Meet Bobby Boone | Equitable Retail Strategist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bobby Boone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bobby, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
Retail that reaches people! It’s my firm’s mission and the end goal, professionally.

I truly believe that all communities should have equitable access to essential goods and services, such as fresh and prepared foods, clothing, and grooming services. Right now, retail provision is achieved by private development with limited government funding to support it. Imagine a world where it was a federal policy that all could access the goods and services needed and funding tools to make that a reality!

This goal doesn’t center on a specific role or responsibility but an outcome. Hopefully, that’ll leave me some time to open a coffee shop and bar in a beach town. I already have the brands in mind!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
&Access launched to challenge the status quo of retail development in historically disinvested Black and other minority communities. Through previous roles consulting Fortune 500 companies, large-scale developers, and neighborhoods, I recognized that retail development results from systemic equity issues. For example, commercial brokers are incentivized to steer businesses looking for space to high-rent communities (often affluent with substantial investment) to generate higher commissions or payments. Additionally, independent retailers, restaurants, and other neighborhood services are often the first and only businesses that will serve the unmet need. For that reason, &Access provides data-driven, design-centric, and community-focused solutions to municipalities, developers, and non-profit organizations that hope to leverage their tools for increased equitable outcomes. These solutions prioritize independent storefront businesses as the primary tool.

When we first started in 2019, it wasn’t easy to convince many clients that independent retailers mattered. With the economic crisis spurred by COVID-19 and the redirection of corporate and philanthropic dollars to equitable solutions after the murder of George Floyd, &Access was able to secure several large contracts that amplified our work.

We have grown to a national portfolio of projects from Syracuse, NY to San Francisco, CA, and notable clients such as the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth, Uber, Washington DC’s Deputy Mayor of Planning and Economic Development, AIMCO, and Sweet Auburn Works, among others.

Word of mouth has been the most reliable to help build a client list. I’ve learned from new clients that high-quality work, innovative solutions, and friendly personalities matter! So, remain remarkable, my friends!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I feel like you know me too well. One of my favorite hobbies is curating experiences in cities where I lived or worked. As a consultant for retail districts, I have experienced some fabulous places. However, I recently had a beautiful baby girl, so many of my favorite places have closed, and I’ve yet to replace them, given daddy duties.

Let’s imagine it’s summertime in DC, and this is your first time in the city!

Let’s start with Sunday Funday. Once you land, we’re going to drag bottomless brunch. Next, we’ll go to The R&B Club, a book club-styled event for music heads. We’ll then drop your stuff at my place and nap because the champagne takes me out! To end the night, we’ll walk to Union Market for an easy dinner.

We will kick off Monday with a bike ride through the city and stop at some of the best fast casual restaurants launched here (kind of like a food crawl), ending at Bar Charley for happy hour. Afterward, we’ll go. visit friends’ apartments with a rooftop to grill some food and enjoy the scenic DC perspectives.

Okay, it’s time to do real touristy stuff on Tuesday, starting with the National Museum of African-American History and Culture (get your tickets early). We’ll be here until 5p because there is so much to experience. We’ll grab dinner and head back pretty early to rest our legs from standing all day.

On Wednesday, we’ll take it pretty easy during the day. Take the bus to Chinatown to see the Obama Portraits at the Portrait Gallery and then ride to the Kennedy Center for a free show. We will grab dinner in Georgetown and ride the circulator back across town to Allegory, a speakeasy in the Eaton Hotel. We’ll end the night at 18th Street Lounge for Reggae Night. Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes!

Don’t worry we’ll sleep in Thursday morning before heading to the newly renovated Air and Space Museum. Following, we will walk to the Artechouse, an immersive, interactive art experience. We will grab dinner at the Wharf before walking around the monuments by the Tidal Basin at night. They are beautiful when uplit, surrounded by the dark of the night. We will end at the Lincoln Memorial and sit on the back side for a great view before heading back home.

We will start the day rollerskating at the outdoor rink in Anacostia and then will grab lunch at Busboys and Poets. Before leaving the neighborhood, we will tour Frederick Douglas’ House. From Anacostia, we will ride the 90 Bus to my old neighborhood, Adams Morgan, for dinner and drinks. Of few of my favorite spots are Lapis for Afghani Food, Tiki on 18th for the Saturn tiki, Tryst for a coffee couchside, the Line Hotel for cocktails in the lobby, and the speakeasy at Manifest.

As you wrap up your trip on Saturday, we will start at Eastern Market. There’s a little stand that sells the best crab cake benedicts, but we got to get there before they stop serving breakfast at 1p, a challenge for mornings plagued by hangovers. We will go to the farmers’ and flea markets in the neighborhood. We might go to High Tea at the Willard InterContinental, if we can get a reservation. We will end the trip with a day party and grab a snack before heading to the airport.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow. This is timely. &Access recently sponsored the Historic African American District Summit, where our client and the Executive Director of Sweet Auburn Works, LeJuano Varnell, mentioned, “We should all thank people that said yes to us throughout our careers!”

I owe my success to so many people and dedicate this post to Alvis Boone, my mom, who encourages me to take many calculated risks; Dr. Velencia Witherspoon, my partner, who supports me and our household with practical wisdom; and Heather Arnold, my mentor and friend, who honed my skillset and helped secure &Access’s first contract.

Website: https://andaccess.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andaccess/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/andaccess/