I have been making note of this phenomenon on this blog. The "Auburn Ave / Edgewood Avenue" entertainment district for young professional Blacks had a "counter-Recessional" expansive growth trend. Even though some of these businesses have not stayed open - the heightened economic energy cannot be missed.
Certain areas in Atlanta have experienced a revitalization over the past several years. The building spree where strip malls were popping up seemingly every day allowed Black business people access to explore their dreams.
Truth be told, however, if they did the same study in the same plot of land for "Asian business owners" their rate would lap Black business ownership rate. This is incontrovertible. In communities - Black and White alike - the Asian small business owner (Chinese, Korean, Indian, Pakistani) operate and expand as if they were a franchise operation. The cookie cutter "nail salon", "dry cleaners", "Chinese Food joint", "hot wing joint" are standard fare in nearly every one of the strip malls that have popped up.
It should also be noted in the story how start-up fees to the government have a suppressive effect as well.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Census Bureau released figures that showed black-owned businesses in metro Atlanta grew 99 percent between 2002 and 2007.
The numbers were taken from the "Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Businesses: 2007," which is compiled every five years, and found metro Atlanta recorded more than 127,000 black-owned businesses in 2007, up from 64,000 in 2002.
That exceeded national figures that showed a 60.5-percent increase for black business ownership over the same period. Georgia had the second-highest number of black-owned businesses among states, trailing only New York, with more than 183,000 black-owned businesses, or 9.6 percent of the national total.
Local leaders said black business people come to Atlanta because of the city's strong black middle class, support among other black entrepreneurs and black colleges and universities.
"There are really a lot of proactive efforts to engage small businesses and entrepreneurship here," said Nancy Flake Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Urban League. "The political climate is supportive."
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