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Our Celebration of Black-Owned Businesses – The Inspiration
By Fletcher Word
Sojourner’s Truth Publisher
Several months ago, we
were faced with a plumbing issue in our Uptown office. The
newspaper occupies a very old building with pipes that
probably have not been replaced since the building was first
constructed.
Putting out feelers for
plumbing help, we heard the name R & L Plumbing, a
black-owned firm with whom we were not familiar – but they
came highly recommended.
We placed a call that very
same day and they re-arranged their schedule, stopped by and
examined our very old pipes, gave us an estimate and set to
work.
Extraordinary work at
that!
In hours, after some
cutting, some nip and tuck, on several floors, they had the
problem solved, the water flowing, the sinks unstopped and
normalcy restored. At a cost that was a great deal less than
we anticipated.
We’ve had the same
experience with Quinsey’s Automotive on Jackman whose
honesty over the years has become legendary, gotten great
food at J’Mae’s on Lagrange and enjoyed evenings out at the
Peacock and Our Brothers’ Place.
There are hundreds of
black-owned businesses in the Toledo area that, day in and
day out, provide service – with value – in a variety of
areas. This is only the start of our attempt not only to
celebrate them but also to encourage our readers to
patronize them. That’s how a community becomes successful.
Based on a poll of our
readers that we have been conducting for several months now,
this issue celebrates some of the best African-American
owned businesses in the Toledo area.
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