Do you know what’s baffling? Racism. When I was 11, my mom’s frenemy came for lunch. At some point, she made some awful little racist joke that she shouted the ‘punchline’ to with odious glee. I can still remember the joke, though I won’t share it here for obvious reasons.
It was my first time hearing a racist joke. I burst into tears and fled from the table. I didn’t get why it was funny. I didn’t get why she would laugh. I didn’t even get why she would say it. As an adult, I still don’t get it.
And so, writing about south Florida’s first black-owned gas station, I am proud of these women, Lashawn Flowers and her daughter, Shanita Vickers. I’m also baffled that it is 2020 and Florida has never had any black people own a gas station before. (1)
Hollywood (Florida’s) First Black-Owned Gas Station
Lashawn Flowers, 51, has worked with her 35-year-old daughter for a long time. “I really value having a family-owned business because family is who you can trust,” says Flowers. “My daughter, Shanita, is a wonderful mom of two beautiful children and also a phenomenal entrepreneur who is awesome to work with. We work well together because we understand each other.” Every time they’ve gone into business, they are 50/50 partners.
Their first business was Girlz Collectionz, a hair and nail boutique. Then, they opened Groove City Bar & Lounge. Unfortunately, the nightclub was forced to close as a result of COVID-19. Now, they’ve got the Shell gas station. Flowers is quick to elaborate: “We actually purchased two Shell gas stations,” she says. “We were able to negotiate a two-for-one deal.” The second location is in West Palm Beach, Florida, and will not open until next year. (1, 2)
The Joy Of Black-Owned Business
“Big congrats to Lashawn Flowers and her sister [sic] who are now the proud owners of their first Shell Gas Station located in Broward County FL 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾,” says a tweet from Black Power Moves (@blkpowermoves). “Now this is BLACK POWER MOVES!!!”
And while they’re wrong about the relationship between the two women, they’re right about black power moves. (2)
7-11
In Arlington, Alyson Rae Lawson owns a 7-11. She found out about McBride Sisters Wine, which is the first wine company to be owned by black sisters. Robin McBride says that Lawson “brought in 10 cases of Black Girl Magic and they sold out the first day. The next day, they brought in 30 cases and they sold out that day. Then 70 cases and it’s sold out immediately. She said I can’t even keep these in stock.”
“It started with the Black Girl Magic collection and that sold like crazy. Then once I bought out all of the warehouses in Texas, I said why don’t I get the rest of the McBride’s in stock until I get more Black Girl Magic,” says Lawson. “It’s really about helping each other.” (3)
McBride Sisters Wine
In an interview with Forbes, the sisters were real about the challenges they face. “Women make up a small percentage of the wine industry and women of color even smaller. We are often met with skepticism and automatically dealt a lack of credibility . . . But the proof is in the bottle, we’ve been owners, makers, and innovators for fourteen years!” (4)
