business

These businesses are neighborhood anchors and pillars, representing a rich legacy of Black-owned business and entrepreneurship that spans 180+ years in the Black community.

On Juneteenth, City Fresh Foods celebrated more than one kind of freedom. While the June 19 holiday commemorates final emancipation of African slaves, this Roxbury company was also “freed” from its shareholders, buying them out and becoming fully minority-owned for the first time since opening in 1994.

Businesses around the world faced similar dilemmas — sudden closures and loss of revenue left them with unpaid bills and a looming recession that brought the threat of financial ruin.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey toured black restaurants and bars Sunday. Markey, who will soon debate the next federal relief package on the floor of the Senate, said he wants to hear from business owners in order to be well-informed as he goes to bat for them.

After looters hit Noah Hicks’ Uphams Corner bike shop, donors more than made up for the stolen bikes. Now Hicks is donating funds to other causes.

The board of Roxbury Main Streets, Inc. has announced that Robert George, former executive vice president of Zoo New England, will serve as the organization’s executive director.

Jim Roberts’ business grew through the 1990s to include five franchise locations: in Dudley, Roslindale, Egleston Square, Codman Square and on Warren Street.

While restaurants are closed for sit-down service, pickups and deliveries are keeping many alive through the tough economic times stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. But for the majority of restaurants that rely on delivery apps to get food to customers, profits can be elusive.

Factories and construction sites will begin the process of reopening this week under a four-phase plan Gov. Charlie Baker released May 18.

The Small Business Administration recently named Cleartech Group the 2020 Minority Owned Small Business of the Year for Massachusetts.

On April 19, four class action lawsuits challenged banks’ use of PPP funds. Filed separately in the U.S. District Court’s Central California office, the lawsuits are against Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo.

Local businesses are the backbone of communities and have been hit hard by COVID-19.  Local restaurants have suffered particularly hard during this COVID-19 pandemic. The nature of the local restaurant business is already a financial challenge, and most restaurants do not have a reservoir of cash to tide them over during a shutdown.