Black Business Owners Find Community in Pennsylvania
Learn about three entrepreneurs who have successfully launched and grown a business in the Keystone State.
Pennsylvanians are proud to live in a state that provides opportunities for everyone – and that includes opportunities in the business sector. Longtime business owners are willing to offer sage advice to the next generation, plenty of resources are available to aid startups, and the state’s welcoming communities are supportive of entrepreneurs. Ahead, meet three Black business owners who are thriving in Pennsylvania.
Coffee Cream & Dreams
Opened in Philadelphia in 2019 before anyone knew a pandemic was coming, Coffee Cream & Dreams was the brainchild of Stephanie Ford. While several businesses folded over the next few years, Ford’s shop survived, thanks to her ingenuity and supportive community.
The shop serves coffee, tea, hot chocolate, espresso drinks, pastries and breakfast sandwiches, and, during the summer, freshly squeezed lemonade — a huge hit. While the menu offerings are quite popular, it’s the customer service here that really makes this shop stand out.
“My business partner, Sonja West, and I give customers attention when they arrive,” Ford says. “We say hello to everyone who walks through the door, we talk to people, and we learn who they are. It’s the experience you get and how you feel when you leave that keeps people coming back. And then it’s the special treats — adding ring pops to a pastry bag for the kids across the street whose mom comes in regularly, providing dog treats at the door. People love the personal touch.”
Ford says they’ve had happy customers since the day they opened.
“I can honestly say everyone loves having a coffee shop close by, and we’ve always been received with open arms. I had my doubts during COVID — suppliers shut down, and at one point, I had to pick up the coffee because there was no delivery. But the community didn’t stop coming.”
Today, Ford gets additional business in the shop’s lower level coworking space, which has tables and chairs for 15 people and free Wi-Fi available by membership or day pass. Add a drink or treat from Coffee Cream & Dreams, and this space makes for the perfect work environment.
Oh, and if you need a treat recommendation, you can’t go wrong with their most popular pastry: zucchini bread. “It’s vegan, and people order three to four slices at a time,” Ford says.
Dixon Candle and Bath
Sonya Dixon, who launched Dixon Candle and Bath in Scranton in 2004, doesn’t just refer to herself as a business owner. She actually prefers the title of artisanal scent designer because she is also an artist.
“One of my favorite things about owning a candle store is the creativity involved in making scents,” Dixon says. “Years ago, I started burning a candle after a workday, and just lighting the wick told me it was time to unwind. It became my daily routine, something I’d look forward to, and a tradition of relaxation. I wanted to provide the same feeling to others. After a rough day, it’s a nice escape for all those people who can’t run off to Hawaii to decompress.”
Dixon managed to turn her personal relaxation tradition into a business by paying attention to what she loved – and didn’t love – about the candles she purchased.
“It was trial and error once I discovered that some candles didn’t bring me gratification – the scent didn’t match the vanilla label, for example – and knowing I could improve on what was out there,” she says. “I bought a candle-making kit, researched, found a local vegetable wax manufacturer, and started making candles for myself and my friends.”
The chamber of commerce pointed Dixon to the University of Scranton Small Business Development Center, which provided her with advice on starting her business, such as where to find free resources.
“They were so encouraging!” Dixon says.
Today, Dixon Candle and Bath is flourishing, and Dixon is always working to come up with new scent blends.
“I combine up to 75 fragrances just to make one candle, and I love making unique, new scents,” she says. “Right now, all my fragrances are drink themed: coffee, milk, vanilla, hibiscus iced tea, and lavender oat milk, which is a huge hit. For Mother’s Day, I created a special candle called Tangerine Gelato Fizz. None of my scents are one-note.”
Nor is Dixon. As a small-business owner, she believes in giving back to her community. She volunteers with the Black Scranton Project and the NEPA Youth Shelter, donates gift baskets for raffles, sponsors events, and provides candles wholesale to sell and giveaway.
“I don’t measure success by sales,” she says, “but by the difference I’m making in other people’s lives.”
CobblerWorld
A local Pittsburgh company called CobblerWorld is serving up just that — delicious, mouthwatering cobbler. Started by Terina J. Hicks in 2014, this local favorite specializes in creating what for many is a nostalgic dessert.
“We bake and sell cobblers of every kind, from Mamie Lou’s Peach Cobbler to blackberry cobbler and everything in between,” Hicks says. “Being in Pennsylvania is great for my business because up North, no one makes cobblers for retail or wholesale, but so many people love them. And can you believe that there is no other bakery here that sells them?”
Cobbler isn’t the only bakery item sold at CobblerWorld. In fact, Hicks puts her own twist on many other desserts.
“We make sweet potato shortcake that will make you forget about a strawberry shortcake, mandarin orange cheesecake, sweet potato pound cake, and ‘walkin’ cheesecakes,’ which are cheesecakes on a stick!” she says.
The development of this sweet business came after a bit of a rough start. Hicks experienced some racial discrimination that could have thwarted her plans had it not been for her tenacity and the support of her community that rallied behind her.
That support from the Pittsburgh business community has enabled Hicks to form partnerships with other local businesses – both big and small. Hicks works with Aramark to provide pastries for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ ice hockey games. And she has collaborated with Millie’s Homemade, a local ice cream shop, to create new unique combos like blueberry cobbler ice cream, red velvet gob ice cream, carrot cake ice cream and more. Their latest flavors include sweet potato pound cake ice cream, released for Juneteenth.
Hicks also credits some of her success to Catapult Greater Pittsburgh, a nonprofit that provides things like peer-to-peer support, wealth building and counseling. The organization afforded her the opportunity to participate in their year-long culinary program in 2022/2023, which gave her free access to a full commercial kitchen for one year.
Hicks has attracted quite a following in Pittsburgh. She’s a preferred vendor for PNC, Chatham University, Carlow University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Hosanna House, which aims to nurture the healthy development of children and families in the region.
This article was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
