Category: Entrepreneurs

dan and emmy kastner stand behind a counter at Factory Coffee

The Kalamazoo roastery and coffee shop’s third location, which opens July 21, adds a full menu, adult beverages, and later nights.

Twala Lockett-Jones sits at a table holding a copy of her book

Kalamazoo-based Realtor turns ideas about overcoming homeowner disparities into a children’s story about buying castles and breaking curses.

Daniel May stands at an unfished bar inside his cocktail lounge

The new Dabney & Co., named after a pioneering mixologist who was forced to buy his way out of slavery, will open in the former Civil House Coffee space in downtown Kalamazoo.

Lee Patton, Lee Patton Jr., and Markus Patton standing in front of an ice cream truck

A locally owned ice cream truck company has recently launched. It’s a combination of tastes and sounds that are nostalgic to some and strange to the younger crowd. But for everyone, it’s just in time for the heat wave.

Anaya Fernando stands behind a table covered in her bath and body products.

Teenage entrepreneur announces a retail deal for her eco- and body-friendly personal care products.

Several kids running around and playing outside

Kalamazoo nonprofit Steps to Victory focuses on teaching autonomy while reducing the summer lag that can impact the next year for crucial elementary school grades.

Raphael Thurin and Trent Friske stand in a room full of marijuana plants

The only Black- and Indigenous-owned marijuana business in Kalamazoo is targeting another 400 pounds a month when their expansion is completed. But Ahki Canna is an outlier in an industry dominated by the white and wealthy.

a red, wooden school house after total renovation

After an extensive restoration and a pandemic break, classes (and more) resume at the 143-year-old school house on a Cooper Township corner.

DeMargeo White stands behind a table with several slices of his cheesecake arranged on top

Local cheesecake maker Huey D’s Goodies started cooking for mom and continues to be inspired by family.

donovan mcvey and joshua gray stand in front of a white board covered in scribbles

Room 35 has created a consultancy for other entrepreneurs with a focus on leveraging Kalamazoo’s massive networks for undercapitalized ideas and ambitious small businesses.