As a black woman, Reesheda Washington believes she has a unique perspective on running a business, but she added that being an entrepreneur is challenging no matter who you are.
Washington, who owns new Hemingway District business L!VE Cafe with her husband, Darrel, said there have been interesting moments when customers walk through the door, “and they’re looking for the owner, and looking for the owner, and looking for the owner,” she said with a wry laugh.
While local black business owners shared varying experiences and thoughts, from questions regarding business financing to the need for entrepreneur education within the black community, many agree that Oak Park is a positive community for entrepreneurs of color.
Darrel Washington said he believes black entrepreneurs beget more black entrepreneurs.
“What I’m seeing is that as each person jumps into it … they think, ‘If my friend took this risk, this person who looks like me took this risk, I can take this risk,’ ” Darrel Washington said.
Michelle Vanderlaan, owner of Oak Park clothing boutiques Sugarcup Trading and 16 Suitcases in the Downtown Oak Park business district, said she identifies simply as a business owner.
“I’ve found our community to be very receptive about good business, period,” she said. “I’m not sure race plays a part in that.”
Adryenne Hearne-Alvarez and Derek Hearne, the sister and brother team who own Orangetheory Fitness in Oak Park, have opened or are in the process of opening three other locations in Chicagoland.
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The siblings also said they’ve encountered customers who are surprised to find they’re the owners, but they haven’t found it to be a negative experience.
“A lot of times, it’s a very positive reaction,” Hearne said, adding that some people are simply pleasantly surprised to find the owner behind the counter. “I think people like to know that the business is run by someone who is involved.”
Hearne-Alvarez said she’s found black residents are supportive of them as business owners and excited to patronize their Orangetheory locations.
Monica Harris, owner of Monica’s Skincare Boutique at the corner of Home Avenue and Garfield Street, noted that a lot of black clients she’s gained recently weren’t aware the boutique was a black-owned business, and they’re more interested in supporting it than if it were another local place offering facials.
Darrel Washington said there’s a feeling of pride within the black community about supporting a black-owned business, “but even then, if what we have isn’t good, people won’t come back.”
Getting a small business off the ground is an aspect some black owners have found difficult. Hearne-Alvarez said even friends have asked how she and her brother were able to open their own business, with the subtext being, how could they afford it?
Hearne-Alvarez said they secured federal small business loans for their first two locations, which was quite challenging and involved lots of hoop-jumping. They’ve established such good credit that banks now seek them out, and Hearne-Alvarez feels proud of that.
Reesheda Washington credited Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest with providing a loan to open the cafe, because they recognize the need for equitable access to business ownership. She said it’s an obstacle many friends of color — especially black women — face in getting a business off the ground.
“They definitely held us to the same standards they hold everyone else to,” she said of the bank, but they made it accessible for the couple to secure a loan.
Hearne-Alvarez and Hearne, who have backgrounds in sales and the corporate world, field lots of questions on how they got started, and they’re happy to do so.
“I do know there is a real need for knowledge on business ownership in the black community,” Hearne-Alvarez said.
Hearne said most people, including himself at the beginning of the process, probably underestimate the amount of work that goes into entrepreneurship.
Cathy Yen, executive director of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce, said by email she doesn’t have statistics on the number of black business owners in the community.
Viktor Schrader, economic development manager for the Oak Park Economic Development Corporation, said he doesn’t know how Oak Park’s number of black-owned businesses stacks up to other communities, “but it does seem like we have a good amount.”
“We’re open to anyone who comes through our door,” he said. “Oak Park values a very diverse business community. We’re trying to provide a great experience for everyone.”
Tracy Boone, owner of Serenitea Cafe and Boutique, said she gets many questions as a black business owner, some of which she believes probably aren’t asked of other local owners.
“Sometimes it’s negative, like, ‘Is your food fresh?’ or ‘Did you bake your scones?’ ” she said.
Boone pointed out that her business is innately different from others, which may affect her experiences.
“My business is unique in that I’m African-American and I own a tea shop,” Boone said.
Vanderlaan noted that when Sugarcup first opened, she stayed behind the scenes, so customers might not have been aware she was the owner. She said she sees it as a compliment if a customer thinks one of her employees is the owner, as that means the employee is representing herself well on behalf of the business.
As an aesthetician, Harris said she enjoys educating black women on the importance of taking care of their skin, but noted 85 percent of her clientele is not black.
“Really, it’s been business as usual,” she said of her experience. She’s been working in Oak Park for about seven years and in her current location for four. “It’s a business. I’m open to everyone.”
John Lawrence, owner of Weichert Realtors Nickel Group in Oak Park, was a teacher and coach before branching out into real estate and starting his own company a decade ago.
“I knew I always wanted to run my own company,” he said. “Oak Park is a great place for any minority business owner. I think people will judge your business solely based on the competency.”
Hearne-Alvarez said they have felt like they’ve been subject to discrimination along the way to business ownership, but they have no way to prove it, and it’s a waste of time to dwell on it.
“We’ve got to rise above that,” Hearne-Alvarez said. “It would be great to not deal with any sort of adversity,” but “it’s not going to do you any good to let it stop you.”
Schrader said he’s never encountered any issues with business owner discrimination in Oak Park, “and I don’t know that that’s the case with other communities.”
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Boone, who’s had the tea shop in Oak Park for almost four years, operated in Naperville previously. She believes the far western suburb is much more segregated than Oak Park, and as a business owner, she encountered racial slurs while there.
“I think Oak Park is diverse enough to accept anything,” Boone said. “It’s much easier doing business here.”
Many local owners said they’re mindful of setting an example for the next generation. Lawrence said it’s important for black youth to see opportunities for people of color, and to promote education on small business ownership within the black community.
“When they see other people of color running their own business, they might think, ‘Maybe that could be me some day,’ ” Lawrence said.
Vanderlaan said it’s great to be a role model for others, but she believes being a successful businessperson is universal.
Vanderlaan listed having a mentor, being prepared and making connections with like-minded people in the community as important aspects for getting a business off the ground. She said her family intentionally chose to live and do business in Oak Park due to its reputation as a diverse and welcoming community.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Vanderlaan said.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.