YOUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED. JUST AN INCREDIBLE TURNOUT THERE. ALSO NEW THIS MORNING WE ARE CONTINUING TO HONOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH BY TAKING A LOOK THIS MORNING AT FOOD FOR THE SOUL. I LOVE DOING THIS STORY, AUDREY. SO I SPOKE WITH TWO BUSINESS OWNERS IN GREENSBORO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY SERVE AND HOW THEY ARE CONTINUING TO STAY OPEN WITH NEW AND OLD AGE HELP, AS WELL. FROM FRESH FRUIT, WE DO ACAI BOWLS, FRUIT BOWLS, SMOOTHIES, JUICES. WE ALSO DO SEA MOSS AS WELL TO FRESH VIBES. BOWLS IS A COMMUNITY BUSINESS AND WE ARE CENTERED AROUND INVOLVING OUR COMMUNITY WITH EVERYTHING. BUT BEFORE MICKEY BOWLS OPENED THIS LOCATION IN 2025, OWNER SIMONE LACEWELL SAYS THE IDEA FOR HER BUSINESS STARTED WHILE SHE WAS A STUDENT AT NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY. AND HONESTLY, I JUST NOTICED THAT THERE WASN’T A LOT OF FRESH FRUIT ON CAMPUS, AND I ALWAYS GREW UP EATING A LOT OF LIKE, DIFFERENT FRUIT. IN SEPTEMBER OF 2019, SIMONE TELLS ME, MICKEY BOWLS BECAME A REALITY. SHE SAYS THAT RUNNING A SMALL BUSINESS AS A BLACK WOMAN COMES WITH ITS UPS AND DOWNS. I FEEL LIKE THE TWO CHALLENGES THAT I CAN TARGET WOULD BE JUST THE FACT THAT IT’S HARD TO GET RESPECT IN THE SAME WAY THAT MAYBE SOME OF MY OTHER PEERS IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY RECEIVE. THERE ARE A LOT OF TIMES WHERE I EITHER, YOU KNOW, PULL UP TO AN EVENT WITH MY FOOD TRUCK AND A LITTLE LITTLE LADY HOPS OUT AND, YOU KNOW, I GO TO CHECK IN AND THEY’RE LIKE, YEAH, WHEN THE WHEN THE OWNER IS READY, THEY CAN COME CHECK IN. AND I’M LIKE, NO, I’M HERE, YOU KNOW? SO THAT WOULD BE ONE THING. AND THEN ALSO JUST BEING ABLE TO REALLY GET THE FUNDINGS ONE WAY SIMONE IS ABLE TO HELP DRIVE SALES IS WITH THE HELP OF LOCAL CONTENT CREATOR JESSICA FORD. AND WHEN I WAS DATING MY NOW HUSBAND, WE WOULD ALWAYS GO OUT TO EAT AND I WOULD ALWAYS MAKE VIDEOS FOR FUN JUST BECAUSE I HAD A PASSION FOR VIDEO EDITING AND I WOULD POST THEM AND IT TURNED INTO SOMETHING BIGGER THAN I COULD EVER IMAGINE. FORD HAS LEVERAGE TIKTOK, INSTAGRAM, AND FACEBOOK TO DRIVE PEOPLE TO BLACK RESTAURANTS LIKE MICKEY BOWLS. I HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE FOR BLACK AND MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSES JUST TO SPREAD THAT AWARENESS AND SUPPORT WITHIN OUR OWN COMMUNITY. YEAH, FROM THE NEW SCHOOL TO THE OLD SCHOOL, BLACK RESTAURANTS CONTINUE TO FIND WAYS TO STAY STRONG AND RESILIENT. SOME CAFE STARTED IN 1989. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE THE THE PILLAR OF THE COMMUNITY. NAZIA MARTIN SAYS THE NEW CAFE HAS BEEN HERE SINCE 1989. I WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT HER SECRET TO SUCCESS. NOT ONLY DO WE FEED YOU, BUT WE ALSO FEED YOUR MIND, YOUR BODY AND YOUR SOUL. WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE, YOU’RE GOING TO REMEMBER THIS PLACE. IT’S IT’S A LITTLE. IT’S A LITTLE PLACE, BUT IT’S A BIG VIBE FOR MAC AND CHEESE TO OSSIPEE. THESE TWO BLACK WOMEN OWNED BUSINESSES SHOW WITH TECHNIQUES OLD AND NEW. YOU CAN REMAIN SUCCESSFUL AND RELEVANT.
Black-owned restaurants in Greensboro thrive with community support
Black-owned restaurants in Greensboro, including Micki Bowls and Summit Café, are thriving by engaging with the community and leveraging social media to drive sales.
Updated: 8:10 AM EST Feb 26, 2026
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Black-owned restaurants in Greensboro are thriving by engaging with the community and leveraging social media to drive sales. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here Micki Bowls, a community-focused business, offers acai bowls, fruit bowls, smoothies and sea moss, according to owner Simone Lacewell. Lacewell said the idea for her business began while she was a student at North Carolina A&T, noticing a lack of fresh fruit on campus. “Honestly, I noticed there wasn’t a lot of fresh fruit on campus, and I always grew up eating different fruit, exotic fruits, and I knew I wasn’t the only one that was feeling that way, so I decided to start making fruit bowls,” Lacewell said.In September 2019, Micki Bowls became a reality, but Lacewell noted the challenges of running a small business as a Black woman, including gaining respect in the restaurant industry and securing funding. “I feel like the two challenges I could target is that it is hard to get respect like my other peers in the restaurant industry,” she said. “Also, just being able to get the funding,” Lacewell said. Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app hereLocal content creator Jessica Ford has helped drive sales for Micki Bowls by leveraging TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Ford said her passion for video editing turned into something bigger than she imagined. “When I was dating my now-husband, we would always go out to eat, and I would always make videos for fun because I had a passion for video editing, and it turned into something bigger than I imagined,” Ford said. Ford covers all businesses, but has a special place for Black and minority-owned businesses to spread awareness and support in the community. “I cover all businesses; I love all businesses, but I have a special place for Black and minority-owned businesses just to spread that awareness and support in our community,” Ford said.Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscastsSummit Café, another Black-owned restaurant, has been serving the community since 1989. Nezzia Martin said the secret to success is through prayers, God, Jesus and the community. “We are here to feed your mind, body, and soul,” Martin said. “Through prayers, through God, through Jesus, and the community,” Martin said. The café offers a range of food from fish to salmon patties, lunch, and dinner items.Both Micki Bowls and Summit Café demonstrate that with techniques old and new, Black-owned businesses can remain successful and relevant. “Small businesses, as well as Black-owned businesses, always need support no matter what, especially during Black History Month,” Lacewell said.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |
Black-owned restaurants in Greensboro are thriving by engaging with the community and leveraging social media to drive sales.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here
Micki Bowls, a community-focused business, offers acai bowls, fruit bowls, smoothies and sea moss, according to owner Simone Lacewell. Lacewell said the idea for her business began while she was a student at North Carolina A&T, noticing a lack of fresh fruit on campus. “Honestly, I noticed there wasn’t a lot of fresh fruit on campus, and I always grew up eating different fruit, exotic fruits, and I knew I wasn’t the only one that was feeling that way, so I decided to start making fruit bowls,” Lacewell said.
In September 2019, Micki Bowls became a reality, but Lacewell noted the challenges of running a small business as a Black woman, including gaining respect in the restaurant industry and securing funding. “I feel like the two challenges I could target is that it is hard to get respect like my other peers in the restaurant industry,” she said. “Also, just being able to get the funding,” Lacewell said.
Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here
Local content creator Jessica Ford has helped drive sales for Micki Bowls by leveraging TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Ford said her passion for video editing turned into something bigger than she imagined. “When I was dating my now-husband, we would always go out to eat, and I would always make videos for fun because I had a passion for video editing, and it turned into something bigger than I imagined,” Ford said.
Ford covers all businesses, but has a special place for Black and minority-owned businesses to spread awareness and support in the community. “I cover all businesses; I love all businesses, but I have a special place for Black and minority-owned businesses just to spread that awareness and support in our community,” Ford said.
Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscasts
Summit Café, another Black-owned restaurant, has been serving the community since 1989. Nezzia Martin said the secret to success is through prayers, God, Jesus and the community. “We are here to feed your mind, body, and soul,” Martin said. “Through prayers, through God, through Jesus, and the community,” Martin said. The café offers a range of food from fish to salmon patties, lunch, and dinner items.
Both Micki Bowls and Summit Café demonstrate that with techniques old and new, Black-owned businesses can remain successful and relevant. “Small businesses, as well as Black-owned businesses, always need support no matter what, especially during Black History Month,” Lacewell said.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love |
