History is being made!
Shanita Vickers (35) and Lashawn Flowers (51) are now the new owners of a black-owned gas station in Hollywood Florida.
According to Black Enterprise:
Lashawn and her daughter, who both grew up in Deerfield Beach, Florida, began their roots in entrepreneurship as the owners of a local hair and nail salon called Girlz Collectionz and later a local bar and nightclub called Groove City Bar & Lounge, which is currently closed because of the pandemic. Having to pivot sparked the idea of purchasing a gas station.
“We actually purchased two Shell gas stations,” says Lashawn. “We were able to negotiate a two-for-one deal.”
She says the process of purchasing two franchises was not hard, but it was a fairly tedious process. After completing a credit application, she had to prove that financially she really did have the capital to complete the purchase. The whole process, however, took just three weeks.
Lashawn says:
“I really value having a family-owned business because family is who you can trust,” she says. “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.”
Their Shell gas station is located at 2501 North University Drive, Hollywood, FL 33034. Make sure you support it if you can!!