Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of exclusive profiles focusing on startup hubs across the Triangle. Check out our comprehensive  Triangle Startup Guide.

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RALEIGH –Mel Wright knew launching a co-working and incubation hub at the start of a pandemic could be risky, but she did it anyways.

Lucky for her, it’s paid off.

Two years after opening The Wright Village, a space that targets Black women entrepreneurs and other marginalized founders, the space is “holding its own.” It’s gaining members and adding to its offerings regularly, she said.

It’s also helping to revitalize this pocket neighborhood in Raleigh’s Southeast district on Hubert Street.

“It takes a village to raise your ‘baby’ business,” she told WRAL TechWire, “and we’re building an ecosystem of Black entrepreneurs and underrepresented communities.”

On Sunday, August 28, the group will be holding a block party to celebrate its second-year anniversary. Shopping, food, and live music will be held outside its premises at 420 Hubert Street from 1-6pm.

“People should come out to support the local business owners, “she added. “It’s not just about us. Without them, there would not be a Village.

Growing need

As the pandemic recedes from view, the number of Black-owned businesses in the U.S. is currently around 30% above pre-pandemic levels. That surge is being driven by Black women like Wright and her fellow “villagers.”

Her space, she said, is serving the needs of this growing market.

Some 56 black-owned co-working spaces exist in the U.S., reported Forbes. That’s a small number when considering that the total amount of co-working spaces across the country is close to 4,000. However, it’s changing slowly.

Black-owned spaces are increasingly popping up around the country, and that can be seen in the Triangle, too.

There are some 20 co-working providers in the Triangle. In addition to The Wright Village, Black Dollar Corp, run by Johnny Hackett, recently opened The Factory, a retail co-working hub in Raleigh’s Glenwood South neighborhood, in April.

“Let’s face it, there aren’t that many places in the Triangle, or anywhere for that matter, where marginalized entrepreneurs can go and work on their craft and feel safe and comfortable at the same time,” said Yasmine Sierra, owner and founder of the Raleigh-based digital marketing firm, Leone Agency, and one of The Wright Village’s early members.

“I chose The Wright Village because it feels at home. I have a community of people standing right beside me at all times now, and we all have a common goal. It makes it so much easier to collaborate.”

“Sometimes you want to be in a space where people can relate to you,” added Wright. “It’s often best coming from someone who’s dealing with it firsthand.”

Mel Wright, owner of The Wright Village.

Mel Wright, founder of the Wright Village, huddled with members.

A personal mission

Wright is no stranger to the hardships of starting your own business.

About four years ago, the army veteran and mother of one opened her own resale clothing store, Beau and Beauty, in Johnston County’s Smithfield. Despite her best efforts, however, it never turned a profit. “It got to the point where I was paying my rent and not paying my mortgage,” she recalled.

She closed shop and returned to school, earning a business degree with a concentration in marketing through North Carolina Central University in Durham.

Shortly after, she started her own tax business and searched for office space. That’s when she first saw an office vacancy on Hubert Street near downtown Raleigh. It inspired her to create a co-working space she called The Wright Village.

She admits she hadn’t even heard of the term “co-working” until she opened. All she knew is that she wanted to help other entrepreneurs along their journey and help them avoid the same mistakes she made.

Incubating versus co-working

These days, she considers it more of an incubator than a co-working space.

The 1,600-square-foot space houses a handful of private office suites, a podcast room, a kitchenette, along with an open-floor workspace. Plans are also in the works for a small storefront out front for mobile vendors.

Beyond space, she also offers regular meetups, networking events, resources, and mentoring. Packages start at around $75 per month. Among its 18 members are a mobile pedicurist and a nurse running her own staffing agency.

“Success for me is being able to see other businesses grow,” she said. “Honestly, I can still be right here, but it doesn’t matter to me. It’s like, I had a part of that; and that makes you feel good.”