ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Some small black-owned businesses in Atlanta will be able to keep going, with the help of the BeyGOOD Foundation, founded by Beyonce Knowles Carter.

According to the public charity foundation’s social media page, it says 12 small business owners were surprised with $10,000 grants.

Some owners said they were invited to Beyonce’s Black Parade Route Small Business Impact Luncheon last week and were shocked when they received the grants.

“I found out by going to the luncheon. So, everything was a surprise. They really kind of kept it under wraps up until that point,” said Dianna Palmer, Owner of It’s Baked Baby. “I thought I didn’t receive it, because I received an email that said I didn’t get it due to the amount of people that actually applied. So I was bummed out a little bit behind that, but then I got an email the night before the luncheon inviting me to the luncheon so of course I’m like, I’m not going to pass that up,” she said. “So, I went. I actually got there late. I was there about an hour late because I was setting up for another event and they were going to turn me away,” she said.

She said Tyler Perry was there speaking and Gospel recording artist Le’Andria Johnson was singing.

“They called me and they were like you won. They called my business name and yeah, I’m still in shock that it even happened,” she said. “I was in shock. I was shaking. I was just like no! Like what’s happening right now. I was like ‘what’s going on?’ I was in complete shock,” Palmer said.

Palmer has been serving her loaded baked potato concept since 2015, but officially became a business in February 2019.

“I took a plunge and took a really deep dive when I really figured out what I wanted to do with my business, and I opened a brick-and-mortar. So, I took all of my savings. All of my that I had and invested into this brick and mortar. Coming out of COVID, I didn’t realize the employee pool would be what it was,” Palmer said.

Palmer said she was in her building for a year and four months.

“I was spending a lot of money every money. A lot of money every month that was going into employees, food, overhead all of that so I had to scale back. I had to close unfortunately, and now it’s to the point where I need to build it back up again but do it the right way and having the grant will help me doing it the right way,” Palmer said.

Palmer said she has been doing pop-ups since she closed the building back in November, she said. Now she’s happy this will help with a fresh new start.

“I want to get a trailer. So that’s the goal to get a food trailer so that I can actually be on site wherever the customer is versed them coming to me,” Palmer said.

She is sending a big thank you to Beyonce.

“Thank you that’s from the bottom of my heart thank you because I really needed this at this time. It’s very very necessary. I need more money but this is a start,” Palmer said.

Another business owner sent this statement to us.

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