boxville Boxville: How Used Shipping Containers Are Revitalizing a Chicago Community Chicago’s Boxville started with just one shipping container in the city’s Bronzeville neighborhood that housed a single small business. Today, it has grown into a thriving marketplace that helps entrepreneurs by providing a less expensive way to start a small business. And, in doing so, it’s revitalizing the entire community.
chicago A Chicago Flower Business Is Helping At-Risk Kids Bloom On the South Side of Chicago, a floral business called Southside Blooms is helping at-risk kids to do just that – while beautifying the neighborhood at the same time. NBCLX storyteller Ngozi Ekeledo visited Chicago to find out how this flower business is putting down strong roots in its community.
rebound Miami-Based Business Creates Hair Tools to Empower Black Women and Natural Hair Hair. It comes in all textures, colors, lengths, types and densities. But for Black women, the topic of hair can be complex — especially when it comes to caring for your natural locs. Enter Kazmaleje, a Miami-based business focused on creating hair tools and products for curly and kinky hair types. The business was launched by three sisters with a…
rebound Getting to the Root: How a Hair Care Company Grew Through the Pandemic For Miami-based Kazmaleje, a business focused on creating hair tools for textured hair, the COVID-19 pandemic hit at an especially inopportune time. Owner LaToya Stirrup was committed to pushing through the challenges, however, and found ways to grow the business during the pandemic, thanks to the greater mission behind the business.
rebound Rebound: CT Balloon Artist Works to Bounce Back After Pandemic Shutdown “We’re all figuring out what next week is going to look like day to day.” How can a party-based business pull through a pandemic? That is the question certified balloon artist Ava Sealey, who owns Ava Party Designs in Bethel, has been facing since March. Many small businesses are struggling during the pandemic, but Sealey believes in her business’s...
small businesses Two Young Brothers Invented a Way to Keep Your Christmas Tree Ornaments in Place Two 12-year-old brothers from Connecticut have created a solution to a common Christmas problem – falling ornaments. Ayaan and Mika’il Naqvi joined LX News to talk about their invention of the “ornament anchor” and how their small business is helping homeless pets.
small businesses How Small Businesses Can Set Themselves Up for Success in the New Year After a Brutal 2020 The past year has taken a massive toll on small businesses across the country, but some can start preparing for a better 2021. The CEO of Disaster Recovery Institute International, Chloe Demrovsky, joined LX News to explain what businesses should expect in 2021 and how they can start preparing now.
shark tank The Biggest Fail in ‘Shark Tank' History Was Rejecting a Pitch for Face Masks Ten Years Before COVID-19 When the swine flu pandemic hit the world in 2009, designer Irina Blok took her idea for fun face masks onto ‘Shark Tank.’ But in what may be the biggest face-palm moment in the show’s history, the ’Sharks’ nearly laughed her out of the room. We talked to Blok about the experience and saw how one of the investors is...
black businesses Follow Your Heart: Meet the 16-Year-Old Beauty Shop Owner Breaking Barriers in the Haircare Industry Paris McKenzie is the youngest owner of a Black beauty supply store in the country and the Brooklyn teen already has fans like Janet Jackson and Bella Hadid
black businesses Meet the 16-Year-Old Who Opened a Beauty Supply Store Catering to Black Women in Brooklyn Brooklyn teen Paris McKenzie grew tired of going into beauty supply stores and either being treated like she wasn’t welcome or greeted by workers who had no knowledge of Black hair care. So, she opened up her own inclusive beauty supply store at the age of just 16 years old, drawing praise from big celebrities like Bella Hadid and Janet...
