Evanston business incubator seeks to open doors for Black entrepreneurs
By: Melissa Renee Perry
WBEZChicago
In 2018, cousins Jacqui White and Tosha Wilson had an idea to open a laundromat-meets-cafe business in Evanston’s historically Black fifth ward. They would name it The Laundry Cafe, TLC for short.
White and Wilson envisioned TLC as a gathering place where Evanston residents could socialize and enjoy a cup of coffee, all while doing a load of laundry. Their business would bring a unique twist on an essential chore, set in a space that would encourage community.
Despite both working full-time in law enforcement, White and Wilson were committed to getting their idea off the ground. Unfortunately, the pair hit multiple roadblocks when it came to receiving funding, prompting Wilson to organize a crowdfunding campaign on Facebook for TLC and other Black businesses. While their campaign was warmly received by the community, they still weren’t bringing in enough funds to get The Laundry Cafe off the ground.
“We applied for small business loans, and we weren’t having any luck,” White said. “We were hitting some dead ends with financing.”
Then in 2020, White and Wilson had a meeting with Lori Laser, a woman who was looking into a way to help expand wellness services for underserved residents in the Chicagoland area. She wanted to partner with local leaders and aspiring Black business owners like White and Wilson.
“We all just sat together, bouncing off ideas, figuring out how she could help us and surround us with other Black businesses,” White recalled. “In that, we came up with the Aux.”