Hoping to keep Black businesses in Colorado, entrepreneur grows community hub
DENVER — As an entrepreneur working in Denver, Jevon Taylor noticed that many of his most talented Black peers moved to larger cities because they couldn’t find the support they needed for their businesses to flourish in Colorado.
Wanting to retain talent and create a community of minority business-owners, in 2023 Taylor purchased Green Spaces, a community hub and marketplace that houses 11 businesses and provides support — from workshops to marketing help — to entrepreneurs of color.
“Our storefront at GS has become a sacred space for so many people and I’m grateful for that because it becomes exhausting having to constantly operate in spaces that weren’t created for you and where you’re the only one,” said Breigh Jones, owner of the flower arrangement shop Black and Blossomed at Green Spaces.
A 2020 Lending Tree survey reported that Black-owned businesses in Denver make up just 1.5% out of the 68,359 businesses in the metro area. Atlanta, one of the cities Taylor has seen other Black business-owners move to from Colorado, was rated first by the bank.
The City of Denver does not track minority-owned businesses and there are few organized Black business groups who track entrepreneurship in the community.
Taylor said supporting and shopping at minority-owned businesses, and any small business, keeps dollars local.
“I think it’s important to support your small businesses because, like, these are creatives, you know, keeping a thriving economy for Denver,” Taylor said.
“And these are people’s livelihoods.”
Taylor, who is from Denver, has seen gentrification change neighborhoods such as Five Points. In 2020, he launched a store called False Ego, where he sold eco-friendly clothing, at a storefront in Downtown Denver. At the time, he paid $2,000 monthly to rent the space. Last time Taylor checked, he said the current tenant at the building is paying more than double that amount.
After purchasing the Green Spaces business in 2022, Taylor officially re-opened in 2023 with the new direction of a marketplace for business owners of color to set up shop and thrive even as rents go up.
Vendors at Green Spaces pay anywhere from $1,250-2,000 a month for their booths. Business assistance services are included in the rent fee.
“Without Green Spaces I don’t know if there would be accessible space for us to be here,” Taylor said of minority-owned businesses in Denver.
Photo: Lindsey Ford, Rocky Mountain PBS
Situated in the heart of downtown Denver, right off Walnut Street, the colorful hub includes everything from candles, exotic international foods, and a floral shop.
A separate section of Green Spaces serves as a co-working space open to the public.
“I think a lot of us are getting pushed to the Auroras or, you know, less prominent districts where people don’t go to shop,” Taylor said.
“But people are in this area, they are coming here to, you know, shop for their families or you know go to like different events. And I think we deserve to be in these spaces as well,” he said.
Taylor said one of his primary goals in life is to build community and retain local talent.
“I think in Denver we lose a lot of talent to California, D.C., and Atlanta, and busy bigger markets because the creatives and minority entrepreneurs don’t feel supported. They don’t feel like they have that community support system and we’re looking to build that here,” said Taylor.
To that end, Taylor designed Green Spaces so that it provides vendors with marketing, legal assistance, website revamps, and a variety of other technical support. Taylor said they also provide one-on-one coaching support.
A separate section of Green Spaces serves as a co-working space open to the public.
Photo: Lindsey Ford, Rocky Mountain PBS
Kimberlee Ward, owner of Eternal Balance Candles, has been renting space at Green Spaces since April of 2023. Ward’s shop sells handmade, organic fragrance candles. Renting space at the market costs less than paying for a space in the surrounding area, she said.
After launching her business, Ward said she took advantage of the free product photos for her candles, classes and accounting help through the Space’s programming.
“I also get to connect with a lot of women in business,” Ward said. “I truly believe as long as I am supporting women, and they support me, my business and myself will always thrive and grow.”
The business owner hopes that her candles will help customers focus on mental health wellness.
“I have no fear of sharing my struggles with mental health in hopes that it helps break down the stigma and lets me focus on telling people how important it is to take care of themselves,” Ward said. “It is imperative to support Black/brown small businesses because we provide a lot of value to the community.”
Jones, the owner of Black and Blossomed, said Green Spaces has provided her with community and unconditional support. Black and Blossomed sells handmade floral arrangements and flower installations.
Black and Blossomed is one of the businesses operating out of Green Spaces.
Photo: Lindsey Ford, Rocky Mountain PBS
“It’s been special to have a group of peers and like-minded people to consult with and bounce ideas off of,” Jones said. “We all make each other better.”
Jones pays $1,750 per month for her Black and Blossomed kiosk at Green Spaces. Before Green Spaces, Jones advertised and sold Black and Blossomed services via online and pop-up shops. Having a brick-and-mortar outpost wasn’t a goal for her until Taylor recruited her to bring her shop to Downtown Denver.
Jones tagline for her store is “flowers for the culture” and centers Black people and the Black experiences that she thinks Denver craves.
Taylor said he hopes to expand to multiple locations and eventually build a small business curriculum to distribute to other business markets. Currently, Taylor’s looking to secure sponsorships and host creative events at the venue.
“That’s my favorite part — being able to create a space where people feel seen, valued, and celebrated for who they are,” he said.
Lindsey Ford is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. Lindseyford@rmpbs.org