WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — A new coworking space has opened its doors in Raleigh, and it's geared toward helping Black and underrepresented entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
What You Need To Know
- Over the last 20 years, minority-owned businesses in the state of North Carolina have tripled, according to NC Businesscouncil.org
- While the number of Black entrepreneurs continues to grow, it is important to ensure that they have a space to foster their crafts
- That's why, Mel Wright created The Wright Village in Raleigh
Mel Wright, founder and owner who made The Wright Village, isn't scared of a challenge. When she moved to North Carolina from Connecticut in 2015, she opened a clothing resale store, Beau and Beauty in Smithfield.
"I did like an industrial look. We painted the floors, ripped up carpet ... my son helped. It was awesome," Wright said. "It was a great experience, and I would definitely do it again.”
She tried everything to keep the store up and running but eventually was paying the store's rent instead of her mortgage. She was advised to close it down but wasn't ready to give it up just yet.
"It was hard, it was tough. Not knowing about analytics, not knowing about your target audience, not your target market, not even knowing the area," Wright said. "And that was my biggest mistake [was] not knowing the area. It's all about location, location, location."
She ended up moving all of her inventory and business down the road to Harper's Flea Market. But after a little time spent in that space, she realized she still had more room to grow. So she shut down Beau and Beauty for good and went back to school at N.C. Central to get a degree in business administration.
After she graduated in 2020, she opened The Wright Village in Raleigh to help underrepresented entrepreneurs grow their dreams and businesses.
“I knew I had a purpose," Wright said. "My purpose was to help entrepreneurs and businesses be able to avoid the situations that I went through.”
Now, she helps business owners, by connecting them with grants, marketing help, mentorships and more. Entrepreneurs can purchase a membership for communal or private desk space at the coworking space, located in South Raleigh.
According to the North Carolina business council, over the last two decades minority-owned businesses have tripled. And Wright wants to ensure that growth continues.
“Being in the situation I was in, and seeing what I went through to almost losing my home," she said. "Who wants to see someone else goes through that? Why not help out the next person?"
