LeeTy Delights
Elisha King and Tyondra Boagard will bag up their delectable home-made cinnamon rolls for customers around Iowa and watch them depart the booths of farmer's markets and events around Iowa.
NIK STAR BOUTIQUE
Nekia Whitfield started sewing at age seven. Today, she’s creating unique pieces and selling them out of her Iowa-based clothing boutique, Nik Star Boutique.
Clippernomics Academy of Hairstyling
Tony Mac opened his first barbershop in 1998. He would open several more in the Des Moines Metro before fulfilling a personal dream of opening a barber school. Now, he’s teaching people of various backgrounds skills that will never go out of style.
THE JOY OF CURLS
Joy Hankins of The Joy of Curls didn’t always know what to do with her natural hair. That journey helped inspire Hankins to create The Joy of Curls - an all-natural hair care brand for people with textured hair.
Adeya renea hair and beauty bar
Black hair salons aren’t easy to come by in Iowa. With her shop, Adeya Renea Hair and Beauty Bar, Adeya Crockett is making professional hair care accessible to Black men and women in Des Moines and surrounding cities.
G.G.’S Chicken and Waffles
Sometimes, all you need is a spark. Garrison Goodlett found it when he and his wife, Monica, ate at a well-known restaurant and found themselves “underwhelmed.” That experience planted a seed that has grown into GG’s Chicken and Waffles, an establishment serving patrons in Des Moines, Iowa.
Piedras Haseya
Paola Elena Acuña faced a number of challenges when she immigrated to the U.S. nearly two decades ago. She worked a number of jobs to support herself. At times, she struggled to put food on the table. Acuña never gave up, and she now owns her own business - Piedras Haseya.
STC Dive Center
Steve Kitchen is a Black scuba diver and owner of STC Dive Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Kitchen said he didn’t receive much help when he opened the dive center a decade ago. He did receive a loan from his mother, and he paid that loan back within the first year. Kitchen's business continues to grow with the help of Des Moines Area Community College and the Evelyn K. Davis Center for Working Families.