Breezy’s Entrepreneurial Series Highlights Successful Women

Breezy’s Jazz Club recently celebrated their two-year anniversary at their location on Adams Street in downtown Jacksonville.  Each week, the venue hosts hundreds of local patrons for happy hour, dinner and live jazz.

Jazz artist Longineu Parsons, Eric Carter and Delifino Marsala have graced the stage for the recent weekend jazz sessions. Recently, Breezy’s held their second “These Girls Are on the Fire,” interview series. The segment is filmed in an intimate stage setting with guests answering question relating to various topics.

This month’s guests were Allecia Webster, a twenty-nine year naval commanding officer, Leola Coleman, owner of the Blue Diner Restaurant and Thea Jeffers, owner Breezys Jazz Club.

Guests were interviewed by Lynn & Friends TV host Lynn Jones and accepted questions from the audience.  Webster discussed her life in the military, the many countries she visited and how the military offered her career options that included completing her degree in nursing and becoming an anesthesiologist.

“The military has been life changing for me and my family,” she said. “Twenty-nine years of my life has been serving in the military and saving lives, now it’s time for me to live my best life,” Webster added.

Leola Coleman, an Edward Waters College graduate and restaurant owner talked about her initial start into entrepreneurship was not met with high regard.  “Sundays is one of our busiest days, church folk head to our diner right after church and there’s a line out the door,” said Coleman. She was received with a loud round of applause and answered questions from the audience on her next steps in business.

Ending the interview session was Jeffers. She said that her entrepreneurial spirit began when she took on the role as interior decorator for clients such as Starbucks, Arby’s and for various homeowners. From a young age, Jeffers eagerly wanted to clean, design and rearrange her mother’s house décor and furnishings.  “Opening Breezy’s was no breeze,” said Jeffers.  “My husband and I spent $120,000 of our savings. We had to wait on liquor license and understand the inner workings of handling food, hiring cooks, hiring bartenders and keeping the doors open.”

She said that next steps include tearing down walls and expanding the club to more space with a larger dance floor and opening a Breezys in Atlanta, Georgia.

 Shown L-r is panelist Kyla Curry, Mary Corbett, Leola Coleman, Altamease Faulk and Allecia Webster.

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