Smashed windows and thousands of dollars in damages: 3 Black business owners detail what it’s been like to reopen their stores after being hit by looters

• In the weeks since George Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, people have been participating in protest marches across the US and the world.
• While most marches have remained peaceful, some have turned violent. In some instances, looting has also broken out.
• Business Insider Today spoke with three Black business owners about what it’s been like to reopen their storefronts after being hit by looters.
• All three described extensive damage, but remain hopeful for recovery and supportive of the wider movement.
• View more episodes of Business Insider Today on Facebook.

Protest marches have been taking place across the US and the world after George Floyd, a Black man, was killed in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25. In some cases, looting has also broken out amid the protests.

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Business Insider Today talked to three Black business owners about damages their businesses suffered. All three described smashed windows and stolen property in late May, but they remain hopeful about reopening and the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Shantae Holmes, a laundromat owner in Minneapolis, said the lootings will cost her at least $50,000 in repairs.

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Holmes’ windows were smashed, her vending and washing machines were broken, and her entire ATM machine was stolen.

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"I still have a service that the community needs," she said of handling the repairs without immediate insurance assistance. She's started a GoFundMe account to cover damages, loss of business, and pay her staff. She said she doesn't mind the protests: "We need justice ... and we need a laundromat."

Source: GoFundMe, Business Insider Today

In Atlanta, Georgia, Wilbourn Sisters Designs, a Black-owned clothing store, was also hit by looters and forced to close.

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Janice Wilbourn, a co-owner of the store, estimates her repairs will cost around $5,000 — but those repairs represent a part of a greater setback. Her store was already struggling as it didn't receive a Small Business Administration (SBA) grant to bolster it throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Wilbourn said the business predominantly relies on tourists.

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"Our lives are more important than all of this material stuff," Wilbourn said, acknowledging that she stands with protesters. "At this time, I don't think the protesters actually did it," she said of her store's looting. "So we're just going to be strong and just continue to rebuild."

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Elsewhere in Atlanta, Stephen Chester tried protecting ATL-Cruzers, his guided tour business, during the protests. He told Business Insider Today that many protesters didn't believe he was the owner of the company.

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His office was broken into in late May. Chester said none of his Segways were stolen, which allowed him to reopen quickly. Even so, business has been slow.

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But, like the other business owners Business Insider Today spoke to, Chester remained hopeful. "Looters are a very small minority of the crowds that were here" in downtown Atlanta, he said. "We have to do our part in continuing the movement."

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