Among the sweeping changes 2020 brought was the loss of the brick and mortar location of Third Eye Books, an Afrocentric bookstore owned by Michelle Lewis and Charles Hannah. Striving to maintain Third Eye as a resource for history, culture and knowledge in turbulent times, the entrepreneurs rolled with the punches. They pivoted to online […]
Powered by Ambition: Black-owned Food Cart Batter On Deck is Comcast RISE Recipient
“I’m an ambitious guy,” said Isaiah Bostic, owner of Batter On Deck, a SE Portland food cart known for its creative battered eats. Isiah’s ambition is obvious—he opened a business in the initial throes of COVID. Batter on Deck will receive free advertisement from Effectv to draw more customers and boost sales. The food cart […]
Black-Owned Italian Restaurant, Amalfi’s, Focuses on Survival After 62 Years of Success
“My grandfather started this restaurant in 1959,” says Kiauna Floyd with justifiable pride. “It was then called The Pizza House. But my grandfather wanted to be at the top of the listings in the Yellow Pages, so he changed the name to Amalfi’s, in honor of his visit to the Amalfi Coast of Italy.” Sixty-two […]
R.A.A.P. and RISE: Supporting People of Color Struggling With Mental Health Issues
“I’m passionate about de-stigmatizing mental health in the Black community,” says DeShawn Williams, a licensed clinical social worker. “We don’t want to be seen as weak. No one wants to say, ‘I have a problem.’” Providing Black youth and families in Portland with mental health counseling is the mission of his business, R.A.A.P. Counseling and […]
Comcast’s RISE Initiative Helps Heroes American Café Weather 2020
“We’re down to 15% of our regular sales,” reports Portland restaurant owner John Jackson. He opened Heroes American Café in September and was vandalized the next month during the protests that rocked downtown Portland. Jackson is one of eight Portland recipients of Comcast RISE, a program developed to aid BIPOC-owned small businesses. Jackson is among […]