BALTIMORE — BOOST stands for black-Owned and Operated Storefront Tenancy. Since May, owners of five businesses have been working day and night to get their storefronts prepared for the grand opening.
None of the businesses in the program are new, but they are getting a new type of exposure.
“It's very overwhelming, but I’m very grateful for the process, very grateful for this opportunity, the energy of my court members, the support of the downtown partnership; it has been amazing," says Abisola Oladeinde, owner of Yelestitches.
The fab five—Cuples Tea, Pandora’s Box, Milton’s Daughters, Yelestitches, and Storybook Maze—got a grant and a temporary space, which they each customized to fit their business.
Sabina Prince says she was excited to buy from the different businesses.
“We are some of the biggest spenders around the world, so why not keep our dollars in our community to keep it going around and just being able to support a black-owned business and helping them grow and achieve their goals means everything to me,” says Sabina Prince.
Lynnette Dodson, co-owner of Cuples Tea House, says she is happy to be a part of a program breathing new life into Harborplace.
She says although it may not be what it used to be, there is a new opportunity for people who come to Baltimore to experience local businesses.
“We went from a vibrant, functioning works pace to kind of all the businesses shuttering, and now we’re kind of re-introducing new businesses to the harbor place scene, therefore to the tourists that are coming to our city," Dodson said.
