PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Black Economic Council's work to support and attract new small businesses to the gateway city got boost with $455,000 secured by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in last year's appropriations package.

 

The state's senior senator was in the city on Thursday to talk small business opportunities and local health care, and met with four small-business owners who have received assistance, advice and promotion through the council's programs before joining another roundtable at Soldier On.  

 

"I'm here to celebrate partnership because I really do believe that we have the pieces right, every part of it then starts to work better," Warren said. "And of course, I'm also here to celebrate being able to put nearly half a million dollars into funding this effort, and the work that is being done here to make sure that small businesses, that Black-owned small businesses, are not at a competitive disadvantage."

 

A.J. Enchill, president and executive director, said the funds will be used for engineering and design for an incubator space, possibly at the William Stanley Business Park.

 

That's the next chapter for the 3-year-old council that is averaging about six meetings a week with different businesses and has 60 or so members — businesses, nonprofits, foundations, educational institutions, government agencies — who consistently show up at gatherings. Networking has also attracted businesses from Turners Falls to Springfield, and a few have relocated or considering relocating to Pittsfield. 

 

"We're Berkshires focused," said Enchill. "That being said, we do everything we can to pull businesses our way."

 

He told Warren that the council is taking part in the revitalization of the downtown. In collaboration with MassDevelopment, it helped springboard five new businesses into vacant storefronts. 

 

The senator heard from Destiny Saunders, who with her mother, Gloria, moved from a makeup, hair and personal care pop-up to the brick-and-mortar Dolc'e Rose Beauty Supply, providing much-needed products for area Black women and, she added, for Williams College students.

 

"When we started out doing a pop-up shop, we noticed that the excitement and the live energy that we noticed would come into the pop-up shop buying shampoo, conditioners, wigs, and makeup, and so on, so forth," she said. "Our grand opening was in February, it was a really great turnout."

 

Jocelyn Guelce spoke about opening The Collab, where the meeting was held, and its use as a gallery space and recording studio, and for meetings, co-working and events. 

 

"It's really intended to be a well-rounded third place for the community to just come and connect with limited barriers to access," she said. 

 

Photographer Desean Scales said it's been like a snowball effect since he participated in the Black Arts Council's talent show. 

 

"I feel like so much has grown since then, helped me get out of my comfort zone," he said. "But it also allowed me to be able to connect with the community more and also get myself and my business out there. Being self taught and kind of doing this entire business journey alone. It was hard to, I guess, find a way to spread myself and spread the awareness of my business."

 

Ludwig Jean-Louis purchased Cravins ice cream parlor on Elm Street two years ago with help from an equipment and infrastructure grant through the BBEC. The oldest of five, he started working in an ice cream shop in high school and tried a pop-up ice cream business on North Street that didn't do well for lack of advertising. 

 

"I saw the need, and I had the resources to make it happen. But then the few steps were missing in implementation of it," he said, but when Cravins went up for sale he decided to go for it. "It's kind of challenging to just do an outstanding, single, one job. And so far, so good. We are in our third season. With the help of BBEC, we were able to locate and do the repairs needed to get our equipment up and running."

 

Warren enthusiastically peppered the entrepreneurs with questions about aspirations and challenges, shared how she had her own small business with a friend selling plants many years ago and made plans to stop for ice cream at Cravins (which she did.)

 

"I'm always struck, that anyone who starts a new business takes enormous energy, gotta have a vision, got to have creativity, gotta be crazy, optimistic, and forward thinking," she said. "But it's like you got to be good at 10 different jobs."

 

That's just not realistic, and one of the reasons she wanted to fund the BBEC is that it's an investment in small business and an investment in the region. 

 

"I worry that we, increasingly, as a country, that big businesses have such a comparative advantage, because they can hire all the lawyers. They have plenty of capital, so they can run it for a year or two at a complete loss," she said.  

 

"But ultimately, if we let all our work be done by the big guys, it's going to snuff out the innovation, the creation in small towns, in rural areas. So to me, this investment is an investment in you all individually. But it's also an investment of how we think about building in this region."

 

How can I be helpful? the senator asked. 

 

"Keep doing what you're doing," responded Enchill. "You've made this commitment, this investment in our region. And it's allowing us to take the proof of concept that we're building community to revitalize our downtown storefronts and revitalize our history."