Sudue said the business technical assistance and the loan he received from RPC are both invaluable. “We thank the staff and loan committee for their commitment and work to approve Mel Styles with the racial equity-focused small business lending needed to help Archie’s business thrive.” “As an immigrant with a dream and passion for business, he has brought his work to life in Michigan,” Foster said. He received a $10,908 retail innovation grant from the Grand Rapids Downtown Development Authority in October 2019, which is helping to cover the rent at his storefront. Sudue, a graduate of the business training program SpringGR, which is an RPC partner, won $1,000 from a 2017 SpringGR pitch competition and $5,000 from Start Garden in May 2019. Mel Styles is a menswear store with a mission to “inspire young men to dress well by providing affordable custom fitted men’s suits.” The business also offers personal styling, wardrobe analysis, fashion maintenance and bespoke services. “They are also experiencing growth, which we look to maximize as a result of our loans.” “These are two entrepreneurs of color who persevered through barriers to conventional capital due to racial bias and market realities,” said Eric Foster, RPC co-founder, chair and managing director. in downtown Grand Rapids and Stephanie Dolly, owner of Dolly’s Delights, a startup bakery currently operating at Prep Space, at 1355 Judd Ave. The funds, amounts not disclosed, were approved for Archie Sudue, owner of Mel Styles, a menswear boutique at 315 S. Grand Rapids-based Rende Progress Capital (RPC) said last week that it provided loans to two Black-owned startup businesses from its new Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation-backed fund for early-stage excluded entrepreneurs. and noon to talk with Crystal LeCoy.Archie Sudue, owner of Mel Styles, a menswear boutique, recently received a loan from Rende Progress Capital Courtesy Rende Progress CapitalĪ racial equity lender in Grand Rapids recently gave loans to a menswear store and a bakery. 11.įor more information, click here, or drop in any Weds. The food entrepreneurs will sell their products at the market's Winter Wonderland event, 3 p.m. Free lockers are available for daily use. The kitchen also offers secure dry and cold storage rental space. The hourly rate varies, depending on the type of space needed, whether the entrepreneur is a member of the incubator kitchen programs, a non-member, or qualifies for a scholarship. Each has a selection of equipment for use by that specialty, whether it be ovens, a meat slicer, a veggie slicer, a commercial mixer, stainless steel tables, and more. The kitchen has five distinct areas: pastry, packaging, catering, production, and prep. The equipment is state-of-the-art and the Market is helping me market the shortbread." Battjes says in a recent Rapid Growth article that, "The perk for me of the Downtown Market was that it was new and a really cool place. "We're hoping that some of them will be able to work together to do wholesale buying (of supplies) from the farmers at our outdoor market, and to collaborate on how to get their product outside the region."Īmong the five food producers using the incubator kitchen is Kelly Battjes, owner of Sweet Batches, which makes shortbread cookies. "I'd like to see the entrepreneurs and our food vendors in the Market Hall downstairs share ideas and utilize each other as resources," says Crystal LeCoy, director of the incubator kitchen. It's also about creating a network of food entrepreneurs, a means for entrepreneurs to become ServSafe certified, a resource for developing a business plan, and a place to learn about sustainability and how to get your food product out to a larger market. SW, is more than just providing a licensed commercial kitchen for lease to start-up food businesses. The purpose of the incubator kitchen, 435 Ionia Ave. This is where the kitchen's first five food entrepreneurs cook up their dreams of owning a food business. The west-facing window wall, two stories above the ground, is nearly level with the south extremity of Grand Rapids' famous "S" curve on US-131 and floods the space with daylight. The incubator kitchen at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market is quiet and immaculately clean.
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