ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Black Wall Street AVL, a Black business incubator, is preparing to host GRINDfest on Saturday, June 13.
WMYA
“It really hits home for me coming from a family that had business owners,” said Curbside Laundry owner Anthony Lynch.
According to the Grindfest website, this annual event celebrates Black entrepreneurship, culture, music and community.
This event will offer various opportunities for entrepreneurs, including a business summit, a marketplace for Black-owned businesses, and a pitch competition.
Black Wall Street AVL Founder J Hackett said right before the pitch competition, they’ll also announce a grant to help business owners recover from Helene.
ASHEVILLE’S 4TH GRINDFEST AIMS TO CLOSE WEALTH GAP, HONORS BLACK WALL STREET LEGACY
“The difference between the businesses that are part of Black Wall Street and others is that 78% of our folks are low-to-moderate income, so they’re starting a business without a whole bunch of discretionary funds,” Hackett said.
Hacket said that for business owners in the low- to moderate-income bracket, it’s harder for them to recover.
“Even after the waters recede, they can’t just start their business. They can’t just clean out their building; they have to start life all over again,” Hackett said.
Hackett added that his organization was also devastated by the storm.
‘SEEING IS BELIEVING’: LOCAL CONTENT CREATOR EXPANDS TOURISM GROWTH POST-HELENE
“In our volunteer time, we were able to get the stuff it takes to run a fully functional 501c3, and in a matter of days, maybe even hours, it was all washed away,” Hackett said.
Before the storm, the city of Asheville gave a building to Black Wall Street AVL for economic development, but the building was almost completely submerged after Helene.
Hackett said that when the water receded, they found furniture all the way up in the rafters.
“It was a sight to see, and it was hard to see because we had spent so much time in building a community hub for people to feel safe, but also be celebrated and also to thrive as a business owner,” said Bruce Waller, the co-owner of Grind AVL.
GRINDFest is from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday in Pack Square Park. Click here to register for free.
