Londie Nichole Price still gets emotional when she thinks about hearing her name called at the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga Power Luncheon back in August.
“I could hardly believe it,” says Price, who was beckoned to the stage for winning the “New Business of the Year” award. “It’s hard to put into words how much that award means to me.”
The Urban League bestows the award to those who have completed its BIPOC Restaurant Accelerator Program — an 8-week online course for new restaurant owners. In January 2022, Price took a leap of faith and opened The Peach Cobbler Factory, a franchised dessert company. And at its annual luncheon, the ULGC honored her for those efforts.
“I’m a first generation entrepreneur, so I didn’t have someone to tell me how to do this,” Price says. “Everything I’ve done up to this point has been trial and error. So that award said, ‘Job well done. We see you. You’re doing it.'”
The truth is, says Price, she has been a Chattanooga entrepreneur for more than 20 years. Since the early days of her career, she has operated Levelz Salon, which was originally located at 301 E. Martin Luther King Boulevard, where The Peach Cobbler Factory is now. When she opened the bakery, Price moved the salon to Brainerd Road, where she continues to take customers.