Skip to main content

jsmith's blog

An Interview with K of Taperz Barber Shop

By Jill Smith

Please meet Cainan Davenport, otherwise known as K the Barber. He and his friend Michael Linwood own Taperz, a family-oriented barber shop located almost on the corner of College Avenue and Richmond Street in Appleton. K had some free time, which is rare fpr such a busy man, and gave me a few minutes so I could ask him about his thriving business and about how he uses his business to serve our community.

How long have you and your friend, Wood, owned Taperz barbershop? What kind of services do you offer there?

We’ve been in business for a little over three years. Basically, we cut all races, ethnicity, and genders. We have created a comfortable “old school” environment where our customers can come to talk, laugh and get a great haircut.

We are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10-6. Our busiest time of day is every day, all day. Every time we are in the shop, we are pretty much busy.

You not only run a successful business but you use your space to invite neighbors to the shop on Sunday afternoons to discuss issues and just be together. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

Sponsor Spotlight: Waqsecewan Indigenous Catering

Lizette Bailey, of Waqsecewan Indigenous Catering, will cook you anything you want, and you will absolutely love it. Her specialty is Pre-contact Indigenous food, the foods that Native Americans prepared before everyone came over to North America. She states, “I serve vegans, vegetarians and anyone with any type of allergy.  I make any kind of food.  Italian, Asian, Pub Grub…you name it.”

Wāqsecewan (pronounced: Watah-Chee-Win) means: “Flows Bright” or “Bright Flowing Water.” A more specific description is, “How the light is so sparkly on top of flowing water.” She is Turtle Clan of the Menominee.

Wāqsecewan (Lizette) wants to reopen her catering business.  She wants to do it safely, by serving smaller parties in a socially distanced manner. She says, “I love it when I cater an event and when I share a story about the food that was prepared. When people are eating, there is a smile. It is so important.”

Wāqsecewan can be reached either by phone or email:  715-851-9501 • waqsecewancooks@gmail.com. Give her a call. Miigwech!

—Jill Smith

Read her story (and a recipe) in her own words below.

Sponsor Spotlight: Eye Photograph, LLC

Mark Ferrell Eye Photograph LLC 800 S Lawe St Appleton 54915 9208513374Mark Ferrell is a man of many hats. After college, he served in the Navy. He traveled with rock-and-roll bands and set up stage lighting. He worked for the Democratic party during the Obama administration. He was a photographic technician in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Now he has made Appleton, Wisconsin, his home.

Mark’s photography studio is in The Draw along the Fox River on Lawe Street, where a variery of artists, artisans and creative professionals work and collaborate. He mentions, “It’s a pretty cool place. We used to have events, concerts and recitals. Lawrence University Jazz students were given carte blanche to show up on a Friday evening and perform in the gallery during our Friday Happy Hour. Covid knocked all that out. We have to build that back better.”

He says that he was always drawn to photography. “It was my yoga when I was in high school and when I started selling my prints, it has been my journey since that time.”

Sponsor Spotlight: The Cozzy Corner

The Cozzy Corner 2021 Yearbook AdInterview with Phillip Bennett: Co-owner of The Cozzy Corner

ESTHER wishes to recognize Phillip Bennett and his wife, Heidi, proprietors of The Cozzy Corner, a soul food restaurant in downtown Appleton. 

Phillip and Heidi purchased The Cozzy Corner about a year ago from their friend Tasha. It is one of many businesses that they own and manage. They also own a clothing store in the Fox River Mall, a barber shop and multiple properties in Appleton.

Phillip has a long and accomplished history in the Fox Valley. After his early release from prison in 2008, he moved to Appleton, obtained a machining degree from Fox Valley Technical College and began work at Neenah Foundry. During his ten years of employment there,  Phillip was promoted to supervisor, making him the first Black man hired as a supervisor at the foundry.  

Sponsor Spotlight: Fox Cities Errands and More LLC

By Jill Smith

Fox Cities Errands and Property ManagementAlvin and Amanda Brown are the husband-and-wife proprietors of Fox Cities Errands and More LLC, a local business serving homeowners of the Fox Valley. Together, Alvin and Amanda help people maintain their homes by offering gutter cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, errands, and a variety of other services.

Their business, which was established in 2018, was created because of a need that Amanda realized when she worked in an assisted-living facility. She heard many stories from residents who were no longer able to live in their homes because they could no longer get themselves to the store or keep up with the house maintenance.

Amanda says that Alvin does all the talking and all the labor. He says, “Our business is going awesome. We never felt the hit during the start of the pandemic like other companies [did]. Amanda saw the need. She told me that maybe we can help these people stay in their homes. This is how the business started. After that, we noticed that people needed other things done, so we expanded.”

Syndicate content