Winter is pretty much here. It hasn’t been unbearably cold yet, but I know that phase is coming. It’s always been spring & summer when I’ve visited Michigan, so I have no clue what to expect. Anyone in Maryland can tell you what a cold winter feels like. Apparently, that’s nothing compared to a Michigan-style winter.

I don’t really like winter, but what else is new? Oh I know – I started a business since we last spoke, that’s pretty new. It’s called BeautifulBLKFriday.com. It’s an online boutique dedicated to showing off the beauty and genius of BLK-owned brands. It feels really good to be starting it right here in Detroit. Business owners here have shown me a lot of love, and I’ve been fortunate to partner with several since the idea came to me in October.

Ordinarily, having vendors on the west side of Detroit who know your name and face may not be high on your list of thrills. It is for me though. My Dad’s first experiences as an American involved twisting on caps at factories and driving an ice cream truck all over what we now call District 2. Now his eldest son is striking up deals with shop owners there. It’s a beautiful thing, and it fuels me every day.

You might have seen me handing out goodie bags a couple of weeks ago. I did that to let my fellow Challenge Detroit fellows know all about it – to get their blessing, if you will. I’m really glad I did that. I wasn’t 100% sure how it would be received, since I put BLK-owned brands at the forefront. From experience, I know things like that can be touchy, and some prefer not to touch ‘em. I’m humbled by how supportive and happy everyone has been. This, too, fuels me to keep going.

Fin.