MARY KANG:
THE GROUND FLOOR MARKET
How did you choose your product?
The Ground Floor Market opened five years ago because Phil Hagerman wanted a place that would have grab-and-go food for people downtown.
What has been your biggest challenge?
It was too soon for downtown because there wasn’t enough foot traffic yet, so it closed. In the summer of 2018, Skypoint had five high-school interns. It was their project to plan and initiate the pop-up shops. I worked with them to brainstorm vendors they could approach to have a shop in the Dryden Building. Along the way, we decided it might be a good idea to have a little convenience store since the foot traffic in the area had increased partly due to the Ferris Wheel being open. The students came up with ideas for what we should sell and set up the business accounts to get the Ground Floor Market up and running.
Do you have any other products or business ideas?
Since the pop-up shops expanded last November, we’ve added Luigi’s grab and go on Mondays and Wednesdays for sandwiches, salads, soup and sometimes pizza. We’ve also added various over-thecounter medications, toiletry items, more snacks and some office supplies. We plan to increase our products even more and offer many more brands and varieties.
OAKLIN MIXON:
GOODBOY CLOTHING
How did you choose your product?
GoodBoy represents “good culture,” so the question was, how does that translate into a product? Materials hads to be sourced ethically, function well and feel good. Our business model took into consideration where we were located, namely Flint. Like other cities, Flint has seen its share of trouble, so we wanted to create jobs and offer products at a reasonable price so that everyone can afford a GoodBoy garment.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Starting a new industry in a city where it was practically nonexistent can be tough. From workers, investors and contractors, everyone must have the same tenacity, drive and commitment to see the goal reached. Every coach wants the dream team, right? To get the results we desire, team development and a pursuit of excellence is a must from everyone.
What is your company’s mission?
If you have visited our 2000-sq. ft. space, our wall features a piece I wrote: “We are a group of culture makers creating quality brand merchandise to artistically express that we as individuals are leaders rebuilding the ruins of our cities and culture. We are tailored for the good of all. We are committed to living woven into the fabric of our communities, contributing to the Good.”
COSTA PAPISTA:
FLINT CITY BUCKS
What got you started on your path to being a business owner?
I have always loved working in the sports business, especially with start-up franchises. Launching the OHL’s Flint Firebirds five years ago highlighted the great sports community here. Dan Duggan (Bucks longtime chairman) and I had a strong belief that elite soccer in Kettering’s historic Atwood Stadium would be well-supported.
What do you love most about your product?
Having the ability to make a difference and make an impact on the community. Winning brings joy and creates lifelong memories, especially for our youngest fans.
How did you name your business?
We held a three-week community contest to help us name the team. Over 1000 individuals helped us craft the name, logo and team colors. Every detail had meaning and significance.
What is your company’s mission?
On the pitch, we want to win and develop our players for major league soccer (MLS) and other professional leagues. Off the pitch, we want to engage with the community and make a difference. Our players are from all over the world, but when they play for the Flint City Bucks, they are ambassadors for Flint. They instruct at free soccer clinics for kids, make hospital visits, sign autographs after every game, appear at charity events, read books to elementary school children and more.
BOBBY GROSSI:
THE G SPA
What got you started on your path to being a business owner?
I always wanted to be my own boss and have the greatest impact in the community I grew up in. I also wanted to have the flexibility of being a father and a husband. It was important for me to show my family how I can be a leader and that one person can make a difference.
How did you choose your product?
Dentists can find a lot of diseases before even medical doctors do. My grandfather died of throat cancer and I wanted to bridge the gap between dentistry and medicine. I wanted to start a medical spa, because I have seen how confidence in one’s appearance can change a person’s life.
What unexpected lessons have you learned?
They will never say it to your face, but some people truly don’t want you to succeed and will do everything in their power to prevent you from reaching your goals. They will look at you differently and think that you think you are better than them. I would love to tell them how wrong they are. I would do anything to help a person in this world accomplish any of their goals.
What is your favorite of your products?
My favorite product is the new EMSCULPT. It can change a person’s BMI and shrink body mass by 24 percent of fat and give 20 percent more muscle tone.
SUMMER VANITVELT:
SUMMER DENIM
What got you started on your path to being a business owner? I graduated from Auburn University, where football games are a very big deal and game day fashion is very important. Over one Thanksgiving break, I realized I didn’t have anything to wear to the big game against Alabama! So I thrifted a denim jacket, painted it with an Auburn design and posted it on Instagram. After that, I had a bunch of girls message me asking me to paint one for them and then it just grew from there.
Do you have any other products or business ideas?
I started making t-shirts and sweatshirts. Most of them are tie-dyed and have a graphic to support your favorite team.
What has been your biggest challenge?
When I was focused on painting jackets with designs for colleges, I would see a major decline in sales once football season ended. I then started painting designs that are perfect for any occasion. As my business has grown, I have had a hard time doing the more “business side” of things. I just wanted to paint. It has definitely been a learning process!
What do you love most about your product?
I love how each one of my painted denim jackets are 100% unique and no two people have the same jacket.
NATROIL:
DORIAN JACKSON
How did you choose your product?
I decided to grow a beard four years ago and tried many grooming products. While searching for products, I started to make my own using all-natural ingredients, which I included with the curated beard balm to start Natroil in September 2019. Since then, I have added leather goods, hats and polos designed in a tailored, modern style and fit. Our products are sold at several barbershops as well as the pop-up shops.
Do you have any other products or business ideas?
We have started a line of cologne oils, sprays and skin and nail oil for women, branded under the Beauty Affair, a downtown Flint lash and skin care salon. We have also produced other lines for barbershops, musical artists and event promotions.
What do you love most about your product?
The quality and care taken to produce and curate our offerings. I love the brand, logo, marketing and packaging.
How did you name your business?
My products are natural and free of harsh chemicals. All of them incorporate several essential oils, so I combined the words “natural” and “oil.” What is your company’s mission? To produce, curate and provide premium grooming products and quality accessories for the modern gentleman.
FLINTBORNE:
RACHEL TURNER
What got you started on your path to being a business owner?
To share our pride in being from Flint.
How did you choose your product?
I was talking to a friend and discovered we had grown up in the same part of the city. It became clear that we both had lots of pride and fond memories. We talked about what streets we grew up on, what elementary schools we went to, and the entire feeling of what it is like to be tied to such an incredible city.
What kind of training did you receive?
The best training we have had is from our family. For 30 years, my family had a highly successful business in Swartz Creek, Chris’ Country Corner. All the business sense was learned through my mother, Chris Fejedelem. We learned the retail world, working with corporations, understanding what it means to run a store–and most of all, how important it is to honor our customers!
What do you love most about your product?
We have individuals contacting us from all around the world. They purchase FLINTBORNE apparel and share their stories through photos on our FLINTBORNE Facebook page.
How did you name your business?
FLINTBORNE was created with this question in mind: What does it mean to have “borne” something? By definition, to have held it up, or to have supported it.
ANGIE TIDWELL:
LATHER AND LACE
How did you choose your product?
My young daughter has very sensitive skin and could not use bath products. It made me sad for her. I started researching bath bomb recipes with natural, safe ingredients. I mixed up the perfect batch and just like that I wanted to help all kids with sensitive skin enjoy a fun bath bomb. After researching recipes I started learning about ingredients that are harmful to your body. My grandmother and aunt passed away due to cancer and after reading about parabens, sulfates, and others I did not want to use anything with those ingredients in them.
How did you name your business?
I wanted something of the product in the name, but also part of me. I chose “lather” because most of the products you will lather on, then I spiced it up with “lace.”
What is your company’s mission?
My mission is to offer fun, beautifullyscented products to people who have sensitive skin so they don’t have to miss out.
DERIA BROWN:
GLAM BOUTIQUE
Who is your biggest inspiration?
The young girls I mentor through Sparkle Pink Club for Girls. Creating a business success model they can duplicate for their own lives keeps me going.
Do you have any other products or business ideas?
We have a signature line of women’s basics in our pipeline, plus custom journals and home pieces. I see Glam ultimately as a lifestyle brand.
What was your biggest challenge?
As a small business owner, I am never short on ideas. Access to capital to keep us going was a barrier, but the Flint & Genesee Chamber and Metro Community organizations got us through those challenging times.
What is your favorite part of being a business owner?
I have employees! I get to help families with a paycheck. It forces me to keep moving and innovating to make sure our team makes it long-term.
What do you love most about your product?
What I love most about our curated collections is that they will fit women of all shapes and sizes. I totally get women and their frustration with fashion, coupled with a desire to look and feel glamorous. Our brand is there for some really big red carpet moments in women’s lives, even if that red carpet is leading them to the “Mommy and Me” dance.
What is your company’s mission?
To build a lifestyle brand for women that inserts glamour into every day. I remain obsessed with offering great customer service from our team of Glam rock stars.
CASEY LESTER:
THE ROMAN
Who is your biggest inspiration?
I live in Flint where there is no shortage of phenomenal business owners, such as Robb and Tamara Klaty, Dr. Bobby, Tiff Sommers, Sean Murray, Phil Schaltz, Dorian Jackson and David Gaines. I am a nerd, so I will always draw inspiration from people like Gary Gygax, Satoru Iwata and everyone else brave enough to take the first awkward step in following their dreams.
How did you choose your product?
As a men’s boutique, we carry products from ties to beard care to wallets. While not all of our products are from Michigan, we typically choose a Michigan product first to keep things local and personal.
Do you have any other products or business ideas?
I’m working on a program for people who are looking for a job but don’t have money for dress clothes. Anyone who needs a suit or an outfit for work can borrow it at no cost. Jan’s Professional Dry Cleaners based in Clio will facilitate the cleaning of the suits when needed. I’m also doing workshops for men that I call Building Better Men. The first one is called “How to tie a tie and five things to know before your interview.”
What do you love most about your product?
I love the fact that we offer products for men because I don’t feel like there is enough out there for us.
How did you name your business?
Our son’s name is Roman, so it literally means everything in the world to us.
KARLA SCHMID:
SERENDIPITY ON SAGINAW
Who is your greatest inspiration?
My mother, Bessie. Growing up during the Depression, she learned to reuse and thrift early in life. This “hobby” (or lifestyle) was passed on to me at an early age, and I shared it with my two daughters.
How did you choose your product?
I shared my interests with my daughters, dragging them to estate and church sales. Around 2005, we went to a barn sale where the family was cleaning out generations of belongings. My daughter found a few clothing items that she thought were cool, and they were two dollars each. Later we looked up information on the tag, which was Lilli Ann. We found out this is a very desirable designer brand, with some sets selling for over $600. After that, we became addicted to vintage clothing.
Do you have any other products or business ideas?
I repurpose broken pieces of old jewelry and beads around skeleton keys. My favorite projects are intricately beaded embroidered cuffs. I’d love to build up more handmade jewelry inventory and incorporate that into my shop also. I will soon be adding vintage shoes, handbags and jewelry.
What was your biggest challenge?
Starting a business at age 63! Learning how to track inventory using the computer and physically setting up the shop sometimes wipe me out. It has always been my dream, but I never had the chance to have a affordable retail space to get started. That’s why these pop-up shops are so wonderful.
ROBERT MCADOW:
FLINT TRADING CO.
How did you choose your product?
I took up metalsmithing as a hobby to see the results of my labor when I did not get to see that in my day job. When I found myself spending entire nights on a piece of jewelry or metal art, I knew I’d had some kind of Zen experience.
What unexpected lessons have you learned?
How much people here wanted to tell a story with their jewelry. It’s a lovely experience that people will explore new ideas with me.
How did you name your business?
Flint Trading Co. reflects the handmade nature of the goods we sell, made by a regional artist; the Native American history of the region and the concept that what we need most in this time of disconnectedness and mass production is to identify with process and goods made well, recalling the past where things were made by hand and traded.
What is the mission of your company?
My business is committed to Flint, and to adding to the vibrancy of this community by offering something you cannot get elsewhere, something you or your loved ones will cherish that is deeply personal. I am laying down roots as part of this community and that goes beyond profits or consumerism.
DAVID GAINES:
GALLERY BY GAINES
How did you choose your product?
The Gallery by Gaines is our latest attempt to connect with our customers in a new way. It is a sampling of some the more innovative and fashion-forward items that we offer.
What has been your biggest challenge?
The only real roadblock we have seen so far is just from people that haven’t been downtown in a while and don’t realize what a tremendous atmosphere it has now.
How did you name your business?
We called our pop-up shop Gallery by Gaines because we wanted people to know that while it isn’t another full-blown jewelry store with all the products and services we offer in our main location, it is a “gallery” of some of the pieces we love the most, with special attention paid to affordable fashion.
What is your company’s mission?
I would like to continue to see the gallery grow as retail downtown continues to grow. The Shops on Saginaw is already in talks to expand their presence downtown. I would like to eventually add more products and services to the gallery that are similar to items in our main location. All of this would enhance our ability to continue to be a great partner to the community.
CATHY OOSTERMEYER & CAROL WEBER:
ST. LUKE N.E.W. LIFE CENTER
What got you started on your path to being a business owner?
A leap of faith. All my past jobs have prepared me for my current position, helping women break down barriers and fight dragons, because I too have been there. We walk together, faith-filled and driven by love, to bring joy, healing and confidence.–Cathy
In 2002, while engaging in street ministry donating used clothing, household items and personal needs, a woman asked for newborn baby clothes and a car seat for a woman who had given birth in January, in Michigan, in an abandoned home— alone. She was transported to Hurley and everyone was fine (a true miracle). We decided we had to do more for the women of Flint. The birth of that baby in an abandoned home was the birth of the St. Luke N.E.W. Life Center. –Carol
How did you choose your product?
We were already teaching sewing in our enrichment classes. There are lots of medical supply stores and hospitals in Genesee County, so we decided to teach the women to make scrubs and sell them to local providers. Now we are also making fabric products from 65 percent recycled plastic bottles, which evolved from the damage of the Flint Water Crisis.
How did you name your business?
N.E.W. stands for North End Women. We are stitching lives together. Our logo is a lotus bloom that signifies that the most beautiful creation can grow from the harshest of conditions.
JULIE ABBOTT ART
How did you choose your product?
I’ve always enjoyed being creative. My grandmother was an amazing oil painter and my father is an artist who’s channeled his creative energy into building and creating beautiful works of functional art. After my daughter Willow, now 17, was born, I took a vacation with friends to a really artsy community in Florida that sparked a desire in me to begin painting. I began experimenting with paint on canvas and it has evolved into a business: Julie Abbott Art.
What do you love most about your product?
I don’t consider it work at all because it’s when I can find the deepest level of joy and peace. Inspired by bright colors and whimsical design, I find the seasons of my life showing up in my artwork. Mainly, visions of all of the good things I want to manifest for myself and my family: happiness, laughter, hope and love.
Do you have any other products or business ideas?
In addition to the Shops on Saginaw (pop-ups) on the first floor of the Dryden building, my work can be purchased at Eclections Boutique in Fenton, Treasure Baskets Gift Shop in Grand Blanc and my website: www.JulieAbbottArt.com.