At the end of 2013, three entrepreneurs opened Manifesta. The entrepreneurs, Lindsay Barnhardt, K.C. Lutes, and Mireya Albarra, knew that they wanted to open a hair salon, but they also wanted to serve the community. They opened Manifesta, which is a hair salon with a community purpose and focus. They offer an array of services for the community including providing their space for rent to small business owners with retail popup spaces, event spaces, and a gathering place for events focused on community wellness.
“There was so much to do during the loan application process,” Lindsay said. “Once we opened we were thankful that we went through all of the steps, it set us up for success.”
With their Main Street Launch loan Manifesta renovated their space at 831 Broadway, in Oakland. They were frugal during the startup process and ended up with more working capital than they anticipated. The founders also used funds for a marketing campaign and a thank you event for the people that helped with their opening.
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