ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) \u2014 Black Wall Street AVL, a Black business incubator, is preparing to host GRINDfest on Saturday, June 13.<\/p>\n
WMYA<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
“It really hits home for me coming from a family that had business owners,” said Curbside Laundry owner Anthony Lynch.<\/p>\n
According to the Grindfest website<\/a>, this annual event celebrates Black entrepreneurship, culture, music and community.<\/p>\n This event will offer various opportunities for entrepreneurs, including a business summit, a marketplace for Black-owned businesses, and a pitch competition.<\/p>\n Black Wall Street AVL Founder J Hackett said right before the pitch competition, they\u2019ll also announce a grant to help business owners recover from Helene.<\/p>\n ASHEVILLE’S 4TH GRINDFEST AIMS TO CLOSE WEALTH GAP, HONORS BLACK WALL STREET LEGACY<\/a><\/p>\n “The difference between the businesses that are part of Black Wall Street and others is that 78% of our folks are low-to-moderate income, so they\u2019re starting a business without a whole bunch of discretionary funds,” Hackett said.<\/p>\n Hacket said that for business owners in the low- to moderate-income bracket, it\u2019s harder for them to recover.<\/p>\n “Even after the waters recede, they can\u2019t just start their business. They can\u2019t just clean out their building; they have to start life all over again,” Hackett said.<\/p>\n Hackett added that his organization was also devastated by the storm.<\/p>\n