Celebrating Women in Business

Arbor Financial is the hub that finances 351 small businesses across Southwest and West Michigan. Of those 351 small businesses, 20 are owned by women! October is National Women’s Small Business Month and to showcase a few of our strong, successful, women-owned businesses, we are sharing some of their stories.

LFG Gaming Bar

Downtown Kalamazoo is home to the spectacular LFG Gaming Bar. Arbor Financial had the honor of working with Amy, owner and creator of LFG Gaming Bar, in assisting her to fund her small business. Now, our team has the pleasure of watching her achieve her dream of bringing fun and nostalgia back to our beautiful downtown.

Amy’s love of video games has been an instrumental part of her life. “I have loved video games for as long as I can remember,” she said. “When I look at this bar and the games in it, I look back fondly on the times my parents would spend with me playing video games and it really made childhood fun and memorable.” Amy concluded with, “I am grateful to be able to bring that feeling to so many people here in Kalamazoo.”

While on vacation with her husband, Amy discovered her passion for entrepreneurship. “We were traveling and stopped into a gaming bar,” said Amy. “From that moment on, I knew that this was something that I wanted to do myself”. With the help of Arbor Financial’s Commercial Banking Team, Amy was able to get the financing needed to make her passion a larger project.

Judith Robbins, Vice President of Commercial Banking, shared her thoughts on Amy and her successful business. “Amy is absolutely fearless. She survived COVID through pure hustling and utilized creative social media tactics to keep LFG Gaming Bar’s name out there. Plus, she partnered with many local businesses to offer giveaways to keep her business buzzing.”
While Amy is achieving her high score in gaming, our business members Amber and Kaysee are filling their books with new clientele one day at a time! Amber and Kaysee are co-owners of the NEW Slate Salon in Portage, Michigan.

Slate Salon

After working together for over 10 years at a local salon, friends, and now business partners, Amber and Kaysee found themselves wanting to attempt their own venture, as the salon they had worked in for so many years was closing its doors. “We had never envisioned ourselves owning our very own salon, but when the day came that our clients needed a place to call home, we felt compelled to do this,” said Amber. Kaysee followed up by noting, “Our clients, old and new, have all said that our salon feels like home. Our space cultivates a peaceful environment and is a place our clients can sit back, relax, and enjoy their appointment.”

Slate Salon was founded in 2020 and has been in operation in its brick-and-mortar location since April 2022. From April to August, Kaysee, Amber, their friends, and their family members have been working tirelessly to get the space up and running. “We have learned so many new skills in our salon through DIY projects. Everything that was upgraded or installed was done by us,” said Kaysee. “I have learned so much about myself throughout this experience, and I now know that I can do anything I set my mind to.”

When asked what their secret to success was, Amber and Kaysee quickly answered by saying, “Never be afraid to ask for help.” When asked to elaborate, Amber said, “We could have easily felt ‘in-over-our-heads’ and overwhelmed, but with the support of Arbor Financial’s Commercial Banking Team, our friends, and our family members, we knew we had the community it required to do this.” Amber finished by saying, “It’s so nice to have members of the Arbor Financial team at our beck and call. Whenever we have a question, we are never hesitant to call Arbor Financial and speak with our lender.”

As we celebrate National Women’s Small Business Month, we are proud to be able to provide the comfort and sense of community our business members are in search of when building their businesses. Arbor Financial would like to extend a heartfelt congratulations to all our business members, women and men alike, in achieving their dreams of business ownership. As we progress through October, our team at Arbor Financial hopes that our members and community members use the month to celebrate the local small business owners and congratulate the women in your towns, cities, and state working hard to share their passions with our communities.