by Chantal Allam June 4, 2021 .
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Heavy rain and the lingering effects of COVID-19 couldn’t keep the crowds away from Boxyard RTP’s soft launch on Thursday afternoon.
In what marked a new stage in the Triangle’s re-opening, attendees came out in full force, ditching masks and social distancing to celebrate the “new hub” – a 18,000-square-foot development of retail and dining built from repurposed shipping containers.
“We are resourceful, talented, and flexible,” Ray Trapp, Research Triangle Foundation’s (RTF) vice president of strategic engagement, told a 200-strong crowd gathered at 700 Park Offices Drive, just a stone’s throw from the site, after the event was moved indoors because of thunderstorms.
Durham restaurant partnership feeding families in need during the pandemic
In March 2020, COVID-19 related shutdowns caught most every restaurant by surprise, including downtown Durham s Beyu Caffe. It was devastating, said owner Dorian Bolden. You re going from hustling and bustling to, you know, zero.
Paul Sableman/Flickr
Originally published on December 15, 2020 10:40 am
When the first wave of federal COVID-19 provisions became available to businesses in April, Black business owners received a very small amount of relief funding. And the North Carolina Business Council estimates the number of Black businesses in the state has decreased by 41 percent since the beginning of the pandemic. There are several reasons for this, including the racial wage and generational wealth gaps, both of which contribute to Black businesses starting up with lower capital and struggling to sustain themselves without economic relationships with banks and other wealth-holding institutions.
Listen /
Host Anita Rao talks to Napoleon Wallace about NC’s Black business landscape, as well as entrepreneurs Dorian Bolden of Beyu Caffe, Justus McGee of Soul Fresh Spring Rolls, Jackie Morin of Wonderpuff Cotton Candy and Shine Carter of Shine Diamond Nails.