MACON, Ga. — NewTown Macon says only 18% of downtown business are owned by African-Americans in a city that's about 55% Black, so they've come up with a plan to put cash in the hands of prospective business owners.
When walking the streets of downtown Macon, you'll see lots of different businesses from clothing stores and restaurants, to loft buildings and museums.
Bethany Rogers and Ricardo Cordew with Newtown Macon say there's always room for more businesses and more ownership diversity.
"We'll be a more viable downtown if we diversify our business ownership and more of our community feels welcomed to come down here to shop, to eat," said Rogers.
"To have a melting pot of different cultures come and talk about the history, introduce different types of food, is something all around the world that people are always looking for something to call home," Cordew added.
In order to make this possible, NewTown Macon and Macon Black Pages partnered together to launch their Downtown Diversity Initiative.
"We know a lot of our entrepreneurs of color, especially Black entrepreneurs, Latino entrepreneurs, and Asian entrepreneurs have been denied access to additional financing and sometimes just resources, coaching, or just the inspirational capital that they need," said Rogers.
He says a successful business needs all of these things. They're working to provide them through a series of classes teaching prospective business owners what they need to know about running a successful business.
Tonja Khabir is a social entrepreneur who was recently accepted into the program.
"My business is Jones Cafe. I am looking to open a social impact lab or coffee shop, if we can scale up to that, somewhere in the downtown area," said Khabir.
Through her business she hopes to bring more social entrepreneurs together so they can learn how to work effectively in the community.
Khabir says the Downtown Diversity Initiative is a big step toward making her dreams a reality.
"It really expands opportunities for people like me, Black people, people of color, to be able to access the resources that for a long time have not been available to us," Khabir said.
On the last day of the program, the participants will pitch their business plan to a panel of judges. The five winners each get $5,000 to help start their business.
If you're interested in being part of the Downtown Diversity Initiative, you need to have a clear business concept in mind. It needs to be different from any current downtown businesses.
They say you need to apply quickly because the 30 slots are filling fast.
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