WRITTEN BY CAITLIN M. DEWICKI

Woodward Corner Market strives to support the community around them. They achieve this by working alongside local businesses to supply a variety of fresh products at a great value to customers.

In celebration of Black History Month, we are diving into 5 Black-Owned Businesses to showcase the makers, their products, and how they’ve helped the community!

BATH SAVVY

Bath Savvy began in the early 2000s as a way for founder Jan Reaves, to give her daughters, Shannon and Chani, a healthy way to care for their skin. Their attention to detail led to a lineup of products using only natural plant-based ingredients.

Thanks to current owner Shannon Reaves, this Black Woman-Owned Business has grown from a creative kitchen hobby to luxurious self-care products made to nourish and pamper your skin. With no harsh chemicals and the option to add essential oils, their handmade soaps, whipped body butters, oil creams, sugar scrubs, and lip butters, will leave you smelling good and feeling good!

This business is dedicated to teaching others about how important it is to use natural products.

They accomplish this by offering Scent Experiences where customers can create custom scents and products. Through these experiences, they are also able to hold workshops for young students in local communities who are interested in entrepreneurship.

Their efforts in supporting the Black Community shine through employment opportunities, supporting other Black-Owned Businesses, and giving back to the local community, which has in turn allowed them the opportunity to grow and thrive through the community’s loyalty and support.

MR. LESLIE’S CHEESECAKE

Marcus Lesile Sr., a Detroit native, began his baking career when he was young. With a home full of his father’s own baking creations, he soon began making homemade cookies. It wasn’t until later in life that he discovered the recipe for cheesecake and fell in love. Once his own recipe was perfected in 2019, he made it his mission to spread the love and joy of his favorite dessert to others.

With 20 flavors and over 10 years of perfecting his recipes, Mr. Leslie has had a lot of practice providing an amazing cheesecake experience. His flavor catalog consists of unparalleled flavored classics like Original, Key Lime, and Chocolate as well as decadent creations such as Apple Cider Donut, Pink Lemonade, Peach Cobbler, and Lemon Drop Cheesecakes.

Mr. Leslie’s parents always encouraged him to follow his dreams. While he has lived up to their motivation he has also encouraged other young people in the community to do the same.

He has supported mentorship programs within the Black Community as well as sponsorships to programs such as Grit Glam Guts and Alpha Kappa Alpha.

With support from Woodward Corner Market, Mr. Leslie's cheesecake business has helped him reach new customers, bringing a smile to their faces when they try a bite of this dessert.

CRUZ BURGERS

Finding the right meal to fit a family’s food preferences and dietary restrictions can be daunting. Luckily this struggle has been solved, thanks to Cruz Burgers! W.E. and Dominique Da’Cruz founded their business during the pandemic when compromised immune systems, scarcity of food supplies, and outbreaks in food processing plants made them realize that they could help the world address these issues in a healthy way.

Their Cruz Burgers are “old school veggie burgers, with new school flavor”. These burgers are made from mushrooms that are seasoned, cut and bite like meat, juicy like Wagyu beef, and have a range in cook from rare to well done. They also provide Cruz Chop, which is a planet-based chop meat alternative made from cremini mushrooms with a similar taste and texture profile.

With “Cruz” translating to “cross”, these meat alternative burgers allow a place for vegans, vegetarians, and meat lovers to cross paths and experience a food miracle everyone can love!

Cruz Burgers - The Mushroom Angel Company, is a woman-led business whose mission is to support the Black Community as well as provide others with the opportunity to learn and grow in the food industry.

With the support of Woodward Corner Market, they were able to practice and perfect their food demos, transition from self-distribution to a regional distributor, participate in community events, and engage with customers. From all the knowledge they acquired, they are able to build the next generation by providing them with the practical skills needed to navigate the industry and work with entrepreneurs in the Black Community, who one day want to launch their own local or global food brands.

7 SEASONS SPICE

7 Seasons Spice is all about bringing some flavor to unwanted bland meals. Owner, Aloshia, has incorporated health and fitness into her life for the past 12 years. As a personal trainer and gym manager she began to understand that meal prepping doesn’t mean your food has to be boring. Her journey started as she experimented with spices to create more enjoyable meals that weren’t harmful to the body.

Taco Seasoning has been their premier product since 2021, which is created with premium, clean, and fresh quality ingredients without any MSG, artificial colors, or flavors. Whether you are cooking with beef, turkey, chicken, vegetables, chickpeas, or tofu, this seasoning will bring out bold and authentic flavors. This blend is also low in sodium so it is perfect for any chili, nachos, or taco nights! They will also be releasing 3 new flavors this Spring.

Living in a city like Detroit, Aloshia understands how important her business can be to increase mobility, health, fitness, and wellness to people with adverse health conditions. Not only has she brought awareness to the quality of food products, but she has also helped the Black Community by providing food to students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District, shelters, and doctors in low-income areas.

In order to make a shift in the community, she educates and trains others on meal prepping, helps residents of Detroit understand the impact food can have on your body, and discusses how affordable it can be to make healthier lifestyle choices.

“It has always been important to me as a business owner to provide access to healthy food and meal options to individuals who may not have access to them.“

TOUGH SKIN, SOFT HEART

Shannon Cohen is devoted to curating spaces, products, and experiences to nourish the human soul. While speaking at the National Management Association, a senior executive approached her and inquired how she could purchase any books or products Shannon may have. After this interaction, Shannon realized she could monetize her services as products, and so her business began. She founded Tough Skin, Soft Heart in 2016, encouraging emotional intelligence, psychological safety, and equity.

People experience emotional distress throughout their lives regardless of gender, ethnicity, title, geographical location, or their education level. These people walk around wounded without any knowledge on how to ease their pains. Tough Skin, Soft Heart works to be “hope dealers” by providing a strategy on how to activate hope in your life. They create many products including affirmation cards, apparel, journals, postcards, prints, and stickers all with inspirational sayings on them to “disrupt the self-sabotaging internal dialogue”.

In their shop they also have two books called ‘Tough Skin, Soft Heart: A Leadership Guide To Growing Stronger, Better, and Wiser’ and ‘It’s Normal To Shake As You Soar’. These books are filled with inspirational messages, affirmations, wisdom, lessons, and truths designed to keep you in the “SOAR” state of mind to increase mobility and courage.

This business brings to light the importance of caring about others and using their influence to grow the community.

Tough Skin, Soft Heart’s staff is made up of ninety percent Black individuals, which means a great deal to Shannon Cohen. She has been able to create opportunities for emerging young Black girls to receive paid internships, as well as hosting Unstoppable Squad Paid, an apprenticeship for 7th-12th grade girls.

Not only has she been able to uplift the Black Community, but also the customers of Woodward Corner Market. With their location inside the Beaumont Commons, many visitors from the hospital have the opportunity to purchase Shannon Cohen’s products to bring a mentality boost and hope to people who need it the most.

MORE ABOUT THE MARKET

Check out the products from these featured local vendors on your next trip to Woodward Corner Market!

Celebrating Black History Month