Nicole Jones had more than shoes on her mind when she opened Sensual Steps Shoe Salon in the Bronzeville community. “I live in this community and I wanted to be able to work, shop and dine right here,” said Jones, 36. “Instead of putting
And so, Sensual Steps was born. It did well the first year, driven by its stylish setting and shoes and word-of-mouth advertising. But as Jones would find out, lofty goals often come with lofty challenges. By year No. 2, Jones’ sales began to decline dramatically, due in large part to ongoing street repairs along Cottage Grove Avenue that blocked foot traffic and made parking impossible.
The reason that Jones has not become a statistic is because she recognized the tough spot she was in and thought outside the box. She figured, “If my customers can’t get to me, I’ll bring the shoes to them.” So, she bought a Hummer, had it painted pink and embossed with her logo, and launched “Heels on Wheels.” She took her shoes to the street, hosting shoe parties for women all over the metropolitan area. And it worked.
“I’m glad I did that. It got us a lot of national attention and helped us get additional exposure which kept us in business,” Jones said. Jones recently graduated from the Chicago Urban League’s nextONE business accelerator program. Our team worked with Jones to help her establish best practices in her business and launch her next growth cycle. As a result, sales are up and Jones recently landed a summer concession deal with the Chicago Park District to sell summer shoes and accessories out of a kiosk along the lakefront.
With the Urban League’s help, Jones also has linked up with Google to develop online marketing strategies for the e-commerce arm of her business. Now, Jones says she is committed to growing and expanding Sensual Steps and fully intends to stay in the community where she started. That’s huge when you think about the number of businesses that have come and gone in urban communities already desperate for retail businesses.
According to the Chicago Reporter, among neighborhoods with median household earnings between $40,000 and $50,000, predominately white neighborhoods have 47 percent more major retailers than predominately Black ones. Moreover, residents of African American communities spend an estimated 64 percent of their consumer dollars ($2 out of every $3) outside their neighborhoods. That’s comes out to more than $5.3 billion a year.
This is more than retail leakage; it’s retail hemorrhage. Jones’ experience is the type of success story we hope to drive and promote at the Urban League through one-on-one business coaching at our Entrepreneurship Center and programs such as nextONE. In that same spirit, the Urban League is hosting a free retail and franchising conference May 16 at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Jones and other local entrepreneurial stars will share some of the secrets of their success. You will also hear from individuals who provide franchise opportunities and funding. And did I mention that all of this is free? To register, contact Janeen Callum in the Entrepreneurship Center at (773) 624-8822, or by e-mail at jcallum@thechicagourbanleague.org. But wait. There’s more. At the conference, the Urban League will launch its new eightweek Retail and Franchise Accelerator Program.
The Urban League has developed a curriculum that offers a comprehensive, cross-functional understanding of what it takes to develop, expand and operate a retail business or franchise. Participants will receive strategic business consulting services to assist them with franchisor introductions, real-estate site identification, equity sourcing, loan packaging, staffing and much more. In addition, the Urban League will award $5,000 to the first program graduate who successfully opens a new retail or franchise business, to cover operating or capital expenses.
How’s that for making a dream a reality? If we want to keep Black dollars in Black communities, we must support the creation and profitability of startup and existing businesses. The Chicago Urban League stands ready to work with you.
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