small business
Google, partners to give Nest cameras to AAPI small businesses to boost security
Google has partnered with the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE) and the Asian American Federation (AAF) to provide Nest cameras to AAPI-owned small businesses, helping improve their safety amid increasing burglaries and vandalism across the country.
The initiative, dubbed the AAPISTRONG Nest Cam Kit, will give out kits that include three indoor Nest cameras, a 12-month subscription to Nest Aware and professional installation services. A pilot program that included more than 20 businesses in New York found success in better reporting to law enforcement.
Indian woman-owned brand accuses Trader Joe’s of selling ‘knockoff’ of their bestselling achaar
- Chitra Agrawal, owner of Indian condiments brand Brooklyn Delhi, has accused grocery chain Trader Joe’s of selling a knockoff version of “Roasted Garlic Achaar,” her brand’s best-selling item.
- A Trader Joe’s representative reportedly initiated a discussion with Brooklyn Delhi about selling their products last year but talks eventually fizzled out.
- Agrawal’s customers notified her on social media months later that Trader Joe’s had released an item similar to hers called “Indian Style Garlic Achaar Sauce.”
- In addition to the two products sharing similar packaging, Agrawal argued that Trader Joe’s use of the word “achaar” makes it a blatant copy since large Indian pickle brands do not call their products “achaar.”
- The issue resurfaced recently after TikTok user Pragadish Kalaivanan urged his followers in a viral post to tell Trader Joe’s that stealing from a small business is wrong and “has to stop.”
A New York-based entrepreneur is accusing Trader Joe’s of copying her brand’s bestselling Indian condiment.
Chitra Agrawal, 42, has been selling Indian condiments under her brand Brooklyn Delhi since 2014. Her company reportedly introduced roasted garlic achaar to the U.S. market.
San Diego native Mar Velicaria puts a crown on Filipino American culture with their viral Reyna headpiece
- Mar Velicaria is a small business owner and social media influencer that recently went viral for their minimalist and modern Philippine accessories.
- The inspiration for their business, Marharlika, began with the idea of combining traditional and modern aspects of Filipino culture.
- “By creating Marharlika, it really helped give an idea that the popular accessories you see can be combined with heritage, which connect them to their families, culture, and histories. That is incredibly empowering,” Velicaria shared.
- When asked about what advice they would give to those who looked up to them, Velicaria emphasized the need for “[taking] it one step at a time and [going] at your pace.”
Filipino American small business owner Mar Velicaria sat down with NextShark to talk about what their identity and online platform mean to them.
In February, Velicaria went viral on TikTok for their minimalist and modern Philippine accessories, garnering more than 1 million views on their most popular TikTok video.
Korean American store owner, 61, shoved to the ground in LA after confronting man about unpaid groceries
- Gi-ryung Chang, the 61-year-old grocery store owner of G & J Market in Los Angeles, was shoved to the ground by a man she confronted about unpaid groceries on Sunday.
- In surveillance footage posted to Instagram by Chang’s son, the man appears to speak to Chang before pushing her to the ground next to his Hyundai Sonata.
- Chang is currently bruised and limping, according to her son.
- While her family has reported the incident to the police, there are no updates regarding the whereabouts of the man as of this writing.
Gi-ryung Chang, the owner of grocery store G & J Market in Los Angeles, was shoved to the ground by a man after she confronted him about his unpaid groceries.
In surveillance footage posted to Instagram by Chang’s son Ducky, a bald, Black man with glasses can be seen speaking to another customer at the store’s register at around 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Small business owner shuts down her store in Chicago after $30,000 burglary and anti-Asian ‘harassment’
- A small business in Chicago is permanently closing after falling victim to a recent burglary and enduring constant harassment.
- On March 19, an unidentified burglar stole more than $30,000 of merchandise from the store, Jessica’s Boutique, including designer sunglasses and clothes.
- The store owner, Jessica Nguyen, said that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she had been receiving “a lot of harassment” despite the shop being located in a “very good area.”
- Nguyen is now hoping to sell all the store’s products by the end of the year and renovate the space into something different.
A small business owner in Chicago has made the decision to permanently close her shop after a recent burglary and constant harassment.
Jessica Nguyen, the owner of Jessica’s Boutique, located in Chicago’s West Beverly neighborhood, recently fell victim to a robbery that caused her to lose over $30,000.
Judge dismisses charges against Las Vegas man accused of racist assault on boba tea shop owner
- Anthony Joseph Dishari was accused of yelling anti-Asian slurs and attacking a boba tea shop owner last month.
- A Las Vegas Justice Court judge dismissed his charges on Tuesday as prosecutors deemed that Dishari had “a legitimate self-defense claim.”
A Las Vegas man accused of yelling anti-Asian slurs and attacking a boba tea shop owner is officially free after a judge dismissed his charges on Tuesday.
Anthony Joseph Dishari, 36, was reported to have entered Cloud Tea near Buffalo and Flamingo Roads in January after getting involved in a separate fight at a nearby bar.
Elderly Korean man beaten inside his Brooklyn deli by customer who refused to pay
- Ki Tae Lee, a 66-year-old Korean Deli owner from Flatbush, Brooklyn, was attacked in his store by a customer who refused to pay.
- While no arrests have been made, the incident is being investigated as a felony assault and has yet to be confirmed as an anti-Asian hate crime.
A 66-year-old Korean Deli owner from Flatbush, Brooklyn, was beaten inside his store by a customer who refused to pay on Saturday morning.
The attack on the owner, Ki Tae Lee, was caught on surveillance camera and is currently being investigated as a possible anti-Asian hate crime.
Anti-maskers harass Chinese restaurant workers over Maryland mask mandate
- A viral video shows two anti-maskers harassing employees at a kosher Chinese restaurant in Maryland.
- After being told to put masks on before eating, the woman in the video is heard saying, “It’s not a law, it’s not a law, segregation was legal, Jim Crow law was legal, the Holocaust was legal.”
- Restaurant owner Ami Schreiber commends his employees for the way they handled the situation and is thankful for the community support.
A video shared on social media shows two anti-mask customers harassing employees at a kosher Chinese restaurant in Maryland on Sunday after they refused to put their face masks on.
When the two customers were told by staff at Holy Chow! in Silver Spring that it is the law to put on face masks while eating, the woman in the video can be heard saying to an employee: “It’s not a law, it’s not a law, segregation was legal, Jim Crow law was legal, the Holocaust was legal.”
Man charged with hate crimes for unprovoked attack on Asian boba tea shop owner in Las Vegas
- The victim, who owns Cloud Tea near Buffalo and Flamingo Roads, was working when the suspect allegedly entered and began yelling anti-Asian slurs.
- The suspect, identified as Anthony Joseph Dishari, allegedly physically attacked the victim and left him unconscious with serious injuries.
- Dishari is facing multiple charges with hate crime enhancements.
An Asian business owner in Las Vegas reportedly wound up in a hospital bed with no recollection of prior events after falling victim to an unprovoked attack in his shop last week.
The victim was working at the back of Cloud Tea near Buffalo and Flamingo Roads when the suspect allegedly entered the business yelling anti-Asian slurs.
Oakland Chinatown businesses switch to credit cards to curb attacks on Asians
- Oakland Chinatown businesses have switched from enforcing a cash-only policy to accepting credit and debit card transactions due to the surge of anti-Asian attacks on the elderly.
- The move could help prevent stores from being robbed, according to Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce President Carl Chan.
Businesses in Oakland’s Chinatown have switched from enforcing a cash-only policy to accepting credit and debit card transactions to prevent the number of anti-Asian attacks from rising in the city.
Speaking to KPIX 5, Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce President Carl Chan said that convincing stores to convert has been a decade-long project for him, but he understands why it took them this long to finally go from cash-only to card-only.
‘Equivalent to the n-word’: Woman kicked out of Richmond store for using Cantonese slang term
- An Asian woman was asked to leave a store in Richmond, Canada, for allegedly using a Cantonese term to describe a white person as a “ghost man” or “foreign devil.”
- According to the store’s staff, “gweilo” is a term “equivalent to the n-word.”
- The woman has reportedly been banned from the store following the incident — a claim the store refuted in a statement on Monday.
An Asian woman was asked to leave a store in Richmond, Canada, after she allegedly used a Cantonese term to describe a white person as a “ghost man” or “foreign devil.”
Eugene Ho was accompanying his girlfriend’s mother to a Shaw store in Richmond Centre shopping mall in November 2021 when the incident occurred, according to Richmond News. Ho wrote about their experience at the store in a Facebook post last month.
Bachan’s founder talks his 6-year journey getting his Japanese bbq sauce onto over 3,000 stores’ shelves
- Japanese American entrepreneur Justin Gill of Bachan’s shares his six-year journey towards creating the hit Japanese BBQ sauce while staying true to his origins and heritage.
- The brand, which means “Grandmother” in Japanese, pays homage to the obstacles his family has overcome as Asian Americans.
- With three main flavors, Bachan’s has made its way into 3,000 stores across the U.S., including Costco and Whole Foods.
Justin Gill, the founder and CEO of Bachan’s, has always had a spirit of entrepreneurship. Before launching his successful brand of barbeque sauce, he dreamed up a multitude of business ideas. His greatest supporter was his grandmother.
“I talked about all my entrepreneurial ideas with her, and she would help make little prototypes with me, and help make business plans. She always supported that,” Gill said in a conversation with NextShark.
