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Spice Suite Owner Angel Gregorio Talks $1M Property To Open A Strip Mall For Black-Owned Businesses
Feb 14, 2023
On a recent episode of the Sway In The Morning radio show, Angel Gregorio, owner of The Spice Suite, a specialty spice shop and dream incubator, shared her story of how she came to buy a $1M property in order to open a strip mall for black-owned businesses. Her inspiring story is one that celebrates black entrepreneurship and highlights the importance of supporting black-owned businesses.
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Spice Suite Owner Angel Gregorio Talks $1M Property To Open A Strip Mall For Black-Owned Businesses
https://youtu.be/hWAauufNULo
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0:00
Amazing Story sentences you are in for
0:02
right now good friend of mine who goes
0:04
by the name of Bangladesh
0:06
super producer that's right
0:09
um hit me up and says sway you have to
0:11
know this woman she's doing some amazing
0:13
things in the DC area
0:15
you often talk about you got to say
0:18
earlier uh shout out to Baltimore
0:24
you say you often talk about the uh the
0:27
wage Gap in America and and the wealth
0:30
Gap that we see in America under
0:32
disparity for uh black folks in America
0:34
and ownership and proprietorship and
0:37
here's a friend of mines that's doing
0:39
something that could be a microcosm of
0:41
the blueprint of how we could Elevate
0:43
our communities uh financially in a
0:46
collaborative effort and then it just so
0:48
happened that the person he was speaking
0:50
about is the person that Tracy G has
0:52
been telling me about yes for months yes
0:55
like you we gotta get her on the show so
0:59
Tracy can you do the honor oh my gosh
1:01
yes this has been such a priority it's
1:03
just a sway is saying DMV citizens this
1:07
is one of y'all finest examples of black
1:10
Excellence
1:11
um social media Instagram to be exact
1:13
introduce me to this Dynamic force of a
1:17
woman
1:18
um via her culinary movement culinary
1:21
lifestyle
1:22
um product line this spice sweet which I
1:25
thought was just exceptional and so I
1:27
was like okay my curiosity just kept
1:29
growing especially when I saw this one
1:31
was fashion I was like her fashion is as
1:33
flavorful as these spices yeah you start
1:35
biting her style shout out Callaway oh
1:37
my bad I'm sorry
1:39
but as I got to know her and saw the
1:43
many roles that she balances as a mother
1:47
as an activist as an educator clearly as
1:50
a businesswoman as a dream incubator I
1:53
was like okay there's so much more here
1:57
and with this latest Venture that you
1:59
just alluded to sway um black and forth
2:02
it just takes it to a whole different
2:05
level so citizens an angel is amongst us
2:08
literally this is Angel gregario right
2:12
welcome to the show
2:18
this is purposeful she was intentional
2:21
in how she walked up in here today
2:22
everybody should be we've been talking
2:24
about that lately you might be
2:26
intentional when you get dressed in the
2:28
morning you know what you're going to do
2:29
set your intention set your purpose
2:31
don't have step be fly be fresh every
2:34
day every single day how important has
2:37
your fashion been to your movement it's
2:40
just so much of who I am right I think
2:42
my fashion speaks to my ability to take
2:44
risks and not really care what other
2:46
people think and do things that are
2:47
different and kind of break the rules
2:49
and buck the system I've always done
2:51
that in business and life and food and
2:54
so my fashion is really just an outward
2:56
display of my inward Rebel um
2:59
when did you discover like at what stage
3:02
in your life when did you discover that
3:03
inward Rebel it's always been present
3:05
I've never liked rules
3:07
um I I mean I have two brothers serving
3:09
life in prison right so they broke rules
3:11
in a different way and I think for me
3:12
breaking rules came out as the person
3:15
who you know when I went to high school
3:16
there was a dress code and we had this
3:18
winter formal every year and folks had
3:20
to wear dresses and the boys wear suits
3:22
and my first year I showed up in leather
3:24
pants so this is me all right like this
3:26
has always been me and I got in and you
3:28
know we were at the front arguing back
3:30
and forth about why I couldn't come in
3:32
and I'm like I hear you but I'm coming
3:33
like I'm coming in as my full self like
3:36
I can't show up as anybody but me is it
3:38
uh is it some irony
3:40
um in the fact first of all sorry to
3:42
hear about your brothers serving life in
3:45
prison but I'm I'm wondering how did
3:47
that those sentences inform this energy
3:52
my brothers and I were really are really
3:55
close right and so when my brothers were
3:57
taken away
3:59
um it absolutely impacted me but it also
4:01
impacted my trajectory in terms of my
4:03
career I was before being a spice girl I
4:05
was an assistant principal and I wanted
4:07
to be an assistant principal I started
4:08
working at a youth jail because I really
4:10
wanted to be the person that I wish my
4:12
brothers were able to see when they were
4:13
in juvenile prisons like I wanted them
4:15
to see someone that genuinely cared
4:16
about them and it wasn't doing this for
4:18
charity work so I said well let me just
4:20
be the person right like I'm just going
4:21
to be that girl and so I started to go
4:22
into education for that and then life
4:24
happened and I ended up becoming a Spice
4:26
Girl and I knew immediately after
4:28
opening a spice shop that I could not
4:30
let go of this like activist version of
4:32
myself and so I started to invite
4:33
Community into my space via these free
4:35
pop-up shops and hosting Spice Girls so
4:37
it's like I just try to continue to
4:39
bring me along right like even if life
4:42
takes me in a direction it doesn't seem
4:43
recognizable I still try to weave in
4:46
some version of myself that makes this
4:47
feel like this is where I'm supposed to
4:49
be I love it um Angel Gregorio is here
4:53
she's a Spice Girl I don't want y'all to
4:55
think she's a member of a pop you know
4:57
classic pop girl band that's not what
4:59
this is
5:01
no okay all right I just wanna for
5:03
clarity
5:11
right at least yeah okay all right you
5:15
can't name one Spice Girl song but the
5:18
name of your company is the spice sweet
5:20
yeah we have a group of women that we
5:22
call Spice Girl In which is this
5:23
Collective of black women that support
5:25
my business by helping run the shop for
5:27
me when I'm not there and in turn they
5:28
have a regular recurring space to sell
5:30
their products so it's this idea of
5:32
going black and forth or back and forth
5:34
with these black women and started with
5:36
the Spice Girls and now black and forth
5:37
is the name of my strip mall that I own
5:39
in DC come on did you hear that
5:42
it come on congratulations
5:45
wow you know what angels we get to know
5:48
you more we can feel that you could have
5:51
gone in any direction before the spicy
5:53
in my opinion you know what I'm saying
5:55
especially as your background as an
5:56
educator talk about your relationship
5:59
with food
6:00
I think all black people right in
6:03
particular have a very unique
6:04
relationship with food I feel like
6:05
whether you grew up poor or affluent we
6:07
all have a memory connected to some dish
6:09
or some person that made a dish for us
6:11
so I knew that when I started the spice
6:13
Suite while I didn't know what I was
6:14
doing I had no desire to own a Spice
6:16
Shop you know I've told that story
6:17
before me randomly
6:19
um seeing this Philly signing and
6:21
starting the spice Suite kind of on a
6:22
whim I did know that I wanted to make
6:24
sure that this experience was
6:26
quintessentially black like I have a
6:28
stamp on all of my products that says
6:29
Made in DC by a black woman I put you
6:32
know my pancake mix says three in the
6:34
morning the Pancake House which is from
6:35
a popular Go-Go song right from Rare
6:37
Essence so I know that black people have
6:39
this connection to food and I don't ever
6:40
want that to be lost I know we eat out a
6:43
lot which is why on my Instagram you
6:44
know I always put we got food at home
6:45
yeah so I just wanted to I want for this
6:48
experience for food and black people to
6:50
be a bit more of what it was
6:51
historically for us where it was more
6:53
communal and we you know we we look
6:55
forward to sitting down having dinner
6:56
having breakfast together I feel like
6:58
now we move around so much that we don't
7:00
do that so my goal is to make the thing
7:01
the flavor accessible enough that we can
7:04
create the space and time to sit down
7:05
[Music]
7:07
Mike this is amazing and by the way
7:10
you're a great interview yeah I told you
7:12
you came ready Mike she came ready she's
7:15
so fascinated right I mean I'm just
7:17
drinking her all lit right like from the
7:19
glasses the hair the accessories the
7:22
nails the outfit your Cadence how you
7:25
speak it took me a while to kind of get
7:27
to the interview actually just because
7:29
you're just a fascinating person I like
7:30
when people show us who they are
7:32
outwardly right and I think that gets
7:34
lost when people do interviews and media
7:36
and to get make your you make me curious
7:39
about you and I think the brand of you
7:41
sells before the product sells right and
7:44
so if I'm curious enough about you now
7:46
because of your product with that being
7:48
said to kind of go off the base of what
7:49
you've been talking about I'm curious
7:51
about that conversation and dialogue
7:53
because I I asked this black Chef one
7:55
time I was like yo so much of America is
7:59
taking so much of black what we'll call
8:02
social cultural soul food right and is
8:06
commercialized advising it you know and
8:08
making it for themselves and it's
8:09
becoming a trend and he said something
8:11
to me and he said I'm like it's because
8:12
we to what you're saying we look at food
8:15
as an expression of love and Community
8:17
we don't look at it as a commodity yeah
8:19
I'm curious what are your thoughts on
8:21
that in a sense uh keep a community keep
8:24
historic but also look at it as a form
8:26
of commodity for Commerce I don't think
8:28
we've ever made that mindset shift yeah
8:31
so I think that for me because this is a
8:33
business right like I always have to
8:35
look at it as a commodity while I enjoy
8:37
food and how I express myself through
8:39
food and it absolutely is an expression
8:41
of love for me that is how I show folks
8:44
that I love them when they come to my
8:45
house if I cook for you that means I
8:46
really you know I really love it I
8:48
appreciate you like that's a thing for
8:49
us I think for most of us right yeah if
8:51
you cook with somebody that means
8:52
something to you
8:54
um I don't ever want for us to not
8:56
remember that we can monetize things too
8:58
though right I feel like sometimes we
9:00
scared like black people we get scared
9:02
to talk about like how we can make
9:03
something into a business and we can
9:05
monetize it meanwhile folks come up with
9:06
all these ideas and we get mad that we
9:09
didn't think of it we thought of it we
9:10
just didn't dare enough like have the
9:12
audacity enough to turn that thing into
9:14
a business right like I had the audacity
9:16
to turn my random idea of a Spice Shop
9:19
into a physical business that is now
9:20
transformed my life so I think we just
9:22
aren't daring enough and that's for a
9:24
multitude of reasons right like we can
9:26
go all the way back to slavery all the
9:27
things and all the reasons why we don't
9:29
feel confident enough to Dream Out Loud
9:31
in a real way that actualizes that thing
9:34
um or it could be as simple as we're
9:36
just scary and sometimes we dream a lot
9:38
around the wrong people come on and we
9:40
say things around people that are scared
9:42
and so they can't help but be scared for
9:43
us they give you that scared response
9:45
Heather we were talking about we've
9:47
actually had an experience that you're
9:49
speaking to right which one
9:53
sometimes we're scared to really invest
9:57
in our own ideas people scoop us on it
9:59
and then we get mad you get mad I
10:01
literally just had and thank you Angel
10:03
for everything I literally had a
10:05
conversation yesterday on Heather be
10:07
live about folks sitting around and
10:10
waiting on the fear
10:12
I'm waiting on the fear to come you have
10:14
this idea and you just like well I know
10:17
this is gonna happen now when is the bad
10:19
news gonna come when is the other just
10:21
you going to drop when is and it
10:23
paralyzes you and you know what I'm
10:25
sorry I feel like it's because we've
10:27
become so attached to a struggle
10:29
narrative yeah yeah it's like we have to
10:31
struggle so like when things feel easy
10:32
right like when folks interview me and
10:34
they ask you yeah it would have been
10:36
your trouble your challenges in business
10:37
I quickly will shift it out you want to
10:39
say I actually am not here to talk about
10:40
it yeah but not because I want to make
10:42
you think my life and my journey have
10:43
been perfect but that's not gonna
10:44
inspire you yeah like show me somebody
10:46
who's inspired by hearing about your
10:48
struggles yeah that actually doesn't do
10:49
anything so when you were talking about
10:51
the audacity and obviously President
10:53
Obama automatically comes to our head it
10:56
was one of the reasons why I started a
10:58
lip gloss line a vegan lip gloss line
11:00
and that's one of the colors and it's
11:02
red so it's funny that you win that red
11:05
no you got it that's it's gonna be sent
11:07
to you but it was that very thing that
11:09
you're talking about like have the
11:11
audacity how have the audacity to do it
11:14
without these struggle stories always
11:16
attached to it like oh I grew up poor
11:19
blah blah blah no no that's really not
11:22
my story I'm a college graduate I've
11:24
done this I've got a strip like all the
11:27
things and I think we're scared
11:29
sometimes to say it and own it and walk
11:31
in that yeah we're scared of ease we say
11:33
we want it but we're scared of it feel
11:35
uncomfortable yeah I'm gonna open up
11:38
these phone lines and continue this
11:41
conversation
11:42
um Angel Gregorio is here I want to talk
11:46
about black and forth I want to talk
11:48
about the strip mall I want to talk
11:49
about those who the members of um this
11:52
movement
11:53
um
11:55
888-742-3345 if you if you've been
11:57
stagnant and scared to start a business
11:59
or living in fear of all of these things
12:02
this is the perfect person to speak to
12:04
to talk you through it all right
12:08
888-742-3345 we've got an angel in the
12:10
room come on let's shift the energy once
12:14
again just to recap Tracy who we have in
12:16
here listen from the DMC from the DMV
12:19
area this is just one of the Superstar
12:23
entrepreneurs founder of the Spy Suite
12:26
founder of black and fourth new
12:28
commercial space that she owns that not
12:30
only spy Suite that serves as their home
12:32
but also for four other black
12:34
women-owned businesses her name is Angel
12:37
Gregorio I want everyone to follow her
12:40
too let's follow her citizens this is
12:42
one of those moments where you meet
12:44
somebody you may not know you may not
12:45
know their movement but the story is
12:48
um are inspirational and impactful
12:49
follow her on Instagram and Twitter at
12:53
the spice Suite yep yep and it's sweet
12:56
s-u-i-t-e yeah like kind of like the
12:59
rooms I stay at when I'm in a hotel
13:09
why not she owns the strip mall and
13:12
spices
13:15
these women that um who have become
13:18
members of your movement how how is it
13:20
how easy is it to become a member so
13:23
once upon a time it was a lot easier now
13:25
that the spice wheat is grown and our um
13:27
our platform has grown you know on
13:29
social media we we had to put in a
13:31
little bit more of a requirement for
13:32
folks to join our tribe we have not
13:34
added new Spice Girls in a few years
13:35
though like some of these women have
13:37
been with me for about six and a half
13:38
years like they've been alongside me on
13:40
this journey so we will announce when
13:42
we're opening the space to new Spice
13:44
Girls but for right now the tribe is set
13:46
so with the membership what else comes
13:48
with it so they so for the past six
13:50
years I would offer these Spice Girl
13:52
meetups at my house once a month we
13:54
would have these meetups where I would
13:55
invite other black women experts to come
13:57
in and teach us these master classes and
13:58
everything we need to know about
13:59
business I never went to business school
14:01
none of them have gone to business
14:02
school but as an educator I know that
14:04
it's important that we continue to learn
14:05
so I would do that now that I have the
14:07
spice Suite in this new space that's
14:09
much bigger I'm opening that up and that
14:11
platform is now called community
14:13
business schools through a non-profit
14:14
that I own community business school is
14:16
this premise that we have enough genius
14:18
in our communities to grow our community
14:19
so I invite these Community professors
14:21
to come in and teach us everything we
14:23
need to know and it is open for free to
14:25
any black person who's a business owner
14:26
or aspiring business owner and we'll
14:28
offer scholarships so we don't receive
14:30
tips anymore at our store instead of
14:31
leaving a tip we ask that you scan a QR
14:33
code donate and I in turn give all that
14:35
money back out to the community in terms
14:37
of scholarships to remove any barriers
14:39
to business ownership it's amazing
14:42
can you tell us um about a few um just
14:46
success stories that you're happy about
14:48
from people you met through this yeah so
14:50
they've been I mean the Spice Girls are
14:51
probably the ones that are closest to me
14:53
right like I engage with them most often
14:55
we've had Spice Girls who have been
14:57
working in government for years and quit
15:00
their jobs and now have their own space
15:01
and they're no longer with me they have
15:03
their own you know retail spaces now
15:05
because their businesses have grown we
15:06
have Spice Girls Who come to me and tell
15:08
me that they've been able to double the
15:09
revenue that they've made in their
15:10
business that they no longer have to
15:12
work their part-time job anymore that
15:14
they are able to like really sustain
15:17
themselves from their business like what
15:18
started off as like a little side hustle
15:19
now feels like a real thing to them
15:21
because of the education that they've
15:22
been receiving from the meetups and the
15:25
exposure that they've gotten from being
15:26
able to pop up alongside me wow
15:29
great thank you Angel let's say we were
15:33
talking about a school in Rockland
15:35
County right and Nyack to be exact this
15:37
was a high school
15:39
um that got on the fire because
15:41
the Black History Month lunch menu that
15:46
was offered was chicken waffles and
15:48
watermelon so of course the Uproar
15:51
pulled up
15:55
right over there yeah just ridiculous
15:57
like it feels like the obvious not to do
16:00
yeah if you were called in as a
16:03
consultant what would you because it's
16:05
not the first time this happens every
16:07
single February you can see the same
16:09
headlines what would be your ad advice
16:12
to schools that do want to honor Black
16:16
History Month particularly through
16:18
Cuisine yep so I think it's the same you
16:20
know as these big retailers that we have
16:22
these issues with right like these major
16:24
designers and folks who make these
16:26
quote-unquote mistakes where these
16:28
things pass and we're wondering what the
16:29
issue is I think the first step to
16:31
Consulting is to get feedback right so
16:33
the job of the consultant if I were to
16:35
come in to to work with these schools
16:37
isn't to tell them what to do is to ask
16:38
the folks what they want like ask the
16:41
kids like what type of menu will
16:42
represent your culture if I if we were
16:43
serving something that felt like you
16:45
what would that look like and then we
16:46
work with the culinary team to try to
16:48
develop that asking the teachers but
16:49
also looking around to figure out is
16:51
this student body is this like the the
16:54
administration reflective of the culture
16:56
that we're trying to represent because a
16:57
lot of times this stuff passed because
16:58
it's a black school with all white
17:00
teachers and white admin right and so
17:02
nobody at the top was able to look at
17:03
this and even see the issue the same way
17:05
with these rooms that we see with these
17:06
major retailers and we're wondering how
17:08
in the world did you pass this with a
17:10
monkey on your shirt right because
17:11
nobody in the room look like the person
17:13
that that would be called a monkey so we
17:15
got to put the right people in the room
17:16
it can't be a single consultant to
17:18
change this like these are systemic
17:19
issues and it comes from people not
17:21
really seeing or hearing the folks who
17:23
are being impacted or served facts
17:26
here man I feel like I would love to be
17:29
a student when you were teaching I loved
17:32
it so much yes yes we learn them right
17:34
now we're learning right now Patricia's
17:35
on the line from DC Patricia what up
17:37
rise and shine
17:39
peace peace peace and love how's
17:41
everyone doing this morning good good
17:43
peace and love to you
17:45
so I have a question for you Angel
17:47
um I have a nail salon in Chevy Chase
17:49
Maryland and I live in DC and I really
17:52
wanted to be in in the DC area because I
17:55
live like in the Cordova youth Street
17:57
area was it really important for you to
18:00
uh have the location that you have now
18:02
coming from Tacoma Park and going to
18:05
where you are on Channel Street yeah I
18:07
mean I knew I wanted to stay in DC right
18:09
I'm born and raised in DC so this city
18:10
means a lot to me it's also important to
18:13
me the reason why I chose to stay in the
18:15
city was because I wanted to start a
18:17
bigger conversation so this wasn't just
18:19
about me bringing people along and doing
18:20
what I've always done this was really to
18:22
spark a conversation about affordable
18:23
commercial space as you know especially
18:25
in the U Street Corridor if things are
18:27
ridiculously expensive we spend a lot of
18:29
people are not from DC that was a very
18:30
good industry yeah the U Street Corridor
18:32
is just expensive I mean it's like it's
18:34
it's it's very white it's very
18:35
gentrified DC is one of the most
18:37
intensely gentrifying cities in the
18:38
country U Street is the microcosm of
18:40
that like U Street is where you see that
18:41
first that was the city that we saw the
18:43
street that we saw change not first bit
18:45
early but for me the the goal of this
18:48
was bigger than just bringing Spice
18:50
Girls along with me and black women it
18:52
was really to spark a national
18:53
conversation around how around
18:55
affordable commercial space we talk a
18:57
lot about affordable housing and
18:58
everybody knows that there's an issue
19:00
with affordable housing in this country
19:01
but we don't talk about affordable
19:03
retail space like if we know that
19:04
entrepreneurship is this gateway to
19:06
success and Financial Freedom and
19:08
stability and all these things how do we
19:10
get there with a bunch of online
19:10
businesses like folks needed a brick and
19:12
mortar space they need physical
19:14
locations to be able to grow and hire
19:16
staff and you know and scale in a way to
19:19
make sense that provides economic impact
19:21
for generations to come so I'm hoping
19:22
that with me providing physical space at
19:25
a rate that's affordable that I am able
19:26
to be the literally you know that same
19:28
be the change you want to see it's
19:30
cliche but it you know it's really what
19:31
I'm trying to live and embody okay
19:33
Patricia I hope that happens yeah no
19:36
that's good beautiful thing to do
19:38
because I live in the area but I had to
19:39
go to Chevy Chase to find something yeah
19:41
you know what I mean so
19:43
um positive vibrations for you what's
19:44
the name of what's the name of your
19:46
business
19:47
M hotep Nail Spa and Wellness Services M
19:50
Hotel Nail Spa and Wellness Services
19:53
okay and make sure you follow Angel at
19:56
the spice I'm confused what is the name
19:58
of it M Hotel
20:01
like peace M Hotel it's all in peace
20:05
yeah
20:06
um are you following Angel yet
20:09
absolutely there you go all right
20:11
Patricia you're a citizen okay I'm Sway
20:13
in the Morning all right we got uh
20:15
Nicole on the line rise and shine what
20:17
up Nicole what up Nick
20:19
hey hey how y'all doing this morning
20:23
good I just want to say sway I'm just
20:25
super proud of you guys for having angel
20:27
on here angel I just want to shout you
20:29
out we've met several times during uh
20:31
criminal justice work
20:33
um I know you through Tony Lewis are we
20:35
from Matt through Tony Lewis but I just
20:37
want I want you to expand on funding
20:40
that's the problem that I see for a lot
20:42
of black businesses is funding funding
20:45
money to get the space they really don't
20:48
have much to start off with and credit
20:50
um
20:51
so if you could um just you know expand
20:54
on you know what ways for those who are
20:58
listening
20:59
um they can fund their businesses and
21:02
find the money to start their dream yep
21:05
quick question thank you so much too for
21:07
following along the journey and yes Tony
21:08
my brother
21:10
um so I do my community work alongside
21:11
most times Tony's your brother that's
21:13
like my brother that's Tony and I are
21:15
like this like where I go Tony goes
21:18
Junior's my dude oh wow the world is
21:21
smaller and the best way we keep bumping
21:24
into the world is so small yeah
21:26
um so in terms of like finances right
21:29
like for me to get this commercial
21:31
acquisition was a lot um to have to go
21:33
through the process to get um to get the
21:35
money what I will say for folks first is
21:37
make sure that you have the revenue to
21:38
support it get a good accountant make
21:40
sure that you have the actual Revenue to
21:42
sustain a business you can't go out and
21:43
buy a commercial property just because
21:44
it sounds cool right it's like
21:46
purchasing a house it's not much
21:47
different you need to make sure that you
21:49
can afford it but what I will say is I
21:51
have also use my influence and my
21:54
relationships with politicians in DC to
21:56
try and make sure that I'm not the last
21:57
one to buy a commercial property in DC
21:59
so I've worked alongside council member
22:00
Kenya McDuffie and some folks at dimpad
22:03
which is a DC government agency in DC to
22:05
create some legislation which I hope to
22:07
write which is called the commercial
22:08
property acquisition fund so now in DC
22:10
any black person that wants to buy
22:12
commercial property can go through this
22:13
commercial property acquisition fund
22:15
where they'll give you up to 25 percent
22:16
of your down payment for your property
22:19
up to about 700 000 so I know that it
22:22
was a huge barrier right like finances
22:24
can be a huge barrier to entry and
22:26
ownership for commercial property and I
22:28
don't want to be the only black woman in
22:30
DC that owns a strip mall anymore right
22:31
like I want there to be lots of me I
22:33
want this model to be replicated as long
22:35
as you don't call it back and forth like
22:37
do have at it right replicated let's
22:38
have them all over the world but it's
22:40
and you know starting in DC I wanted to
22:42
use my influence and impact to try to
22:44
make sure that there's some legislation
22:45
to back up what I've done so that
22:47
multiple people can do it even if they
22:49
don't have the relationships that I have
22:50
in the city word Nicole are you you're
22:53
obviously you're following angel you
22:55
have your own business too Nicole
22:56
I do I actually have a non-profit
22:59
veterans and virtue where we
23:00
holistically help veterans heal
23:03
um and so we are based out of DC in
23:05
Atlanta but I do a lot of Criminal
23:07
Justice work because our fiscal sponsor
23:09
is the loam which is Topeka
23:13
um and so she works with Tony Lewis so
23:15
we just do a lot of work I do a lot of
23:16
work in the background in the community
23:18
I'm not looking for recognition I just
23:19
I'm out there in the streets really
23:21
popping up here and there so I just a
23:24
very impressive Angel and I'm so proud
23:26
of her and from assistant to another
23:27
keep on Shining thank you so much well
23:30
thank you for your words too Nicole we
23:31
appreciate to your citizens
23:33
God bless everybody God bless you this
23:36
is Black History now yeah you know in
23:40
motion Right In the Flesh absolutely
23:42
Dora's on the line from North Carolina
23:43
Dora welcome to the show what up Dora
23:46
thank you good morning peace and
23:48
blessings to you all
23:50
yes I want to congratulate the queen for
23:53
having the audacity to start her
23:56
business
23:57
I um have taken down some points I'm
24:00
just at all
24:02
all the nation this morning to go ahead
24:04
and do what I have on my art
24:06
currently I have a non-profit it's
24:09
called peace villages
24:11
in the acronym for peace um shade I know
24:13
you know this proper education always
24:16
correct errors uh my
24:21
so I might as well go ahead and correct
24:24
that error but but go ahead thank you
24:27
thank you for that I do apologize
24:30
so basically I just wanted to touch on
24:34
some points that she said and not really
24:36
have any questions but just in agreement
24:39
about telling your dream to people
24:43
because that fear that we have in our
24:45
culture will water your dream down
24:48
um it's almost just like a disease that
24:50
spreads
24:51
I believe it's a culture we have a
24:54
trauma response yeah uh and mental
24:57
health it's called PTSD I call it
25:00
post-traumatic slave disorder
25:03
um and that's a whole nother
25:05
conversation I understand say that again
25:07
post traumatic slave disorder yeah
25:09
Tracy's writing it down that's what I
25:11
call it okay everything goes back
25:13
because if you think we operate as if we
25:16
are traumatized we operate as
25:17
traumatized individuals we do we
25:20
absolutely do we really do we really do
25:22
on every level we really do so I just
25:24
wanted to say I just I I saw an article
25:27
about her strip mall like last week and
25:30
then I'm sitting in my car and I hear
25:32
this and I said okay let me call I don't
25:35
use the radio station that's God telling
25:37
you it's time Dora you got to get rid of
25:39
all of this stuff and then just start
25:41
moving you got your confidence through
25:43
yes yes so my non-profit I've had for
25:46
it's about two years my mission was to
25:49
help children to age out of foster care
25:51
because they don't have a natural
25:52
support network of positive people
25:55
pouring into them but as it went on with
25:59
this housing crisis that you actually
26:01
touched on it's a need for everyone
26:04
Youth and families to try to get it
26:07
together so I'm just creating a network
26:09
of people
26:11
that are going to pour into people that
26:13
need help so I'm actually starting an
26:15
LLC and have a consultant program
26:19
um
26:20
when you're ready we got you here in the
26:23
morning call us up when you all fired up
26:25
and ready to go this is this this is
26:28
that this is this this is that we you
26:30
got your confirmation there you go
26:32
nothing happens by accident on the radio
26:35
it's time all right you will see
26:37
yourself
26:43
my name is sway
26:45
foreign
26:46
[Applause]
26:53
that's important too how you uh your
26:56
presentation your pitch how you
26:58
articulate Angel you do that extremely
27:00
well can you speak to about
27:01
communication like when you're trying to
27:04
get subsidies or you're trying to find
27:05
help how important is the way you
27:08
communicate
27:09
I think what you communicate in the way
27:11
you communicated are essential right
27:13
like but to know how to communicate well
27:15
you have to be clear and not clear and
27:18
like articulate in this way of like you
27:20
know quote-unquote sounding white clear
27:21
and like your thoughts and like your
27:23
vision of what you want right like you
27:24
come into contact with people often that
27:26
could be in position to help you and
27:28
sometimes our thoughts aren't clear
27:29
enough to be able to say that thing that
27:31
we need and that we want to be able to
27:33
get it um and so I try to spend a lot
27:35
more time in like meditation and thought
27:37
around what I want and what I need what
27:39
type of impact I want to make so that
27:40
when it's time to say it out loud it
27:42
comes out exactly how it is in my mind
27:45
um and so I think before we start
27:46
talking about communicating and saying
27:48
the thing we need to spend more time
27:50
focused on the thing and pondering the
27:52
thing and meditating on the thing so
27:54
that it's exact you know it's like
27:56
Crystal Clear like write the vision make
27:57
it plain like it needs to be plain to
27:59
you first so that it's clear to someone
28:01
else I love that
28:04
um and then finally as we begin to wrap
28:06
up uh black and forth is located where
28:09
at 2201 Channing Street Northeast DC say
28:13
that again 2201 Channing Street
28:16
Northeast DC please if you're in that
28:18
area go support that mall that script
28:21
Mall
28:22
um oh and then Mike Muse is going to hit
28:23
you with something
28:27
uh citizens if you haven't please go to
28:30
I'm on your Instagram account right now
28:31
and please go to her Instagram Instagram
28:33
account the spice sweep and take a
28:36
lesson from it The Branding of the
28:38
product is so good it is I've seen so
28:42
many of our of our individuals who black
28:45
owners of products consumer good
28:47
companies the packaging is just
28:49
sometimes not there talk to them and the
28:53
presentation isn't there it doesn't make
28:55
me want to buy it it looks very gimmicky
28:57
the words I'm like what are you even
29:00
saying I don't even understand what's in
29:02
the bottle because they're trying to
29:04
create too much of a statement on the
29:06
label folks her labels are clean thank
29:09
you they're simple the color palette is
29:12
amazing I can see that if I walk into
29:14
the store I would walk out with at least
29:16
10 bottles of things you have things
29:19
like Napa Valley blend you want to be
29:22
like it's just like wait what is that
29:23
that makes me want to grab it maple
29:25
syrup sometimes times we do too many
29:28
esoteric culturally specific things that
29:32
doesn't translate to mass Market she is
29:35
proof based upon the limited information
29:36
I'm seeing on Instagram that you can
29:39
still be cultural but still be Universal
29:41
enough to attract a wide-ranging
29:44
audience and I think that is brilliant
29:46
well said and as I think if audience go
29:48
into that if you have a business
29:49
particular consumer good product go to
29:52
the spice suite and look at how to Brand
29:55
your product and how to do displays your
29:58
displays are sick so much what do you
30:01
get your spices from so I travel the
30:03
world for spices and spice inspiration
30:05
I've been to about 37 countries in the
30:07
past seven years
30:09
she's super stunning on you
30:14
on you sway because you've been here
30:16
bragging about your country
30:22
right okay I'm Kareem now
30:26
okay
30:27
37. I've been to about 37 and so I
30:30
literally traveled the world for spices
30:31
and when I go everybody Cooks right so
30:34
folks always ask like how do you know
30:35
what you're going to look for and how do
30:36
you know what to get when you get there
30:37
I don't like there's not a place that
30:39
you go to where folks don't cook I go
30:41
and I immerse myself as if I'm from that
30:43
space But I also go with a sense of
30:44
curiosity and I find spices that's my I
30:47
get inspired by spices and colors and
30:49
fabrics and all sorts of things and I
30:51
come back and I create recipes and
30:52
there's no formula for my recipe
30:54
creation like I literally think about my
30:56
motto as food is fashion and I think
30:58
about the food and fashion in the same
31:00
way and that you start with like this
31:01
little black dress which is like salt
31:02
right which is kind of quintessential or
31:04
garlic something that most people can
31:05
relate to and then you layer different
31:07
flavors and textures on top of that and
31:09
you accessorize it and you edit like you
31:11
would an outfit until you get it right
31:12
and sometimes it's not right and
31:14
sometimes it's not right yet there's
31:16
some spice recipes that I kind of sit in
31:17
my little journal and I'm like it needs
31:19
something I don't know what's like an
31:21
outfit right you put on this fly outfit
31:22
and you're like I know I want to wear
31:23
but I don't have a shoe yet right so I'm
31:25
aware I'ma wait until I get the right
31:27
shoe and so it's like that where it's
31:29
like I don't have the right paprika I
31:31
don't have the right salt for this and
31:32
you just let it sit
31:34
I feel like Heather should be a a spice
31:37
sweet Ambassador
31:38
oh you are yeah okay I'm not made it
31:41
myself
31:42
and you won congratulations
31:45
okay listen
31:47
it's your intentions to Angel's Point
31:49
yeah and be ready like y'all been saying
31:52
just be ready yeah um before you go I
31:55
have to ask you um how much has uh gogo
31:58
music shaped and mode you into the
32:01
person you are today man I mean I was
32:02
telling you before we started gogo music
32:04
is spiritual like going to the go go is
32:07
like this experience that you can't
32:08
really explain until you go
32:10
um and it is a thing that bonds DC right
32:12
DC is this place that is like most
32:14
places there's lots of violence and all
32:16
these other things going on and it's
32:17
very cliquish right so in DC we don't
32:19
have gangs but we have Crews and folks
32:22
um they form Cruise based on like
32:23
streets and neighborhoods that they're
32:24
from but in the Go-Go it's like all love
32:27
like you can be standing next to folks
32:28
that you've never met from other
32:29
quadrants and the song comes on and
32:31
you're singing together and you're
32:32
dancing together so it is absolutely
32:34
shaped who I am because it is like
32:36
embedded in me this love for my city and
32:39
this thing called GoGo that is very just
32:41
DC and something that is very unique to
32:44
us so this this sense of Pride like this
32:46
is ours it's our thing we know
32:51
and you don't have to say it out loud
32:53
all the time
32:56
shout out to uh Trouble Funk yes
33:00
Backyard Band
33:03
um Chuck Brown yes come on act like I
33:07
don't know I ain't been doing this too
33:09
so have you been to a go go no yeah
33:21
okay cool all right I'm looking forward
33:24
to it okay we gotta go do a broadcast
33:26
out there or something all right Angel
33:28
Gregorio yes
33:30
um it's been an absolute pleasure thank
33:32
you so much to have you here today
33:35
um the spice Suite is where you follow
33:37
her if you're in that DC area please uh
33:39
go support black and fourth
33:41
um it looks like an amazing space when
33:43
we looking at pictures online
33:44
congratulations and you're only in the
33:47
first quarter you know what I mean for
33:50
all that you've accomplished to date uh
33:52
continue this path and we're here for
33:54
you we're supporters thank you so much
33:55
I'm so grateful thank you and then um
33:57
absolutely and then until your friend
34:00
Charisse uh you know
34:07
anything you want to say in closing I
34:10
just want to say like to any aspiring
34:12
business owner my business advice is
34:13
typically to start now and perfect later
34:15
right to your point about labels and
34:16
things my labels aren't always beautiful
34:18
uh my my business didn't always look the
34:21
way it does now but sometimes I think
34:22
that we forget the Perfection is like
34:24
this illusion of progress you're not
34:27
really making progress when you're
34:28
focused on being perfect because it's
34:29
never going to get there so if there's
34:31
something you want to do start it now
34:32
perfect it along the journey always
34:34
reinvest in your business thank you give
34:36
it up for Angel Gregorio
34:40
make sure y'all support her let's take
34:43
them to the DC
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