Keep Parable Afloat

About Us:

Parable is a family run, black and LGBTQ owned business. But we are more than just a business, we are a community space and a cultural anchor. We provide culturally affirming products and services, uplifting other local BIPOC & LGBTQ small businesses, provide art at no cost to artists, and allow for amazing events from people like you!

The Problem:

Only 4% of Black-owned businesses survive the start-up stage, even though 20% of Black Americans start businesses.

We’re reaching out to our community because we may no longer be able to run our store without significant support. Closing would have a detrimental impact to us personally, and leave Tacoma with one less cultural space centering BIPOC, Queer and Trans, Disabled communities at a time when we need connection more than ever. We are a family of three all with different jobs for income and children to take care of. We started Parable because of the community's need, not to profit exponentially for our own interests. In fact, all revenue goes towards keeping the lights on and that’s it.

With that said, we are not your typical business starter. We do not come from wealth or begin this work with huge amounts of money. We took out loans and applied for many grants to keep this business running for 2 years. And before that, we grinded at markets and worked day in and day out to run an online store. While we have received amazing love and support from the community in our first two years and have been honored to open our space (for free or small fees) to community members around Tacoma and beyond, business has slowed down significantly and the grind we are on has become unsustainable.

How You Can Help:

We are only three owners, and it’s time to spread the love and not wear ourselves thin while also generating revenue to sustain Parable. We have put our heart and soul into this and thought of many ways to shift course. We know that we can keep this space thriving by putting more love into our events and making our space even better, but the only way to make this happen is by asking our community for support.

We would like to hire two support people: One to do event planning and one additional staff person to keep us afloat. We do not have the funds to hire for the first 6 months, so we are asking for your help! You can:

-Donate to this GoFundMe

-Purchase goods

-Tip Parable on purchases

-Attend events

-Spread the word

Thank you for the love,

Deatria (DeeDee), LaKecia and Le’Ecia