ribbon-cutting at the new Corcova Salt Spa and Wellness Center where “stress relief” was the buzzword of the night. The calming decor of Himalayan salt filled the 4,100-square-foot facility where guests had the opportunity to experience the many natural treatments offered in […]
Lev “LV” Hunter’s eyes are on the prize. Hunter, a local business owner, is a finalist in this year’s Fenton Shark Tank competition. “It’s an achievement in itself just to get selected,” he says. “Now we have to take that same momentum to win.” On Nov. 29 at the Freedom Center, Hunter will get five […]
For Beverly Biggs-Leavy, the road to rebuilding just keeps getting wider. Like a number of other restaurateurs, she was forced to close in 2016 in the wake of Flint’s water emergency. Beverly’s Cakes and Catering had been one of community’s most popular eateries, a vision of business ownership made reality, then vanished. Now Biggs-Leavy’s plan […]
Kim Fowlkes has been in business since 2001, when the baking started in earnest. It’s been over the last two years though that demand has gotten so big for Fowlkes and her baking business and blog, A Piece of Cake and A Mouthful of Food, respectively, that earnest gave way to full court press. “I […]
Tamika Hicks wanted to create a comfortable event space where visitors could relax and be themselves. What started as a plan for her own birthday became Hicks’ gift to the community. Paints, Chalices & Hues combines artistic fun with drinks and socializing. The simple concept was inspired by an ongoing national trend. “The business started […]
When Vantrell Erving customized his first pair of shoes he did what most of his generation would – post a photo on Facebook. But the reaction he got wasn’t exactly encouraging. He didn’t get 1,000 likes or comments saying how awesome they looked. Instead he received comments bashing his shoes in 20 different social media […]