(light music) - Welcome to "The Newsfeed, I'm Paris Jackson, celebrating Black History Month, and truthfully, black history is American history.

The landscape is mixed for black businesses in Washington.

The black business community faces huge economic barriers, historical, racial, and gender disparities factor into these barriers that prevent parody.

We look at how one black business is fairing amid prominent establishments having to shutter and what one organization is doing to ensure these businesses not just survive, but thrive.

Three and a half years ago, Ashanti Mayfield opened Creamy Cone Cafe in Seattle's Rainier Beach Neighborhood.

- Business-wise today, it is winter season, so it's not quite the season for ice cream.

- [Paris] Mayfield says she's struggling to make ends meet and has contemplated closing.

This winter, she reduced her hours to coincide with afternoon foot traffic.

During warm months, Mayfield plans to hire less seasonal staff and stay open more hours, unlike previous years.

- Just to try to make sure I really take advantage of the busy months.

That way when it comes to next fall, winter, I'll have a nice little cushion that I've saved up over the summertime to be able to not have to struggle and worry about the bills too much.

- [Paris] In January, prominent black establishments, Catfish Corner, Plum Bistro, and Flowers Just For You closed, this all occurring amid a backdrop of economic challenges that are impacting many small businesses from Seattle's new $20 and 76 cents minimum wage to inflation, to staffing shortages.

Meanwhile, a recent University of Washington study found black, Asian, and Hispanic small business owners across the country pay higher interest rates on loans than their white counterparts.

- The racial wealth gap is real.

We pay a lot for a lot of things because we were late to the game.

If you look at the history of our country and the way that our folks have been treated, black and brown folks, you will see that all these things were intentional.

I mean, look at the redlining that was occurring right here locally.

- [Paris] But Jenefeness Franke says there's some positivity ahead.

- This is the first time in a very long time that we have been resourced the way that we are right now.

- [Paris] Franke is an executive officer with Black-Owned Business Excellence, or BOBE, a nonprofit that fosters collaboration amongst minority-owned businesses to support and elevate each other.

On February 1st, BOBE held its sixth annual symposium in Seattle.

- Our state government has rolled out the community reinvestment project funds, and I've seen a tremendous amount of businesses being able to benefit from that in the form of grants, in the form of matching savings, in the form of loans.

I've seen so many barriers being removed to the applications, like some of the applications are literally six questions.

So there's a lot of resources here in Washington state for black-owned businesses.

- [Paris] According to US census data, about 6% of the population in the Seattle area is black.

In 2022, black-owned businesses in the Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue metro only accounted for 1% of employer businesses.

For there to be parody in the region, there would need to be more than 6,500 black owned businesses, according to the Brookings Institute.

- I think what's working well is staying connected to community.

If you're connected to the resources, and the resource partners, you get that information before the application opens.

- As for Mayfield, she's optimistic.

- [Paris] It's fun to watch the families, who have been supporting us since day one, grow and still continue to come.

- I'm Paris Jackson, thank you for watching "The Newsfeed," your destination.

for nonprofit Northwest News, go to cascadepbs.org for more great local coverage.

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