TRAVERSE CITY — August is Black Business Month and according to the Small Business Association of Michigan there are more than 54,000 black owned businesses in our state.
The majority of black owned businesses in Michigan are downstate or in West Michigan, but there are still a few you can support here in Northern Michigan.
Bushell’s KItchen and Cocktails in Traverse City serves up soul food inspired dishes like shrimp and grits or cornbread muffins ready for you to wash it all down with craft cocktails.
Much of the food is sourced locally. “Our chef Jim loves to keep it local. He loves local farming. He loves taking care of our farmers by giving them a source of voice through our restaurant. Jiim meticulously works weekly looking at what’s in the farm,” said Bushell’s Kitchen and Cocktails owner Andre’ Bushell.
Bushell owns three other restaurants in Northern Michigan, including two ‘Foundry Craft Grillery’ restaurants and ‘local taco’ in Elk Rapids.
When asked if it was risky opening a soul food restaurant in a predominantly white community, Bushell said there is no reward without risk.
“We knew that we had to do something a little bit unsafe because there were safe things done before us and that didn’t work out so well. So coming in with Bushell’s Kitchen and Cocktails, we wanted to introduce a little bit of what I loved as a young child growing up around the dinner table.”
Over in Mt. Pleasant there’s a black business owner focused on kids in the community. Award winning former boxer Kolmarge Harris started his black business journey nearly 15 years ago when he opened his nonprofit, The Lansing Spartans Youth Organization.
Five years ago, he expanded to Mt. Pleasant opening Isabella Sports Youth Organization. “If I can do it, they can do it. And my goal is to help the youth to have that energy,” said Harris.
Harris trains more than 20 kids a week in boxing, something he said provides a coping measure for kids who struggle with home life. “I take my time, I work with them, I help them because a lot of these kids come to the gym, but they run from the issues at home,” said Harris.
When asked if he faced any barriers to become a business owner, Harris responded with motivation. “My mindset is I got to push through the barriers, all the politics and all the negative going on out there.”