Business

Black-owned businesses get a boost at Chameleon Shoppes

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN-RECORDER — The businesses are part of West Broadway Business & Area Coalition’s (WBBAC) Shop Northside partnership with Chameleon Consortium pop-up retail initiative. The Chameleon Consortium also partnered with Neka Creative and Impact Hub MSP to activate the shops, which take over the first and second floors at Gaviidae.

Published

7 years ago

April 21, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stephenetta (isis) Harmon

The NCAA frenzy may have left town, but shoppers can still take delight in the more than 20 small Black-owned businesses selling their goods and services at Gaviidae Common in downtown Minneapolis.

The businesses are part of West Broadway Business & Area Coalition’s (WBBAC) Shop Northside partnership with Chameleon Consortium pop-up retail initiative. The Chameleon Consortium also partnered with Neka Creative and Impact Hub MSP to activate the shops, which take over the first and second floors at Gaviidae.

The Chameleon Shoppes are chock full of everything from African clothing and accessories and jewelry to beard oils, body butter, and art. They not only help bring to life vacant retail space in what should be a prime downtown location but also create affordable opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses to expand their reach and marketing efforts.

As a vendor, myself, they also offer an affordable opportunity to expand outreach efforts. Felicia Perry, WBBAC Business Resources Coordinator, said that was a primary goal in partnering.

“The opportunity for our clients to test out their products and services with a different market than they typically have in their own neighborhoods is huge,” said Perry. “We also get to show off how we show up in pop-ups to a different community — especially given the unique marketing strategies required to pull people into a place that we know was already struggling.”

Shop Northside has two retail shoppes on the ground floor, along with a salon and barber experience featuring such services as threading, mini makeup makeovers, a braid bar, microblading and haircuts.

Participating vendors include Tionna Dionne Fashion, Black Excellence, Bowtie Billionaire, Nature’s Syrup, TiAngy Designs, Bimpe Bata Footwear, Just Hair USA, We Wanna Rock, Body Love, Allure Cigars, Cald2Art and Christyle Closet.

The shops will remain open through the end of April. After that, Perry said WBBAC will continue its longstanding efforts to create small business opportunities for its clients.

“We’ve been doing this economic development work in different ways for a while now and we intend to continue to find creative ways to plug our business owners, artists and makers into economic opportunities as we discover them ourselves,” said Perry. This includes their monthly “Northside Business Lunch” — this month’s April 18 session is focused on “Retail Hustle” and tips for being a successful retail entrepreneur.

“It’s a great experience to be downtown,” said Crystal Lemar, owner of Christyle. “It’s exciting because I’ve always wanted to open up or have a boutique in downtown Minneapolis. So this is my opportunity to live out my dream for the month of April.”

Perry added that supporting and creating opportunities for these businesses to thrive also keeps money within the community.

“This is where they stay and this where they spend their money,” she said. “That’s real actual economic and social development because we’re not just getting to know a new business, but we’re getting to know our neighbors, as well.”

The Chameleon Shoppes are located in Gaviidae Common, located 651 Nicollet Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, and are open Wednesday-Friday, 10 am – 2 pm now through April 26.

For more information on Shop Northside, visit northmpls.org. For more info on Chamelone Shoppes, visit chameleonconsortium.com.

This article originally appeared in the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.