l Local Stories

We R Nuts

In 2006, Pearl Omphelius and her son Kody started selling the candied nuts they’d been making forever as a side hustle, selling at farmers’ markets and on show routes while also working full-time jobs and going to school. We R Nuts used the Bills’ playoff run as a marketing opportunity to promote their product and offer deals.

Yoga Me Blac

Taminka Jones has been a practicing yogi for over a decade, receiving her 200-hour RYT and numerous other certifications. In 2018 she turned that passion into a business, starting Yoga Me Blac to open up “access to liberating and conscious yoga practice to people of color”.

What’s Pop-In Gourmet Popcorn

After spending over two decades as a chef, Stefan Coker decided to put his culinary and business skills to work in a slightly different business venture: gourmet popcorn. He did it for many reasons, but starting a business around a product his kids loved was one of the strongest influences. He wanted to show his kids, and the community, that with passion and work ethic you can succeed doing anything.