Brookfield Properties is bringing Partner to Empower to an additional 36 shopping centers across the country.
Brookfield Properties has opened applications for the next session of Partner to Empower, a program that provides financial resources and retail expertise to Black and minority business owners looking to open a retail store at one of our properties.
This latest round of Partner to Empower will bring the highly sought-after program to a total of 36 Brookfield Properties shopping centers in our western region, including locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Oregon, Nevada, Nebraska, New Mexico, Washington, and Wyoming.
Launched in 2021, the program aims to bring more diversity to our shopping centers while empowering minority business owners for success. As a result of the program’s previous launches, 44 new stores are open or under construction. Notable new store openings include Balmori Balmori, a home fragrance boutique at Perimeter Mall in Georgia; Heiress Nail Spa, a salon and spa, and Trail Blaze, a retail incubator for youth entrepreneurs, both at First Colony Mall in Texas; Just Beautiful by JB, a colorful accessories brand for girls at Willowbrook in New Jersey; and Garner’s Sweet Dreams, a military veteran-owned bakery at Augusta Mall in Georgia.
“This is my kiosk! This is my official business outside of my house. I am so excited that this went from on paper to here!”
—Alice Garner, Garner’s Sweet Dreams owner
Candy Connections, another one of our Partner to Empower success stories, completed the Partner to Empower program in June 2022 and recently inked its first franchise deal at Park City Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “We cannot wait to grow our franchise portfolio within Brookfield Properties,” Candy Connections co-owner Daneya Jacobs recently told restaurantnews.com. “Our goal is 10 locations by 2025.”
For these and other upcoming retail businesses, Partner to Empower provides crucial funding to build out their mall spaces as well as assistance in determining what type of physical space is right for their business. The program also includes an exclusive four-week retail workshop that provides hands-on education about a variety of retail ownership topics taught by a panel of industry experts.
Dedicated to addressing and breaking down systemic racial barriers that impact minority entrepreneurial success, the retail group of Brookfield Properties has committed $25 million for Partner to Empower through 2025. The upcoming session of Partner to Empower marks its launch nationwide across Brookfield Properties’ portfolio.