CITY’S LARGEST BLACK-OWIMED DOWIMTOWIM BUSINESS
INVOLVED IN EORECLOSURE DISPUTE
By John Raye
Winston-Salem’s largest Black-owned down
town business has been locked out of its building
because of a foreclosure dispute. The business,
located at 6th and Trade streets and Liberty and
6th Streets, known as the Trade Street Galleria &
Liberty Commons buildings, are
owned and operated by Tanya Wiley
and her husband Dorrel Brown.
Wiley is a popular Winston-Saiem
businesswoman known for her civic
involvement and advocacy of African
American and minority business
ownership.
The business, which houses
commercial office and retail space
(with 18 tenants), is the largest
Black-owned business in downtown
Winston-Salem. It is also the largest
Black-female headed business in the city. The
shutdown came when the mortgage holder.
Mechanics & Farmers bank, began foreclosure
action last year.
The strained relationship between the two
Black firms began when a major tenant in Wiley’s
building moved out. The departure of that tenant,
the Department of Social Services, left a hole in
excess of $14,000 per month that Wiley-Brown
and their team said they were unable to fill
immediately. According to Wiiey three other small
er tenants were forced to move as a result of
budget cuts and financial hardship, resulting in an
additional income loss bringing the total loss to
more than $17,000 per month. Wiley said this
Continued on Page IS
THE SECRET MOVIE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIEE
I finally saw “The Secret”, the much acclaimed movie
that’s causing so much buzz around the nation these days.
First, a Winston-Salem woman, Larzella Patterson told me
about it. A brother in the Washington, D.C. area, Deacon
Felix McKay told me about it. Next, a Greensboro man,
Nate Harriston also told me about it, but again, I took no
action. I received an e-mail about it from Constance, the
beautiful and brilliant sister who owns the Honey Bee
health food store in Greensboro, but I got distracted and
missed the opportunity to see it.
The opportunity presented itself again when brother
Rodney, a young barber in Little Rock, Ark., was talking
about it. With great passion and enthusiasm, he told me
how this nearly two-hour movie had changed his life. Still,
I never found or took the time to see the movie. What
finally moved me to action was the input and influence of
a young A & T graduate student, Yusuf Pogue, who sent
the entire movie to me, via e-mail.
In between this action, several other good friends
either called, or urgently told me to sit down and watch see
it. Another young sister said, “this is what you have been
Continued on Page 7
John Raye
GREENSBORO TO HOST WATCHFIL DISCOVERING
NETWORK’S 12TH ANNIAL |\iu DIMENSIONS
BISINESS EXPO uiMti\siui\s
INSIDE...
The Watchful Network’s Business
Expo is an annual event held each year
during the month of February in celebra
tion of Black History Month. The event
will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum
- Special Events Center on Wednesday
February 28th from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30
p.m. This is the organization’s major
event of the year where small business
owners and entrepreneurs come out to
showcase their products and services to
the consumer. The Expo has been a
tremendous success, so please come
out and participate in this historic event,”
said President and Founder, Tyrone
Smith.
The Watchful Network, Inc. was founded in 1994 through the determi
nation of a group of professionals to build an alliance amongst black busi
ness owners and the community through networking. It is estimated
that African Americans now earn in excess of 650 billion dollars annually, yet
we only spend seven percent of our income with black business owners; ninety-
three percent is spent elsewhere.
Continued on Page 8
“And Justice for AM”
Letter from
the Birmingham
Jaii
Raising the
Minimum Wage:
Help or Hindrance
You Must
Focus
Founder Tyrone Smith
Contillus Archie-Myers
By: Tammy Bankhead
WCP Communications®
There is a new upscale salon in
town, designed with you in mind. Nu
Dimensions Hair Studio will celebrate
their third anniversary in January 2007.
You have not had the ultimate experi
ence in being pampered and healthy
hair care if you have not been to Nu
Dimensions.
Continued on Page 39
A Decade of Fighting
Old Battles in the
New South 22
State of the
Church 27
New Passport Ruies
for Traveiers Beginning
this Month