Stories

Alice Brazelton-Pittman

Brazelton Floral

“I grew up in the business with my brothers and sisters,” she says. But Alice would forge her own path.

It wasn’t until 2017, following the deaths of both her brother Edgar Jr. and sister Irene that Brazelton-Pittman would find herself taking the helm of her family’s floral legacy.

In Good Co. Detroit

In Good Co Detroit is proud to release our latest film spotlighting some of Detroit’s remarkable entrepreneurs, their journeys to start and grow their business and their resilience and ingenuity to adapt during the pandemic.

This film continues to show entrepreneurs, you're not alone. You’re in good company.

Developed by the New Economy Initiative (NEI) to help unify and grow Detroit’s small business community, In Good Co. is a living platform, connecting inspirational stories with practical tools to empower entrepreneurs at every age and every stage of business.

Nyasia Bey

Ancient Wisdom Birth Service

Nyasia Bey vividly remembers the trauma she experienced when she gave birth to her first child, and as a doula in Detroit, she wants to see to it that other women avoid going through what she did.

Nailah Ellis

Ellis Island Tea

As the largest Black female-owned beverage manufacturer in the United States, Ellis Island Tea is on the cusp of becoming a beverage empire.

Ellis’s story captures her journey from starting her all-natural Jamaican Tea to landing a major investment from international star, comedian and actor Kevin Hart. Recently she traveled to Trinidad and Tobago to negotiate a deal with a major bottler that could be a game-changer in the beverage industry.

Hamissi Mamba & Nadia Nijimbere

Baobab Fare

“A little bit before the pandemic, we were focused on trying to finish our renovation at the restaurant,” says Hamissi Mamba, who along with wife Nadia Nijimbere, have been working for the past few years to open Baobab Fare, a traditional East African eatery and cafe in Detroit's New Center neighborhood.

The couple had plans to hold a grand opening in May, but as with every other eating establishment in Michigan and across the country, plans changed as the coronavirus surged.

That doesn’t mean the work halted, and that is only part of their relentless journey.

Paul Wasserman & Joe Renkiewicz

Henry the Hatter

Glimpse inside the nation’s oldest hat retailer and one of Detroit’s most iconic shops. This 127-year-old hatter has outfitted the likes of Steve Harvey, LL Cool J, the notorious Purple Gang, Jimmy Kimmel, and President Dwight Eisenhower, who wore a hat from the shop at his second inauguration in 1957.