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Palette at Pioneer Place: A Portland storefront offers entrepreneurs of color a space to sell their brands

A Portland storefront offers entrepreneurs of color a space to sell their brands while sharing stories of the people behind the products.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Making the invisible, visible. That is the mission behind the retail store Palette at Pioneer Place Mall in downtown Portland. The store’s motto: “The artistry of entrepreneurship by people of color.”

“My success is when other people succeed,” owner Bobbie Stewart said.

Inside, there are about 30 different brands featured in the store. You can find everything from jewelry and locally made clothes to hot sauce and honey. All of the products are made by entrepreneurs of color.

“Growing a brand and showing your creativity, your expertise, your background and making it an amazing product – that's the story behind the story,” Stewart said.

Palette supports area business owners like Jasmine Tran. She is the creator and CEO behind organic skin care line, Essance.

Tran used to work in a lab that tests beauty products and says she knew there was a better way to do skin care.

“People actually need to move away from conventional beauty care, because it's so toxic,” Tran said.

Becoming part of Palette has helped Tran grow her brand through networking, meeting investors, and even just sharing ideas. It is also helping bring in new clientele.

“When you talk about a storefront, not just any storefront, but having a space available at Pioneer Place, it's like telling people, ‘Hey, that's a big deal,’” she said.

Stewart saw the need for a place like Palette because she has faced numerous barriers in building her own business, feeling like her voice would never be heard.

“And I just felt like that's an ongoing battle that I'm still fighting all the time when I walk into different rooms,” Stewart said. “A lot of times I'm still the only person that looks like me.”

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Businesses owned by women of color grew by 163 percent between 2007 and 2018, according to the 2018 State of Women-Owned Business Report by American Express. While the number of minority owned businesses has grown in recent years data shows people of color still face more hurdles, especially to venture capital investment.

In 2017, there were 6,791 newly funded startups led by at least one female founder, but less than 4 percent of those businesses were led by a Black woman. From 2009 though 2017, startups led by Black women have raised $289 million. That is 0.0006 percent of the $424.7 billion in total tech venture funding, according to the Case Foundation.

“There's programs at a lot of really great organizations, but they're so competitive and they're working hard to give people an upper hand, but it is a very time-consuming ordeal," Stewart said. "And in that journey, people might lose their way.”

The goal at Palette is to give entrepreneurs of color the representation that is lacking in the traditional retail market. Each product line display at Palette is accompanied by a photo and bio of the person of color behind the brand.

“It's providing a safe place to be able to thrive and rise in our businesses and who we are as people,” designer Palani Bearghost said.

Bearghost is the force behind No End of Design, an endogenous and athleisure fashion line also selling products out of Palette.

“I feel like it's building the economy here in Portland for people of color, not just people of color but as an indigenous woman, boosting and breaking poverty cycles,” Bearghost said.

Shoppers are taking notice of this unique approach to retail. Palette started as a pop-up shop in the Lloyd Center more than a year ago. It just opened the space at Pioneer Place about four weeks ago. Stewart is already seeing new and returning customers here at pioneer place.

“It's important to people and they're passionate about having a business in their city that supports people that look like them,” Stewart said.

Stewart hopes to continue to be able to foster a collective where entrepreneurs of color can continue to learn and grow. She plans to start a retirement program soon where business owners at her shop can learn about investing for the future.

Stewart is always looking for more makers and creators to join her Palette family. That includes the LGBTQ community and multi-cultural ownership. The only requirement is that at least 50 percent of the business must be owned by a person of color.

You can find Palette at Pioneer Place in Downtown Portland, located on the first level in suite 1180. For more information on the featured brands check out palette42.com.

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