MUNCIE, Ind. — A new black-owned business is up and running on Willard and Hackley street, providing affordable “fair-priced” food and snacks to the community. But the story behind this convenience store makes it more than just a place you can enjoy your favorite treats.
Where there was once tragedy, now stands a small business giving opportunities to youth in the community.
In July of 2023, there was a mass shotting in the area of South Hackley and Willard St. resulting in many injuries and one death. Owner of P.O.P Shop, Paris, Powell, was a victim of the shooting and still carries this traumatic experience as he runs his new shop.
“I left here traumatized, and I use that word very strongly. Especially for the body of experiences that I’ve had in my life, I still wasn’t traumatized for the fact of fear or anything like that, but traumatized by being powerless to do anything about that particular night,” Powell said.
After returning to his home in Florida, Powell didn’t see much progress in the area where the shooting occurred. Powell then decided to take matters into his own hands.
“That's a big thing in our culture and our community, is that we bury so much pain, and we bury so much trauma that it becomes- we basically become immune to it. And indifferent to it to a fact that we think we can do nothing about it,” said Powell.
The P.O.P Shop’s acronym stands for Purpose Over Profit, and administers this by employing teenagers to work during after-school hours.
Nakita Reed, Powell’s fiancé, has been alongside him through this journey, helping paint the shop and working around the store.
“He started from the bottom. I mean this was a pit where didn’t nobody wanted to hang out anymore. So he turned it into a positive environment for kids to improve themselves, grow,” Nakita said.
Powell had no history in business, so he took a semester of Ball State’s Impact X class to help formulate his shop. Learning more about the intersection of entrepreneurship and community, Powell said he found this class helpful to the structure of his business.
Powell plans to have an official grand opening in the Spring, and pushing towards making a Purpose Over Profit.
Contact Kahmara Munn with comments at Kahmara.munn@bsu.edu.
