Houston White is cultivating Minneapolis’ Black middle class. But first he has to move a freezer.
On a recent hot afternoon, the multifaceted entrepreneur—hairstylist/coffee purveyor/fashion designer/real estate developer—was behind his barbershop/coffeeshop in the North Side’s Webber-Camden neighborhood.
White was overdressed for the task, in slim-fitting pants and a polo shirt from his sportswear line. But Dan Anderson, the owner of Dogwood Coffee Co. and White’s partner in their beverage business, the Get Down Coffee, had arrived with a commercial freezer and his teenage son. The idea was to heft the appliance from Anderson’s truck into White’s garage.
White’s businesses have been on a tear—Target sells his coffee and has carried his clothing, which is available at Martin Patrick 3. And his operations are growing. He’s about to replace the garage with an apartment building.
