PORTLAND (WGME) – Some black-owned businesses in Maine say they’re seeing a surge in support from customers, as supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement look for ways to help in their communities.
Not everything was going so well this year for Tonya Smothers, who opened Stylz 4 Less last spring. She had to close in March due to COVID-19.
“From there I worked odd jobs,” Smothers said. “I worked over here at 7-11 just to make ends meet.”
She didn’t want to work service jobs like she had in the past, but she couldn’t get a loan to stay open.
“Because I wasn’t fully paying myself, I couldn’t get one of those loans,” Smothers said.
But she bounced back, opening last Monday while the nation saw protests day after day. White customers called her asking to fill orders for Black Lives Matter shirts, asking her if she was black.
“She actually boosted her order up when she realized it was a black-owned business,” Smothers said.
“I wanted to give a black-owned business some business since I couldn’t do anything else, like I couldn’t go to the protests,” Old Orchard Beach resident Linda Gervais said. “So I ordered a couple t-shirts from her for my grandchildren and I’ve since ordered four more.”
Smothers is offering advice for other black business owners struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Just don’t give up,” Smothers said. “Just keep on going. Save your money, use your resources; talk to other black owners. You will get there.”
