Storefront businesses in Minneapolis and St. Paul are suffering since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began Operation Metro Surge in January, with up to 3,000 ICE agents flooding into the state.
What is not flooding in, are customers at St. Paul’s Flava Coffee & Café, a community-focused coffee shop in Saint Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood that operates as a social enterprise, focusing on empowering youth and young women of color.
“It’s been tough,” said Shaunie Grigsby, owner of Flava Café.
But, Saturday morning, Feb. 7, Grigsby got unexpected help in the form of a $2,000 check from WCCO's Sheletta Brundidge, founder of ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com, a promotion and production company in Cottage Grove.
“I have business owners calling me saying, I am desperate for money,” said Brundidge who started a GoFundMe to raise money to help fellow entrepreneurs.
“We’ve seen a dip in sales, which is not the end of the world, but if we can’t pay the bills and keep the doors open, then we can’t keep folks employed, and they can’t keep their households fed,” Grigsby explained. “It’s really a ripple effect.”
That ripple is real, according to North Star Policy Action, an independent research and communications institute, which reports ICE has caused between 50% to 100% revenue drops and temporary closures, particularly in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and St. Cloud.
Brundidge delivered two unexpected checks on that crisp, cool Saturday morning. Sylvia Williams, co-owner of Soul Grain, thought she was meeting Brundidge for coffee at Flava Café when she too was presented with a $2,000 check from the money donated through the GoFundMe campaign. “I got choked up, she’s just always a blessing,” Williams said.
Soul Grain, is a granola company built on the combined talents of Sylvia Williams, a pastry chef, and Liza Maya, a nutritionist. The pair created Soul Grain to help people eat healthier using flavors from soul food recipes, their life experiences, and cultural backgrounds.
Williams believes the current uncertainty in Minnesota and nationally is contributing to a drop in sales at Soul Grain.
“It’s a crazy time right now,” Williams added. “I think people are generally holding onto their money. We’re just in a state of chaos, and nobody knows what’s going to happen, and as a result, people are like ‘let me cut down on this or cut down on that.’”
Supporting local small businesses is nothing new for Brundidge. She has been helping Minnesota founders for years, most notably with her annual Black Entrepreneurs’ Day at the State Capitol.
It’s this sense of community and unity among neighbors helping neighbors that has helped struggling small business owners have hope despite all the uncertainty.
“The one thing I’ve seen is a convergence of community coming together, spreading resources to make sure we have access to resources we can share with folks,” Grigsby said.
Williams agreed and said it boils down to supporting each other, no matter who we are or where we come from. “As a company, we are fighting for the unity of all cultures and people, because that is the spice of life.”
You can donate to the GoFundMe to support Twin Cities businesses impacted by ICE by going here.