Transformation Church Buys Entire Inventory of Black Wall Street Shoe Store

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A double-blessing for a small business owner and a boys home before the holidays

Michael Todd (Left); Venita Cooper (Right)

Published 12/16/2020 | Reading Time 2 min 47 sec 

By Mike Creef, Senior Writer

TULSA, Okla. — It’s no secret that it has been a tough year for small businesses. From mandatory closings to the limited amount of customers allowed in-store, it’s been tough for many to make ends meet. Covid-19 has shuttered 41% of Black businesses across the nation. 

Yet, bright spots still remain. On November 1st, Silhouette Arts and Sneakers celebrated its one-year anniversary since opening doors on the historic Greenwood Avenue dubbed the Black Wall Street.

Making it through year-one for any small business is a major accomplishment; adding a global pandemic in the mix, it’s safe to say that Cooper is one of the lucky ones.

“This is the only world [the business] really that we’ve known,” says business owner Venita Cooper. “We try not to pressure people to come out and shop with us because we know these are hard times.”

Senior Pastor Mike Todd, of Transformation Church, said, “this is a double-blessing because [Venita’s] business got blessed, but then all of these shoes are going to bless other people.” 

The church’s plan is to give the shoes to “a boy’s home to help them be able to have a Christmas they otherwise wouldn’t be able to have.”

Now, these aren’t just any old shoes that nobody wants that are being given to a boys home. These are some of the most coveted shoes amongst many in the sneaker community. 

Shoes that some resell for over $1,000 each. 

Sneakerheads will wake up at 12 AM on launch day just for an opportunity to be entered in a lottery to be able to purchase these shoes. Many will fail because of the number of bots that exist online that scoop up all of the lottery slots.

In a year that has been filled with so much darkness and pain, it’s refreshing to see generosity on this scale.

“This is the biggest Christmas gift I have ever received. It means the world. I’ve never been a recipient of such an incredible act of generosity and kindness,” Cooper said.

We at The Black Wall Street Times have a pretty good feeling that those at the boys’ home will have similar feelings when they open up these Christmas gifts.