Hank's Mini Market is a family-owned business based in Los Angeles. For 20 years, the small mart, located in the Hyde Park area of South L.A., has offered customers a combination of art and food in an effort to inspire and uplift the community. Owner Kelli Jennifer Jackson inherited the business from her father, Hank, who told his daughter, 'Why work for someone when you can work for yourself?'"

"My Dad has also lived in the same community. So, he wanted to invest in the community as a business leader," said Jackson.

She noted that Hank's Mini Market has always been a refuge for everyone that enters its doors — from community gatherings for collective healing and art, to hosting events, to networking with other local businesses and organizations. However, Hank's journey during the coronavirus pandemic has not been easy.

During COVID-19, Hank's had to close its doors and lost significant revenue. There were already challenges before the pandemic, and the coronavirus exacerbated the situation. For Hank's, the BeyGOOD grant came just in time and was an unexpected blessing, said Jackson. The BeyGOOD grant is part of a fund created by singer Beyonce's foundation, BeyGOOD, in partnership with the NAACP to support struggling Black-owned small business owners negatively affected by the pandemic and unrest across the United States.

According to Jackson, the BeyGOOD fund not only gave their family the resources to reopen the store, but also provided an opportunity for them to continue to serve the community.

"I think one of the most challenging things for me has always been funding," said Jackson. "It's been difficult to have the funds to keep up with the changing times and I had a vision to be more relevant to the kind of issues that are going on in the community and how we could be more reflective of the next generation in that sense."