(Editor’s note: This is the 16th installment in a monthly series speaking with minority business owners and leaders. Each will be asked their views on minority-business conditions in the state and for ways to improve those businesses’ chances for success. See previous installments here.)
Nina Reed, owner of Sarcastic Sweets LLC food truck and café, realized an ambition a decade in the making when she opened a brick-and-mortar location for her business in August.
But getting to that point wasn’t easy: as a Black woman, she said she had to overcome various barriers and biases from municipal offices, landlords and service providers throughout her 10 years in business.
Reed tried to set up a storefront in Rhode Island, but “it’s really hard to break into that boys’ game,” she said, “where guys can do this and make a phone call, but if I don’t know some guy to make a phone call to, I’m not going to get the assistance I need.”
Eventually, the Providence resident found a place across the state border in Seekonk.
Originally from Alaska, Reed moved to Rhode Island in 2010 to attend Johnson & Wales University, having originally opted for the university’s North Miami campus before finding that Providence was a better fit due to its academic environment and accessibility to the food scene.
Reed initially hoped to open a permanent location in downtown Providence. But she said a contractor hid issues with the space for which she signed a lease. Working through city offices was a complicated, ultimately unhelpful process as Reed tried to recover lost finances and take legal action.
These experiences were disheartening, Reed said, and required her to put in extra work to achieve her goals.
“I don’t let them discourage me, I don’t let them slow me down, and I definitely don’t let them deter me from what I’m working on or what I’m planning to do,” Reed said. “So overall, things still work out. You have to be persistent, persistent, persistent.”
If you don’t know someone who knows someone, they’re going to try to take advantage of you.
While initial hopes for a downtown Providence location didn’t come to fruition, Reed said her location in Seekonk ended up as a better fit for her business.
Though the Seekonk store is only about a minute over the Massachusetts border, “that 60 seconds makes a world of a difference,” Reed said.
“It’s very sparse as far as diversity goes,” she noted, “but it’s less politics as far as the permitting process goes. … Taxes and permits are easier and cheaper to deal with out here.”
Additionally, Reed has the entire building at 184 Taunton Ave. to herself, including a basement with needed storage space. She also runs Alaskan Treehouse Café from this location.
Reed continues to operate the majority of her business from her food truck, mostly throughout Rhode Island, while expanding her efforts to the brick-and-mortar location. Menu selections include cupcakes with flavors ranging from the basics to baked cocktail-infused creations; cookies; and Alaskan cuisine such as reindeer sausage.
1. Do you believe racism is keeping minorities from starting businesses in the Ocean State or succeeding when they do? Absolutely. … It’s hard for African Americans to break into this business and get stores open, and in predominantly Italian or Portuguese or white-owned spaces, it’s near impossible because if you don’t know someone who knows someone, the price is going to be crazy. If you don’t know someone who knows someone, they’re going to try to take advantage of you, like they did with me, or they’re going to try to overcharge you, or they’re going to try to bully you into thinking that nobody is going to come to your aid if they try to swindle you, which has happened to me. They’re surprised that I do reach out to other resources to get assistance.
2. How dependent is your business on the support of other minority groups? Is that a sustainable business model? Without [the Rhode Island Black Business Association] grants and forwarding me any minority- or women-owned business information, I wouldn’t have the help I have employee-wise now. They were able to give me a grant so I can give my employees a raise, which is so huge because they definitely deserve it.
3. What one thing could Rhode Island do to boost the odds for minority-owned business success? Actually, do a true overhaul of the health department, the building inspector and the fire department, or put young people … on positions where they’re following or shadowing those representatives, those people who go out and do those inspections.
When you hire young people, you get a fresh pair of eyes on something, and when you continue to hire internally, you’re going to get the same people doing the same job.
4. Have you had to turn somewhere other than a bank for a loan? Do you believe the state’s lending institutions generally treat minorities fairly? I have not taken on any loans, only grants and things like that. I work really hard to find those. … Loans don’t help people who don’t have [the money] to give in the first place. I just paid $100 for a case of chicken that used to cost $40. How does the profit-to-income ratio balance out if you also have to pay a loan? Even if it’s at a lower interest rate, you’re always going to owe someone money and you’re never going to make money. I don’t do loans.
5. If another minority entrepreneur asked you where they could turn to for support for their business, where would you direct them? Besides myself – because I share all of the information, every chance that I get – I would tell them to go to RIBBA. I would tell them to go to the Center for Women & Enterprise, and I would also tell them to join Facebook groups that support whichever business model they have. … We share [information] because we want to help people be successful.
Correction: Sarcastic Sweets sells cocktail-infused cupcakes. An earlier version of this story mischaracterized this menu item.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Voghel@PBN.com.
