• About
  • Article PDF
  • White Papers
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Advertising & Sponsorships
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
Times Of Entrepreneurship
Growth and Equity for a Changing World
Times Of Entrepreneurship
No Result
View All Result

A Tulsa Bakery Born From A Lifetime’s Love Of Cakes Carries The Extra Weight Of History

A new $4 million effort to build wealth in the Black community takes root, in an old hospital building renamed as the story of the Race Massacre shifted.

by Kristi Eaton
June 1, 2021
in Finance, Rest of US
Reading Time: 6 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Rameissa Thompson, behind the counter, founded Zoe Cakes Unlimited in March.

TULSA — Small business owners were at the heart of Greenwood 100 years ago. Then white vigilantes burned down the district, killing as many as 300 people and forever marking the fabric of the community.

Today, Rameissa Thompson is making history on her own terms. She’s a Black woman business owner along Cherry Street — about 2 miles from Greenwood – in one of the most affluent areas of the city. From her storefront bakery, she sells cakes for $85 and up.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a Black owner on Cherry Street,” she said. Her store is Zoe Cakes Unlimited. “I think I’m the first, actually. It’s a milestone.”

Tulsans and people all around the country and world marked the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre over Memorial Day Weekend, with much of the focus by national media on the question of reparations. As the United States grapples with the question of systemic failures of justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, the calls for reparations for Black people and families who suffered during post-World War I violence across the country are rising. In Tulsa, a high-profile event that was to include Stacey Abrams and John Legend was canceled as attorneys for the three elderly survivors scheduled to participate asked for $1 million each from the event organizers, and $50 million for a reparations fund,

On the ground in Tulsa, a new initiative to build Black wealth is emerging, with a $4 million plan to establish a new incubator for under-represented founders in a building that once housed a hospital established just after the Massacre. 

Entrepreneurs like Thompson are showing how resiliency is helping Black-owned businesses thrive in Tulsa. She became a business owner after many years of baking as a hobby, and also after she lost her daughter and unborn grandchild in a car accident.

There is a wide gap in wealth and other indicators among people of color compared to white Tulsans, according to a report issued by the local Community Service Council.

Midtown Tulsa, where Cherry Street is located, is 8% Black. The majority of residents – 68% – are white, according to the report. Unemployment is more than 10% for Black Tulsans compared to 4% for white Tulsans, the report found. And the median household income of white Tulsans is almost double that of Black Tulsans. 

Entrepreneurship and business ownership are increasingly seen as one way to close the wealth gap. 

Bakery’s Beginnings

Thompson, 44, first became intrigued by cakes when she saw a photo in a magazine with what she thought was a beehive – and, in fact, it turned out to be a cake. 

“The beehive looked real, but it was cake. It sparked an interest in me and I wanted to know how to make it,” she said while sitting during an interview inside Zoe Cakes Unlimited. “I wanted to know how to make a cake that looked like that, that realistic.” 

Her attempt didn’t turn out well, she acknowledges, but she soon enrolled in a local class and started attending show competitions, which helped her perfect her skills. 

“There, you learned the secrets and the technique,” she added. 

For years, she baked for family, friends and neighbors while juggling a job as a radiology technologist. She ended up focusing on her business full time, which she said was challenging as she moved from a stable position to an entrepreneur. 

She initially started working from home, going through four stoves, before attending a program at a local economic development organization, TEDC Creative Capita,  that helped her gain the skills to run and operate a business, such as writing a business plan and business pitch. The program, funded by the state and federal governments as well as private entities, has helped nearly 300 small businesses in the last five years and distributed more than $150 million in loans. Loans range from $5,000 to $10 million with public and private funds.

“I started looking for buildings, space, and this came to me,” she said. “It found me.” 

The pink-walled storefront has tables and images on the wall of cakes. High ceilings and  lighting fixtures add to the ambiance. It opened at the end of March 2021. Thompson invested a combination of savings, winnings from cake competitions and money from a TEDC loan. She declined to say how much.

“It’s been great. It’s been busy,” she said, adding that she gets orders for weddings, birthdays, baby showers, graduations and other events. She makes about 10 to 15 cakes per week.  

Thompson would like to eventually open multiple locations. The small business owner currently employs two other people. Her advice: Be consistent and keep faith in your dreams. 

“Sometimes you have to make that jump,” she said, adding that taking programs and classes can offer opportunities for education. 

Growing Business Among Black Tulsans

The new entrepreneurship hub, to be called the Greenwood Entrepreneurship Incubator @Moton, will be constructed in the former Moton Health Center, which was originally established as the Maurice Willows Hospital. It was named after a Red Cross executive who led the national organization to respond to the aftermath of the Massacre. The Red Cross treated hundreds of injuries and fought diseases such as dysentery that developed after the Massacre survivors were forced into camps.

The Hospital was renamed for Robert Russa Moton, a national Black leader who left the Republican party after Herbert Hoover abandoned promises of economic aid to Black citizens who helped elect him. Moton was later renamed again to Morton Comprehensive Health Services to honor a local physician. 

The incubator’s new name and location at Pine Street and North Greenwood Avenue honors the older history. The budget, which comes from federal stimulus funds, includes rehabbing the building, $500,000 to support the launch of MORTAR Tulsa, a 15-week TEDC accelerator course and $1 million to see the Build Tulsa Fund for entrepreneurs. 

TEDC Chief Executive Officer Rose Washington said in a statement that the new programs “will nurture the entrepreneurial spirit of Black Tulsans for years to come in a place that has great historical significance.”

Starting in July, MORTAR will host two cohorts of historically marginalized entrepreneurs. The program, which runs for 15 weeks, costs participants about $300, though scholarships are available. 

Thompson has kept an eye on the centennial events, but mostly, she’s been busy working, She made a handful of cakes for gatherings. Reached just at the start of the weekend, she planned to head down to Greenwood from her Cherry Street location, a new Black business owner visiting the site where many others’ dreams and lives were destroyed. But she is mostly focused on the present day, on keeping her own business growing. “It’s history in the making,” she said.



This story and others on Times of E are made possible by a sponsorship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Kansas City, Mo.-based foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect with www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.

Tags: Rameissa ThompsonTulsa
Kristi Eaton

Kristi Eaton

Related Posts

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

by Ellen Chang
January 26, 2023
0

Marie Rocha is the founder and general partner of Realist Ventures. Photo: Tiffany Hagler-Geard After spending over 20 years working...

A Great Financial Backbone For A Social Enterprise

A Great Financial Backbone For A Social Enterprise

by Elizabeth MacBride
January 19, 2023
0

Evergreen Lodge near Yosemite National Park, California. Photo: courtesy of Evergreen Lodge Finding investors for a social enterprise that combines...

Venture Spotlight: Boomerang Ventures in Indiana Focuses on MedTech and Health

Venture Spotlight: Boomerang Ventures in Indiana Focuses on MedTech and Health

by Elizabeth MacBride
December 15, 2022
0

Oscar Moralez, founder and managing partner of Boomerang Ventures. Unexpected fact: Warsaw, Indiana, population 16,000, is the orthopedic capital of...

A Venture Capitalist Asks, Do We Add Value To Startups?

A Venture Capitalist Asks, Do We Add Value To Startups?

by Seth Levine
December 2, 2022
0

Editor’s Note: This post appeared originally on Seth Levine’s blog, VC Adventure in August 2022. Seth is a venture capitalist and co-founder of Foundry Group...

Venture Spotlight: $3.2B Advantage Capital Looks To Invest Even Deeper, Especially In Black Communities

Venture Spotlight: $3.2B Advantage Capital Looks To Invest Even Deeper, Especially In Black Communities

by Elizabeth MacBride
November 9, 2022
0

With $3.2 billion in assets under management, Advantage Capital is considered one of the most important impact investors in the...

Black woman standing confidently in an apron

Why Today’s Small Businesses Can’t Get Bank Loans

by Elizabeth Macbride
September 21, 2022
0

Last spring, Egypt Noble was saving $20,000 to open a restaurant. Fifty-three years ago, Booker T. Wilkins, a barber in...

Subscribe to Times of E’s Free Weekly Newsletter

Learn about the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders

Popular

  • Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Top 20 U.S. University Entrepreneurship Competitions

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trailblazer: An Audacious Denver Entrepreneur Recruited An Xbox Creator To Develop Her Gaming Vision

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Venture Capital Returns Are More Skewed Than People Realize

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent

Homepage Header

Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Leaders: Miami, Pittsburgh, Virtual

January 27, 2023
Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

Venture Spotlight: Realist Ventures In Connecticut Focuses on Biotech, Healthcare

January 26, 2023
Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

Modern Mexican Food Brands Give Old El Paso The Boot

January 25, 2023

Recommended

  • Health
  • Climate
  • Deep Tech
  • Finance
  • Education
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • Mentorship
fearless girl statue

To Get More Capital To Communities of Color, White Men in Finance Need to Cede Power

1 year ago
Editor’s Note: Is TikTok A Threat From China?

Editor’s Note: How To End A Recession

4 months ago
  • About
  • Partner
  • Bespoke Research
  • Listening Tours​
  • Contact
  • Support Us
  • Privacy Policy

(703-966-7357)

© 2020 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 
Facebook Twitter Linkedin
No Result
View All Result
  • Research
  • Finance
  • Women Entrepreneurs
  • New Builders
  • Ecosystem
  • Events
  • Newsletter
  • Editor’s Note

© 2022 Mondial Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Support Times of E

Times of E covers the emerging ecosystem of diverse founders.

With your support of our journalism, you will receive our weekly newsletter and one of these resources for free: 

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?