African American Entrepreneurs

African American Entrepreneurs. , After the Civil War, Manassas was segregated by race in all facets of life. Navigating the restrictions of the law and social customs, local Black residents, many of them newly freed from slavery, established their own businesses. When enslaved, Black workers gained experience in jobs focusing on manual labor. As a result, many black-owned businesses focused on trades such as blacksmithing, barbering, carpentry, and shoemaking. There were also those who had sufficient education to be professional members of the black community including clergy, doctors, lawyers, teachers and dentists., Most of these businesses operated on the southwest side of town, segregated from white-owned establishments that were more centrally located downtown. Some were in store fronts while others, like the Robinson Beauty Shop, operated out of private homes. While these businesses catered to everyone, they concentrated their efforts on sought after services that white-owned businesses could not, or would not, provide to black customers., Black business owners became leaders by serving and employing fellow African Americans and put money back into the community. In addition, they offered customers an opportunity to shop without needing to experience the discrimination that came with patronizing White businesses., [Sidebar:] , Willis Alexander was a well-known businessman in the African American community. As a student at the Manassas Industrial School, Alexander learned the blacksmith and wheelwrighting trades. After graduating in 1912, Alexander opened up his own blacksmith shop on West Center Street. Here he fixed wagon wheels, shod horses and did all manner of repair work. When the automobile replaced the horse-drawn wagon, Alexander was able to adapt to the changing times by adding machine work to his list of services and continued to operate well into the 20th century., [Captions:] , Ad for the Willis Alexander blacksmith shop in the 1951 Town Directory., In this ca. 1940 image, Willis Alexander stands in front of his wheelwright shop on Center Street in downtown Manassas., This wooden box and wheelwright were used by Willis Alexander in his blacksmith shop., Sign from the People's Barbershop. This business largely served the African American community during the mid-20th century. It was located at 126 Center Street. The building was renumbered to 9109 Center Street and still stands today in historic downtown.