Hidden Treasures
Doing business in the inner city is a challenge, but the rewards are worth the effort.
See the Growth of State Enterprise Zones Table to find out which
states are enterprising near you.
Say "inner city," and most people picture crime,
decaying neighborhoods, drug dealers and poor people. Say those
same words to Fred Westbrook Jr., and the Nashville, Tennessee,
entrepreneur thinks pizza and profits.
"One day it just hit me," remembers Westbrook, 50, who
lived in the area and worked as a teacher. "I was going to buy
a pizza and said, `I wonder why nobody has opened a pizza franchise
here.' "
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Here was Jefferson Street--a neighborhood rich in tradition and
enormous contrasts. On one hand, it's the place any
African-American entrepreneur in Nashville thinks about when
deciding to start a business. The area is also home to three
historically black schools--Fisk University, Meharry Medical
College and Tennessee State University.
Jefferson Street is also a place users go to purchase crack
cocaine.
"It's no different from any other major city,"
contends Westbrook. "I think the perception [of Jefferson
Street as a bad area is harsher] than the reality. I can't
remember when there's been an armed robbery here."
Confident he could succeed, Westbrook set out to open a pizza
restaurant in his community.
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