The $25.5 million Black Business Hub opened in late 2023 and held its official launch last August, but it’s kept adding new businesses and services since.
Designed to be an incubator and accelerator for minority-owned businesses, the 81,000-square-foot building at 2352 S. Park St. in Madison houses both businesses and the organizations that support them. It’s run by the Urban League of Greater Madison.
A year after our first visit to the building, the Cap Times got another tour in January to see what had changed. While some storefronts are still under construction, most of the space is now complete and open for business.
Here are five ways you can use the new space, whether you have your own business or not.
In a 2022 photo, House of Flavas owner Jodie Jefferson sprinkles lemon pepper on fried chicken wings at the business’ former location on Commercial Avenue. Today, Jefferson cooks takeout and catering orders in the shared kitchen of the Black Business Hub.
Grab a meal
On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., hungry Madisonians can head to the hub to pick up takeout orders from House of Flavas, which built a following selling Chicago-style fast food inside CP Mart on Commercial Avenue.
After the gas station’s owner sold the building last year, House of Flavas owner Jodie Jefferson started cooking in the hub’s shared commercial kitchen, where she takes catering and to-go orders. Chicken and catfish options are available daily. Soul food is served only on weekends. The menu, which changes weekly, is posted on Facebook and in the building’s lobby.
More food and drink options are coming to the hub in the coming months. Just off the lobby, Tailer Nicole Wine and Cupcakes and Rasta Barista coffee shop will likely open around April, after construction on the storefronts wraps up, said Urban League senior vice president Ed Lee.
Under construction next door is the Hub Eatery, a mini food court with three stalls. Lee said the vendors have yet to be selected.
Meanwhile, Urban League is still negotiating with a prospective tenant for its 4,500-square-foot, full-service restaurant on its first floor, which includes outdoor seating and access to the building’s rooftop patio.
The organization is also applying for a new city permit to hold pop-up markets as it did last year, Lee said. When those markets are held again, visitors will be able to buy food from mobile vendors who set up stands in or around the building.
Chanel Ardor Schools of Beauty and Culture, located in the Black Business Hub, takes clients on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Get your hair or nails done
Looking for a haircut or manicure? The second floor of the hub is now home to Chanell Ardor Schools of Beauty and Culture, which relocated from a spot a few blocks north. The salon is open to the public from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, offering hair treatments, braiding, skin care and nail services.
Down the hall is a soon-to-open barber shop, the second location of Inspire Barbershop and Beauty Salon, which is staffed primarily by recent graduates of Inspire Barber College. The school, which touts being the first Black-owned barber college in Wisconsin, started at East Towne Mall.
The new shop currently takes customers by appointment, but owner Brian Britt said he plans to start keeping regular hours next week as he adds more staff.
A second location of Inspire Barbershop and Beauty Salon recently opened in the Black Business Hub.
Attend an event
In its first year, the hub hosted nearly 600 events or meetings, from panel discussions to networking sessions. Some events are organized by the Urban League. Others are put on by tenants or other community groups. Many are free.
In recent months, the space hosted a debate between candidates for Dane County executive, a showcase of pitches from local entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses, a live podcast recording session and a Valentine’s Day jazz concert.
On Thursday, Feb. 27, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Urban League plans to host a celebration of Black hair, featuring vendors, food and tips from hair pros at Chanell Ardor and Inspire. Check the Urban League’s website or Facebook page for details on this and other events.
This event space at the Black Business Hub can be rented for community events.
Take a class
Whether you’re looking to fix up a house or start a business, the hub might have a class that interests you.
On Monday, the hub hosted a training on how to become a licensed food vendor or caterer, featuring speakers from the city of Madison, Public Health Madison and Dane County, and FEED Kitchens. Jeffery Norwood, who manages the hub’s commercial kitchen, said he plans to offer ServSafe food safety classes on Mondays starting in March for people looking to start businesses or work in the industry. The start date hasn’t been set.
On Tuesday, Mar. 11, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Urban League will host a free home maintenance class aimed at helping residents learn how to do spring upkeep and make their homes more energy efficient.
Hub-based podcasting and production company Speak.Studio offers monthly classes on topics like microphone technique, post-production and basic computer coding, taught by a range of experts. Some classes are free. Check out Speak.Studio’s website for details.
Co-working spaces are available for rent on the fourth floor of the Black Business Hub on South Park Street in Madison.
Set up shop
For people seeking a home for their own businesses, the hub has space available. The fourth floor coworking space is designed to house about 100 businesses for a monthly fee. All the individual offices are rented, but there’s still room for people who want to rent a cubicle or buy a membership that gives access to any open desk in the shared work area.
Likewise for the shared kitchen in the basement, which can accommodate around 30 businesses. Member businesses pay an hourly rate to use the kitchen, plus monthly fees to rent space in the shared freezers, refrigerators or storage areas.
A new commercial kitchen is available for food startup businesses in the lower level of the Black Business Hub on South Park Street in Madison.
