Business Spotlights Blog Posts | Page 3

Amanda Siska of Bread & Badger welcomed the Main Street Mavericks to her SE Portland home and art studio on day one of our tour to meet Oregon small business owners.

When William Lay first met with a small business coach to discuss his idea for a size-inclusive gym in Portland, Oregon, the coach laughed at him. But Lay was dead serious. He wanted to own a gym that felt comfortable for people of all body types, and All Bodies Strong — Portland’s first gym for larger-bodies — is going strong. As Lay advised, “Ignore the naysayers.”

Merchant Maverick first met Edith Johnson (Edie to her friends and bookstore patrons) in the summer of 2023. She was the recipient of Merchant Maverick’s grant for Portland-owned businesses — she had recently decided to expand her bookstore pop-up into a brick-and-mortar location in NE Portland, Oregon.

Co-owners Sariel and Zion are making waves with their small business, armed with an unbridled entrepreneurial spirit, a commitment to education, and a desire to help break the cycles of poverty and create generational wealth.

Johnson’s independent children’s bookstore is seriously thriving, and now, thanks to a $10,000 opportunity grant from Merchant Maverick, she can continue following her small business dreams and building her bookstore.

Merchant Maverick Opportunity Grant winner Huijuan Guo’s food truck, MOMO noodle, is famous for Bàn Miàn, a spicy dry-stirred noodle dish. Recently, we sat down with Huijuan to hear more about her inspiration and dreams for MOMO noodle.

Owner Jinah Kim has three passions: food, community engagement, and immigrant empowerment! Sunhee’s Farm and Kitchen, located in upstate New York, offers up a farm-to-table dining experience. In addition to their exceptional Korean cuisine, Sunhee’s also has a Kimchi Klub, sending regional fare and seasonal kimchi flavors nationwide.

Merchant Maverick Opportunity Grant winner Jacqueline Nguyen owns Cafe Cà Phê, a unique mobile Vietnamese coffee shop, which serves up specialty drinks, including classic Vietnamese iced coffee. In June, we sat down with Jacqueline to talk about her vision for Cafe Cà Phê and how it all got started.

Autumn Court’s dining room is still closed due to pandemic safety concerns, but you can order online for delivery or pickup. You can order via the Autumn Court website or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

This year, the Merchant Maverick Opportunity Grant Program gave a total of $100K to Americans of Asian and Pacific Island descent, via 10 separate grants of $10K each. One of these grants was awarded to Folk, a gourmet Market and Cafe housed in the historic neighborhood of Corktown, Detroit. Thanks to its focus on from-scratch meals with ethically and locally sourced ingredients, Folk has developed a wide and loyal fan base and is now expanding into curated gift boxes and catering services.