Black entrepreneurs find growth, gratitude and success in Lake County

Hammer Time is alive and well in Lake County, thanks to Andre Williams.

Williams, an East Bay native who owns a bar in Lakeport and is about to open another, has spent the better part of the last three decades touring with rapper and dancer MC Hammer as a vocalist.

In his “free” time, Williams is a restaurateur. His current joint, Drinx Bar & Grill, is insanely popular with locals and visitors alike, serving up classic bar food and bringing in live music for a relatively hip and younger crowd every weekend. His forthcoming spot, which will be named Andre’s, will cater to a more sophisticated set, hosting live jazz and blues shows later in the evening.

The entrepreneur is one of a handful of Black business owners in the county who have leveraged opportunity and a lower cost of living to find success. This small-but-mighty group reflects a nationwide trend that is seeing an uptick in the number of Black entrepreneurs overall: According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey, the number of Black-owned businesses grew 8% from 2018 to 2019 in all sectors of the economy. The Bureau also noted in 2019, there were an estimated 134,567 Black- or African American-owned businesses with $133.7 billion in annual receipts, 1.3 million employees and about $40.5 billion in annual payroll.

As the nation prepares for Juneteenth, a new federal holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, Williams said he is proud to represent the Black community in Lake County, and he is grateful for the opportunities he’s been given to grow his life away from the spotlight.

“I was one of the only Black entrepreneurs up here for a lot of years,” he said. “It’s nice to see more people getting into the community. It’s nice to support each other.”

Nightlife empresario

Williams, 62, has been in the restaurant business almost as long as he’s been in show business.

He started performing with Hammer in the early 1990s, and opened a burger joint named Burgers Plus on Highway 20 in Clearlake in 1995. Shortly after, he opened a second burger restaurant named Burger Time — an obvious reference to Hammer Time.

From there he grew the empire to include a barbecue restaurant and a rhythm and blues radio station —100.3 FM— located in Clearlake. His on-air persona was named DJ Silk.

The station is still operational even after the DJ hung up his headphones.

The more time he spent on the radio, the more Williams realized there was no place in Clearlake for local bands and other friends to come and play live music. So he set out on his next venture: Building a bar and destination for live music. Fittingly, that place was named Silk’s. It stayed open until 2015, when he moved the business to Lakeport and opened Drinx.

“I just wanted a place for people to hear good music,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Williams’ next venture, another Lakeport joint named Andre’s Lounge, should open at some point later this month. He described it as a piano bar, a place for an “older crowd” with discerning tastes in both music and drinks.

He added that when Hammer comes to visit, the rap legend likely will come and hang in the crowd, not perform.

“He wouldn’t perform in a 200-seater after playing to 20,000,” Williams laughed as he reminisced about some of the shows the two old friends have played together over the years. “Our lives are pretty busy these days but when we’re finally able to get together and sit down and catch up, it’s just great having time with him up here.”

'Never in my wildest dreams’

Other Lake County entrepreneurs in the community of Black business owners have built businesses serving different niches.

Quincy Jackson, for instance, has assembled a real estate empire and pair of cannabis companies.

Jackson’s businesses are in and around Clearlake. In his real estate operation, dubbed Q’s Group, he and a small team buy homes at auction, fix them up, then sell them at a profit — a basic house-flipping routine he’s been building since he started it in 2007.

On the cannabis side, Jackson and his wife own and operate the Triple C Collective dispensary, and they run the Akwaaba Farms processing operation.

For Jackson, this current life is quite a departure from where he grew up — in the Midwest, where his family was poor. The fact that he can live so large in Lake County is one of the things he likes best about being here — that, and the fact that everyone in the community looks out for each other, regardless of background.

“Growing up in a little shack in Covington, Kentucky, I never thought I’d be living on 1,000 acres in California — never in my wildest dreams,” he said. “I keep animals on my land. We hunt on my land. When you add to that there are opportunities to build businesses here, this is a great place to be.”

For Jackson, 43, speaking out about the local Black business community is a priority, since many local people have no idea there are Black business owners in their midst.

“There aren’t many of us, but we exist,” he said. “It’s important to raise awareness of that fact.”

Some are just getting started

While Jackson and Williams are established Lake County entrepreneurs, Rueben DeLoatch is just getting started.

DeLoatch, 58, is the owner and “BBQ Extraordinaire” at Rueb’sQin BBQ, a catering business that specializes in — you guessed it — barbecue. Since July 2021 he’s been cooking up ribs, brisket, chicken, duck and more on 25-gallon steel drums that he lugs from job to job. Currently he does private catering and sells food at fairs and farmer’s markets.

His goal: By this time next year to lock down a brick-and-mortar storefront he can call home.

Cooking for the East Bay native actually is a side hustle — in his day job, he drives school busses and handles janitorial services for the Lakeport Unified School District. He said he gave himself two years take his business to the next level, which means by this time next year, it’s showtime.

“The people I’ve met here — you just don’t find them the big city too much,” he said. “Everyone is open and honest. Everyone is willing to help. Everybody knows each other. They want to see you succeed.”

DeLoatch admitted he hasn’t yet plugged into the local community of Black business owners, and he vowed to do more of it this year. He added that a community of people with similar backgrounds and life experience can be invaluable, especially when life throws unexpected challenges or when things get tough.

“It’s always great to be in a place where you know people will have your back, he said.