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Jul 03, 2023

Lauderhill business credited with replacing National Night Out with fishing trip to benefit youth

By Larry Seward Updated on: August 3, 2023 / 7:36 PM / CBS Miami LAUDERHILL - An arts and crafts studio's business model inspired change to a signature community event in Lauderhill. "Nailed It! DIY

By Larry Seward

Updated on: August 3, 2023 / 7:36 PM / CBS Miami

LAUDERHILL - An arts and crafts studio's business model inspired change to a signature community event in Lauderhill.

"Nailed It! DIY Fort Lauderdale" is Yvonne Pubien's impossible dream. It's a home décor franchise she opened with no business background, her retired police officer's earnings and dreams of building careers with tools she knew little about.

"There was no foundation here in Broward County that says a Black woman could own (an) art studio and be successful and so I had nothing else to look at as a reference point," Pubien said.

"I guess the side of me as a police officer and then just as a Black woman, right."

"We go through hard things, right? And we pull through and we push through because we do have that as a reference point. I saw my momma work through things that were a challenge for her having seven kids and I think that was embedded in us."

Just four counties in America have more Black-owned businesses than nearby Miami-Dade, according to U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those businesses generate $2.3 billion in annual sales, receipts and total value of shipments, according to Census and Labor data.

"I call myself the adventurer," Pubien said.

The former Lauderhill police officer retired from the force and sought help from Lauderhill Shines to start a business. The group showed her how to insure, register, certify and win contracts, Pubien said.

Her business opened in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic shut others down for good. More than 700,000 establishments closed in the second quarter of that year alone, according to data published by the Federal Reserve.

Three years later with almost no full-time staff and a strategy focused more on interns from Broward County schools over profits and scale, the studio more than survived. It changed a signature community event.

"They have a mission to bridge the gap between the youth and the police department," Pubien said.

Her studio offers 16-week internships. Those chosen learn the scope of the business, craft skills and entrepreneurship. Most of the crafts for sale in the studio were made by interns.

Those same interns also score invitations to empowerment camps through a non-profit attached to Pubien's business.

Lauderhill police saw enough success to replace National Night Out with a fishing trip led by Pubien's group. Youth will get opportunities to fish with officers and others on August 10th, starting at 7:30 a.m. at 301 Seabreeze Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. The United Way and Florida Power and Light sponsored the event.

"It makes me feel that even though I'm not wearing the (police) uniform I'm still playing a part of the bigger picture and that's all I can aim for," Pubien said.

Larry Seward joined CBS Miami in February 2023. He brings to South Florida more than a decade of experience telling stories.

First published on August 3, 2023 / 9:52 PM

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