WRITTEN BY CAITLIN M. DEWICKI

In honor of Women's History Month, join us as we highlight five inspiring local Women-Owned Businesses. These women, along with many others, have taken the lead to create successful businesses.

From food and treats to candles and mental health, these women have pursued their passions and are making an impact in their respective industries. Let’s celebrate and support women in business together!

DRENCH

Karen Akouri, a wife, mom, and owner of Drench Dressing, is revolutionizing dressings! When Akouri discovered the various harmful ingredients found in store-bought dressings, she began creating her own for family and friends. Anyone interested in making a switch to healthy eating would be concerned to hear that titanium dioxide, a known carcinogen, is present in some store-bought dressings.

At Drench, only clean and natural ingredients are used, with some organically sourced whenever possible. Akouri uses olive and avocado oils, as well as keeping her products free of gluten, dairy, nuts, eggs, fish, refined sugars, artificial colors, preservatives, and GMOs! Without any refined sugars they use honey and fruit to add a touch of sweetness to some dressings.

All Drench dressings and marinades are proudly made in Michigan and are sold in over 1,000 stores in the Midwest. You can find a variety of flavors such as Sesame Ginger, Southwest, Vegan Caesar, Citrus Honey, Mediterranean Lemon, Balsamic Fig, as well as new flavors hitting the market soon!

Educating the community and supporting fellow entrepreneurial women are Karen Akouri’s main goals for her business. Consumers desire confidence that the products they are purchasing, eating, and providing for their families, contain the best natural ingredients unharmful to the body. On every Drench dressing bottle, ingredients are displayed easily for consumers so they can be assured everything is natural.

“I love helping fellow women entrepreneurs.”

Having a community filled with women dedicated to supporting fellow women, allows for collaboration and inspirational improvements to what works best for their business. There is never any hesitation to support these women in accomplishing their professional pursuits.

Akouri recounts how women supporting women has helped Drench grow within Woodward Corner Market, specifically because of Natalie Rubino and Ashley Dewicki, who have encouraged her to apply to Meijer superstores and have launched local vendor events, increasing Drench’s reach to more consumers. Thanks to their support, Drench products will now be available in all 262 Meijer stores!

AVALON

Avalon International Breads, an artisan bakery, was co-founded in 1997 by Detroit residents, Ann Perrault and Jackie Victor. They started this business, in the Cass Corridor of Detroit with three strong pillars: Earth, Community, and Employees. With other small businesses and residents exiting the city, along with the belief that Detroit was “closed for business”, Perrault and Victor decided to create a high-quality business as a way to serve the community.

“Even the landlord said that the neighborhood ‘wasn’t ready for windows’ in their windowless storefront. Against his advice, [we] replaced the plywood with bright and cheery windows that welcomed the neighborhood with open arms.”

Avalon proudly serves over half a million customers throughout Southeast Michigan. This has been made possible through scaling their business to now include a bakehouse, three cafes/restaurants, as well as the opportunity to wholesale their line of breads, sweets, and a line of plant-based products to high-quality grocery stores, restaurants, and food services.

Their goal is to continue providing delicious and affordable baked goods in line with “warm and welcoming customer service” which fulfills their mission to “Eat Well. Do Good”.

Since Avalon’s opening, new businesses and residents have moved to Detroit, growing its commercial and residential aspects into a more vibrant destination! Along with this growth, Avalon has helped mentor small Women-Owned businesses such as City Bird and has carried products from Gus & Grey, another women-owned business, as well as featuring products from emerging local bakeries in their cafes.

Partnering with Woodward Corner Market has helped Avalon increase their wholesale aspects. In 2020, they developed a collaborative relationship with the Management and Marketing teams to sell packaged breads and sweets throughout the grocery section, as well as opening their first suburban Detroit location, the Avalon Corner Cafe inside Woodward Corner Market in 2022. This has allowed them to grow and serve more customers in addition to uniting with other local businesses to form lasting relationships.

MOONSUGAR

MoonSugar began during the Pandemic, when Kelly, mother of LolaMoon and Pearl, was searching for an outlet from online schooling and disinfecting groceries. Kelly wanted her daughters to have more inspiration in their daily lives, rather than spending time on social media.

“I want you girls to be the do-ers, not just watch people doing things.”

With an inspiring statement from their mom, LolaMoon and Pearl discovered a cotton candy maker in their basement. They got to work and made candy for their families and friends, while sampling a little themselves!

MoonSugar is cotton candy reinvented, truly gourmet with dye free and organic options. Although sugar is the main ingredient, their candy contains less sugar than most other treats out there!

They have over 24 flavors including Caramel, Champagne, Coconut, and Strawberry & Cream. Their candy can be purchased in a variety of forms such as MoonSugarCones, MiniPaks, and limited edition MoonCake! The fun kid friendly packaging along with being vegan, gluten free, kosher, and chemical free, makes these a great alternative for those with food sensitivities!

The relationship between Kelly and her daughters is the foundation for this business. Their staff consists of mothers who are able to involve their children in the work they do. Kelly states that younger children are often overlooked, but she sees them just as capable as adults.

“MoonSugar is all about bringing together the good things in life: health, happiness, friends, and family.”

MoonSugar gives kids the opportunity to be “do-ers”, learn about money, provide a service to the community, and observe how the right job can bring happiness to many people. They also work to give back to charities, foundations, and animal shelters with their most recent event wrap up with St. Pius’ Annual Hoops For A Cause to benefit Josephine Ford Cancer Center.

I AM A GENIUS

Candace Cox-Wimberley is the owner of I Am A Genius and she is dedicated to promoting “lifestyle wellness”. Candace’s business started in 2017 to fulfill her passion for empowerment, wellness, and education within individuals and communities. One quote from Jackson Brown, Jr. that inspired Candace to pursue her business states that, “The happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”

The best way to describe I Am A Genius is “a gift that keeps on giving”. This is not only a business, but an educational journey to help people care for their mental well-being. When people have the knowledge of how to care for their mental health they not only treat themselves better, but also the people around them, creating a cycle of knowledge, understanding, and happiness.

Candace sells an assortment of high-quality “one-of-a-kind” merchandise ranging from self-help books and journals to their branded apparel. Her book “I Am A Genius: Career Journal” works to help readers set goals, seek resources, boost accountability, and explore career options.

Candace’s second book, “I Am Grateful: 90 Day Guided Gratitude Journal” allows readers the opportunity to express gratitude and positive emotions, while offering a safe space to improve mental health. I Am A Genius also works to incorporate yoga, meditation, and wellness educational workshops throughout various community organizations, corporate facilities, and educational institutions.

I Am A Genius has grown to serve customers globally in over five countries and over nine stores, because of this they have strengthened partnerships and are able to provide more wellness workshops to the community.

Cox-Wimberley states, “It has always been my intention to build a business that creates an emboldened sense of individual empowerment, especially for women”.

The growth of this business wouldn’t be possible without the support and contributions of thousands of women around the globe. Whether it be buying career journals, gratitude journals, or apparel, women have collaborated in the sharing of resources in order to improve safe spaces for all women to feel more empowered. Woodward Corner Market has also helped promote I Am A Genius in order for more customers to take charge of their own mental health.

“So many women have paved the way before me as entrepreneurs, and I consider it my responsibility to continue to pave the way, give back, and be who I needed when I was younger or when I first started a business.”

I Am A Genius provides mentorship with their 501c3, She’s A Genius, which supports young ladies with wellness, goal setting, building healthy self-esteem, exposure to careers in the arts, and the development of entrepreneurship skill sets.

BLOSSOM BRIGHT CANDLE CO.

Co-founders, Jonnaé Bryant and Raven Livingston, began Blossom Bright Candle Co. in 2018. At this time, most candles on the market were toxic when burned, releasing carcinogens into the air from their paraffin ingredient. They started Blossom Bright to raise awareness of toxin-free soy candles, while maintaining health-conscious living, community service, and mentorship. Fostering the connection between the mind, body, and soul can lead to overall health, wellness, and success! The owners of Blossom Bright are dedicated to providing this growth through aromatherapy.

“It’s our pleasure to provide candles that are handcrafted to help others relax, maintain balance, and blossom in all areas of life.”

Blossom Bright provides a wide range of toxin-free, scented premium soy candles. Bryant and Livingston are residents from inner-city communities, where people are more predisposed to toxins in the environment. Creating health-conscious and paraben-free products without sacrificing fragrance quality is their business’ objective.

They made the decision to use soy wax, which is derived from soybeans to create a natural wax along with lead-free cotton wicks and carefully sourced chemical-free oils. Blossom Bright has many scents including the classics: Vanilla, Lavender, and Clean Linen. In addition, they have more unique scents such as Vanilla Chestnut, Smooth Coco, Pineapple & Sage, Champagne Showers, and more!

“Helping others and lifting as we climb” is a significant way to grow any business. Blossom Bright’s beliefs are rooted in serving and mentoring the community. In 2015, Blossom Bright was originally created to write the curriculum for an after-school mentorship program in Detroit.

Since then, they have provided Retail Ready consultations, covering a range of topics to prepare others entering local retail, acquiring store partners, or building relationships within the local retail space and beyond.

Blossom Bright continues to bridge the gap between their love of candles and mentorship. They accomplish this by hosting candle-making sessions and business lessons for students in after-school activities as well as nonprofit organizations.

Blossom Bright has gained support from the community and Woodward Corner Market, helping them achieve their goals as a business. This partnership has allowed them to advance from an E-Commerce business to something people can purchase during their regular grocery shopping. Being able to interact with customers during demo events adds a personal connection that wouldn’t be possible without the support of the market.

“The support we’ve had has truly been amazing, especially from other women and female entrepreneurs. To see that people love something that we created is a blessing.”

Support these women entrepreneurs by checking out their products on your next trip to Woodward Corner Market!