Incubating Ideas

from City Life Magazine 2023

by greatlakespublishing

CONNECTING YOU CONNECTING YOU

Glenville’s GlenVillage houses local start-up businesses trying to make their marks in the community.

IN GLENVILLAGE,

Six Inspired Local

ENTREPRENEURS have the opportunity to launch their passions into free-standing businesses within a supportive, nurturing space.

From fashion designers to restaurants and hair salons, the micro shops at GlenVillage are designed to be a hub in an underserved area of the community, says LaRese Purnell, operations manager of the business incubator and managing partner of CLE Consulting, which, through its partners, provides comprehensive technical support, training and mentorship to the entrepreneurs while they test their business ideas. GlenVillage is funded through the City of Cleveland, the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative and Cleveland Citywide Development Corporation.

“The whole project was to create opportunities and to bring another space where the Glenville community could support small businesses,” says Purnell, who has worked with hundreds of first-generation entrepreneurs throughout the region. “The purpose is to bring the minority owned and operated businesses in, work with them, provide them technical assistance, and then help them to continue to catapult their businesses.

“Those are pure examples of success,” Purnell says. “When we talk about minority-owned businesses, specifically black-owned businesses, there hasn’t been a lot of success nationally in their ability to keep their doors open. This speaks to their strength and their ability to be able to navigate tough times as well as their work ethic.”

Purnell says it takes more than an incubator space to make a business successful.

Home For Hip Hop

Community residents, local political figures and area partners and corporations have been supportive. “It takes a village when you’re talking about a small business that’s already plagued with issues of trying to be successful.”

— Chrissy Kadleck

Cleveland’s own Grammy-award winning Bone Thugs-n-Harmony will headline Glenville Live’s summer festival in Sam Miller Park on Aug. 12 — a daylong celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop.

Hosted by the Famicos Foundation and Ward 10 Councilman Anthony Hairston, the annual community event draws thousands of residents, visitors, vendors, community resources and artists each year.

“The birthday of Hip Hop is August 11, and we will be having a street naming ceremony for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony,” says Kristian Hunter, center director with Five Pointe Community Center, adding that the group’s performance will be joined by other pillars of Hip Hop. “It’s really exciting to be able to attract performers on a national level to perform who were actually born and raised in Cleveland. This is also a great opportunity for tourism and to be able to showcase Cleveland itself and what we have to offer in the Glenville neighborhood.”

The event, which will be from Noon to 8 p.m., will also feature graffiti art, break dancing, food trucks, an old school car show, youth boxing showcase and a community performance stage. — CK

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