By Carl Kenney
September 10, 2018
What started as a small one-person operation, known as East Durham Pie Company, has now blossomed into a cozy, independent bakery shop. On the corner of Driver Street and Angier Ave., in Old East Durham, sits one of the sweetest delights. The East Durham Bake shop, launched last March by Ali Rudel, has now […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
A modern revival is slowly underway for historic Old East Durham. But one thing has remained constant for this neighborhood, small businesses. For local owners, Ali Rudel and Ben Filippo, running East Durham Bake Shop has been a labor of love. At the intersection of South Driver Street and Angier Avenue, lies the East […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 16, 2018
They say love can move mountains, and Joe Bushfan is a mountain of a man. He is big of stature, of smile and of food. Joseph Bushfan owns the Commissary on 2100 Angier Avenue. Although it looks like a quiet location, inside is a buzz of activity. Behind the building, rows of food trucks, […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Durham-based, fashionably-gifted YouTuber, Domonique Robinson has quite the journey as a social media influencer and owns a make-up line for all beauty lovers. She has been into beauty since helping out her mom in the beauty salon when she was younger. Robinson discovered her passion for doing makeup around 10th grade. “I would always […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Entrepreneur Ithiopia Meekeda, has launched her all-pure organic line of body products, “Blush Essentials” to the public this year. She is a Durham native and N.C. Central University graduate who believes in her business. “I founded Blush Essentials Natural Body Products in March 2017. I had a soft launch last year to get an […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 11, 2018
Getting a job has never been a problem for Tevin Guasp. The 26-year-old New York native is hard-working, friendly and eager to learn on and off the job. But, without a high school diploma, Guasp found his career options limited. “I found jobs,” he said, “it just wasn’t a job that I necessarily wanted. It’d […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
March 28, 2018
Cocoa Cinnamon’s newest location in Lakewood continues the tradition of community-centered cafés with a twist: the in-house micro-roastery — 4th Dimension Coffee — and freshly made churros. The new shop opened in August of 2017 and is located at 2013 Chapel Hill Boulevard, across the street from Lakewood Shopping Center. It is the third […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 13, 2018
Evita Mensah is a self-taught fashion designer with a growing clothing line called Evita Loca. She recently got store space at 115 Market Street in Durham, so her local customers can have an in-person shopping experience. Her online store will still be in use to reach beyond the Bull City. Born in Brooklyn, New […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
January 31, 2018
A year ago, 2112 Angier Avenue was an empty storefront sitting next to the local barbershop. That all changed last May, when Durham native Samantha Castrovinci opened her own private tattoo studio, The Studio, after 10 years of tattooing and months of deliberation. “I scoured the internet for six months looking for a place to […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
December 6, 2017
The Speight family has been a staple of Durham commerce for decades dating back as far as the 1930s with places like Speight’s Auto Service, a business that is still active today. Doug Speight, whose grandfather, Theodore, started Speight’s Auto Service, is attempting to carry on that family legacy for the next generation of […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
November 9, 2017
“My dream was just to help folks less fortunate than myself,” Durham resident and catalyst Joe Bushfan said when talking about his efforts in his community. While Bushfan has been around Durham for a while now, he has no plan on stopping his efforts to help others. In 2020, he hopes to open a diner […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
November 8, 2017
Just like the skin of the store’s customers, the walls inside 5th Fare — one of Durham’s newest urban galleries and tattoo parlors — are dressed up with artwork. There’s an outlined sketch of a bull with city landmarks filling the animal’s body. There are drawings of sheet music with abstract, unidentified monsters in the […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 26, 2017
Casual joggers and athletes may get up in the morning to run for all intended obvious health benefits; lose weight, improve self-esteem, and prevent disease. But for North Carolina State University Economics professor Jason Coupet and a few of Durham’s running clubs, exercise is just part of the health equation for an advantageous lifestyle. A […]
Read moreBy Tyee Meek
October 24, 2017
Victoria Phillips, 72, the facility manager at The Community Family Life and Recreation Center at Lyon Park, also known as Lyon Park, for about eight years retired in early October. She is moving to Atlanta to be closer to her family. Phillips is also a former student at the center that was once the old […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 18, 2017
Angier Avenue was devoid of traffic. It was so quiet for 10 a.m. that it could have been the middle of the night. But inside Samuel & Sons Barber Shop, lively conversation ensued; R&B music filled in the background of stories, smiles and laughs. Samuel Jenkins, 54, gave his first trim of the day to […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
If you remember last year’s election at all, you probably associate politics with divisive attack ads and heated debates. But all negative preconceptions were put to rest last Thursday night at Beyú Caffé where mayoral candidates Steve Schewel and Farad Ali met in a moment of political civility to interact with young professionals from Durham. […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 17, 2017
For Joe Bushfan, laughter is important during hard times. That’s why the entrepreneur and community leader started up Joe’s Comedy Corner on Angier Avenue. Now with two successful shows under its belt, it looks like Bushfan and the community are thinking alike. “I think laughter is good for the soul–especially with all these tumultuous times […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 8, 2017
Making the jump from being a vendor, who sells products at local and regional events and has to unpack and pack and transport and travel, to opening a store is a momentous jump, but brother and sister team Smkiya and Christopher (who declined to have their last names published) have done just that with […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 6, 2017
Business textbooks probably cannot keep up with how the millennial generation is revolutionizing the art of entrepreneurship. College students, using social media and the internet are finding ways to create products and make money. The days of working at the mall to make some money may be coming to an end. One local example […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 5, 2017
Amid the one-story homes around 506 Burlington Avenue, Love-Way Shoe Repair shop, run entirely by 70-year-old Gayford Caston has prolonged his niche-driven business for 32 years with the help of close-knit ties in East Durham. Patrons looking to inquire about shoe restoration might be greeted with a slow widening smile from Caston; a “Hey, how […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
September 21, 2017
From the first step beyond the threshold at Carolina Soul Records, nothing but music is on display. The on-shift cashier spins records while customers are free to peruse bins and check out their finds at the listening station. Carolina Soul is one wide room. Records line the walls, bursting out of bins. Towards the back […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
A bronze-colored, five-foot horse statue made from scrap metal pieces sits at the intersection of Rigsbee Avenue and Hunt Street in Northeast Central Durham. Further down Hunt Street is a sculpture with a scarlet silhouette of three people peddling on unicycles. Placed near the side building backdrop of two men forging metal is another […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
September 20, 2017
On Saturdays and Sundays, there is quite a bit of congestion on East Pettigrew Street, just past the intersection of Alston Avenue. But the traffic isn’t caused from churchgoers or construction — it’s the line of cars waiting to get into the Durham Green Flea Market. Boasting over 150 vendors, with items ranging from […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Summer break and all of its familiar facets like pools, naps and no homework just weren’t enough for Jasir Haynes and Jalen McKoy. The two Hillside High School students wanted to use their vacation time to try to better themselves and gain valuable skills and knowledge. By attending North Carolina Central University School of Business’s […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Beth Mann still remembers what each of the photos looks like from the family photo album. Her dad used to glue tons of little photo corners onto the page and caption every photo with a felt tip. “I still remember remember what each of those pages look like because of what they showed me. […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Where is an all-in-one therapist, politician, stylist, entrepreneur, and friend when you need one? The Swagger House on 4420 North Roxboro Rd. is the place to find it all. Terry Clay is a solo barber and a Durham native who has a deep connection for his community. He uses the skill of barbering to […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
“If you don’t like the shine, you don’t pay a dime” or “Hey, let me do your shoes” are just a few of the things you can hear when you’re walking down West Main Street on a sunny day. Durham native Pierce McKoy has been shining shoes since 1967– and to many of those […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
September 19, 2017
From owning New Visions of Africa to founding Believers United for Progress, Kasib Abdullah has done a great deal of work in the Durham community. Abdullah was born in New Jersey. He moved to Durham in 1995. Along with two other men, Abdullah opened a restaurant called New Visions of Africa in 2004 at […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 19, 2017
Starting a business can be a daunting task, full of risks and uncertainties, but there are plenty of entrepreneurs who have found success in Durham. Three business owners — Joe Bushfan, Miguel Collado and Samuel Jenkins — shared their tips and secrets for running a business. Joe is the owner of Joe’s Commissary, a […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 5, 2017
Louis E. Austin bought The Stanford Advertiser in 1927 and transformed the local newspaper into the most important voice for black North Carolinians during the civil rights era. He used The Carolina Times to publicize racial inequities and to fight for racial equality in North Carolina and throughout the U.S. Austin’s legacy is still carried […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
March 31, 2017
Durham’s thriving black business committee was severely damaged by the construction of the Durham Freeway beginning in the 1960s. Nonetheless, some businesses, such as Speight’s Auto Service, relocated and continue to thrive. Active since 1938, Speights Auto Service started as a service station selling gas, running cabs, as well as oil services. Owned by […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
March 1, 2017
The Durham Rescue Mission is building three new dorms in an effort to continue providing more warm meals and safe places to sleep for the homeless of Durham. Ernie Mills, 72, the CEO and co-founder of the mission, says he was inspired to help those in need after watching his father combat alcoholism. He believes […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Joe Bushfan has lived in Durham for about 13 years, and he has nearly seen it all. The owner of Joe’s Commissary and Commercial Kitchen, the Boston native also owns the now-closed Joe’s Diner, located at 2100 Angier Ave. on the corner of Driver Street. In addition to running the commissary, Bushfan sells hot dogs […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 15, 2017
Reuniting the Hayti community is Kasib Abdullah’s vision. Kasib opened his restaurant, New Visions of Africa, in 2004 with his former partners Raheem Muhammad and Rasheed Muhammad. The restaurant is located on 1306 Fayetteville St. in Durham. Today, Kasib runs the store on his own. New Visions serves free food to people in the community […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
Blackspace, a makerspace and youth center, combines art, activism and computer science in a space for young artists in the Durham area to express themselves. Pierce Freelon opened the first Blackspace workshop in 2014 in Chapel Hill. With it, he said, he hoped to provide a free, Afro-centric workshop to help disadvantaged youth in the […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 10, 2017
Whether for a Valentine’s Day or a birthday gift, natural beauty is in right now, but sometimes looking for pure and all-natural ingredients can be hard. It’s part of the reason local entrepreneur Elisabeth Chadbourne decided to start her small business. She created Lo & Behold Natural Body Care and its 100 percent natural […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 1, 2017
Runaway Clothes supports and showcases the Durham art scene while working to create opportunities for future generations. The Durham-based clothing company reflects a new wave of startups, many run by female and minority entrepreneurs, that have grown and brought business to the area. Durham native Gabe Eng-Goetz founded Runaway in 2011, and brought on partners like […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
The old church building might be empty, but the congregation is packed. At 11 on a Sunday morning, you can find members of the Church of the Apostolic Revival International just a block down the road from the boarded-up church building on the corner of Main Street and South Holman Street. As members of the […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 24, 2016
More than 300 minority entrepreneurs gathered Oct. 12-14 for networking, promoting and music at the Black Wall Street (BWS) Homecoming event in Durham. The event, which was co-founded by local entrepreneurs Dee McDougal, Jesica Averhart, Talib Graves-Manns and Tobias Rose, was a chance for African-American and other minority entrepreneurs to hear from and engage with other successful […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
September 22, 2016
Designed with unique renovated urban architecture, customers can walk in, smell the satisfying aroma of espresso, and enjoy the experience of this award-winning coffee shop. Located on West Geer Street, near the old Durham Bulls stadium, Cocoa Cinnamon has received many accolades including the Durham Weekly’s 2014 Winner Platinum award for best coffee shop. […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
September 21, 2016
Once an almost exclusively black neighborhood, Walltown Village with its close proximity to Duke, has been undergoing gentrification for more than a decade. However, according to Walltown residents, Sammy Lucas and Felix Hayes, the process hasn’t been all bad, and the newcomers are becoming a part of the community. According to “Walltown: The History […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 6, 2016
As Brooklynn Cooper sat in class, something sparked her interest when a fellow student described the College Works Painting program. Cooper, the former 2014-2015 teen editor-in-chief for the Durham VOICE, saw an opportunity for a paid internship she could not resist. College Works Painting is a program that allows students to gain entrepreneurial experience by […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 17, 2016
Six-year-old Elijah Warren climbed into a booster seat, grinning as barber Rodney Brower covered him with an apron. As snow started falling outside of Signature Kutz Barber Shop on South Driver Street, his older brother, Jacquez, waited in the corner for the haircut to finish. Trying to start a conversation with Elijah, Brower asked if […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
February 11, 2016
Nearly four years after rebuilding his barbershop that was once burned beyond recognition, Samuel Jenkins’ Samuel and Sons Barbershop is once again in a state of transition. Jenkins has decided that on Dec. 18, he will pack up his clippers, move on from the place he worked so hard to rebuild, and pass the torch […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 11, 2015
Wendy Clark, an entrepreneur and small business owner, sought an opportunity that would not only benefit her, but the people in the community as well, by purchasing the abandoned John O’Daniel Exchange building in January 2007. According to Joanna Cutrara, Clark’s staff writer, what is now a building for disadvantaged people and non-profits to work […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
October 1, 2015
When people ask Pat Murray what she does, she says, “I’m all about community media.” Murray never studied journalism as a student, but began writing as a part of Chicago’s radio and newspaper media. Murray has lived in Durham for 14 years and publishes the Durham Skywriter, an online community media outlet, as a positive news source […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
September 18, 2015
An overcast sky hangs overhead a derelict wooden structure which sits in near solitude, hidden behind its well-kept contemporary counterparts. Its shattered windows strangely whistle as wind blows through the cracks and bullet holes littering it. The Wachovia banking drive-through location on Driver St. has been closed since 1998, sitting abandoned behind a well-maintained plaza […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
September 17, 2015
Only blocks away from the epicenter of what Southern Living calls one of the South’s Tastiest Towns, the Saltbox Seafood Joint at 608 N. Mangum St. sits nestled comfortably in Durham’s Old Five Points neighborhood. “I live in Chapel Hill,” said businessman and Saltbox patron, Tom Vickers. “But I always try to time my trips […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
For those searching for their one-pound hot dogs after the June 19 closing of Joe’s Diner, you won’t have to look far. Joe Bushfan, owner of the Angier Avenue location, will still continue serving hot dogs in a trailer behind the former diner, which now serves as an expansion to Bushfan’s next-door commissary and […]
Read moreBy Carl Kenney
April 15, 2015
The Durham Co-op Market, located at 1111 West Chapel Hill Street, celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, April 11, with music, food from local vendors, and plenty of free samples. The market has been an idea in the works since 2008, according to general manager Leila Wolfrum. The concept behind co-op markets is that anyone can […]
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