NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Being a small business owner comes with its highs and lows, like being your own boss and chasing your dreams — but there still comes the cost of running it on your own.
Advertising is not cheap for many businesses still trying to survive.
But many of these businesses are finding ways to support one another.
Thomas Kelly is the owner of Creative Soulz Printing in Nashville. He specializes in a lot of different printing solutions such as business cards, banners, flyers, tablecloths and tents.
Kelly said he wanted to use his skills to help local Black businesses in another way.
"I had the idea for the coupon book because I had a co-worker who was selling the little smartcards that the kids had, and I was like, 'Okay, well, we need something like this for Black businesses.'"
Kelly helped create the Nashville Black Business Coupon Book.
"It reminded me of the coupon — the entertainment books that they had back in the day, and I was, you know, hoping to get something bigger like that. But this one being the first one, I'm definitely satisfied with our 75 great Black businesses within our community in this," Kelly said.
The book offers more than $800 in savings for more than 75 Black businesses in Music City.
One of the businesses is Stay Fresh Cleaning Center, a dry cleaning service in North Nashville.
"It’s huge, because up to a certain point, you know, you can only, you know, take care of the in-house as much, and feel you need to reach out and get your name out there," said Alston Thurman.
Thurman and his business partner, Reggie Coopwood, opened their dry cleaning business in 2020.
Being Black business owners, they say they couldn't have started on their own. They credit the Black community and the previous owners for getting them this far.
"It's been Black-owned, but even the industry itself — you know, the first African American to own a patent in the U.S. was for dry cleaning," Thurman said.
The coupon book not only offers discounts but also helps get business in the door.
The coupons are good until July.
