Black entrepreneurs in Colorado Springs celebrated their freedom this Juneteenth by giving back to the community that helped start their businesses.
At least eight Black business owners set up shop this weekend at the Norris Penrose Event Center for the Colorado Springs Juneteenth Festival. To several of them, what they started isn’t just a business — it’s about building a legacy.
“It shows the kids that they can do it (too). I love being on stage and showing them babies that they can do it,” said Schelle Nelson.
Nelson launched her business, NutriSchelle, two years ago, but she said it was a “lifetime coming.”
As a nurse, Nelson saw firsthand what it was like for people to get prescribed medications they didn’t need. More medication doesn’t necessarily mean you get healthier, she said.
So, she started her business to teach her community, the city’s southeast side, how to be healthier through nutrition.
Her new book, “How Much Longer Will I Lie to Myself,” aims to help people understand their reactions to food and understand why they eat the things that they do.
“The Black community has received me very well here in Colorado, and they love the idea of having somebody Black teaching them how to be able to take care of their body,” she said.
Kids having role models who look like them is how you foster more Black entrepreneurship, said Heather McBroom, executive director of The Thrive Network.
A company designed to foster entrepreneurship on the southeast side, McBroom said community members, primarily people of color, want to solve their own problems, but the main thing holding them back is a lack of confidence.
“When you come from under-resourced communities, there’s probably been no talk about building wealth at your family’s dinner table. Social barriers that we have traditionally seen, especially for Black communities, causes them to come up with the mindset that things like owning a business aren’t for them or they’re not accessible for them,” McBroom said.
That’s where McBroom says Thrive steps in — to teach people how to start a business and have it succeed.
McBroom said festivals like Juneteenth help build networks, one of the most important outlets for small business owners to get their names and products out there.
To Sharon Roberts, the festival is also a way to give back to those who helped her along the way.
Her clothing business, Old Me New You, is maintained through donations, often by people from the southeast. Roberts said her store, featuring mostly women’s clothing, is a way for people to rebrand themselves.
Events like the Juneteenth Festival bring attention to her store at 2551 Airport Road. Some of her clothes were also featured in the festival’s talent show.
But what ultimately makes her day is seeing that look on people’s faces when they put on a new outfit.
“I have people come into my shop fresh out of jail, and they come in there and they don’t have no money, but I’m going to still give you something. I’m not going to get rich off it, but my soul feels good,” Roberts said.
