"Woman Owned Wednesday" launches in Minneapolis' North Loop
MINNEAPOLIS — Dozens of businesses in downtown's North Loop neighborhood are hoping customers will help them celebrate women.
It's an initiative called Woman Owned Wednesday. On the last Wednesday of each month this summer, woman-owned businesses are getting creative to drum up support. More than 50 boutiques, furniture stores, restaurants and more are taking part.
The owner of Story and Teller organized the project. Supporting women entrepreneurs and makers is part of her business model. Her boutique sells unique home décor made by people around the world, about 80% of which are women.
"As a woman-owned business, I really want to help chip away at the representation gap. Women represent about 42% of business owners in the U.S. but only account for 4.2% of the revenue," said Rachel Cafferty.
She plans to extend her hours for the monthly event, as well as offer free drinks and a gift card giveaway.
"We decided that we wanted to make it a really inclusive event where we invite people to come out for a day wide event and then every business is able to celebrate in their own way," she said.
All the participating businesses can be found on the website. There's an interactive map on the website so visitors can plan out their route. Woman Owned Wednesday ends on the last Wednesday in August.