DECATUR — The Rev. Jessie Bates led the Ambassadors for Christ street ministry for so long, it might surprise some people to know he was an entrepreneur before he was a preacher.
But it explains why, the minute he satisfied his old business debts six years ago, he and his wife Janice established JRB Enterprises to buy and renovate homes around his church, Abundant Life Christian Center at 1705 N. Maple St., so that “people who wanted to rent from us would have a decent home to live in.”
With 21 properties under their belt, the Bateses have been working for the past 15 months to breathe new life into the strip mall formerly anchored by Sattley’s office supplies.
The shopping center has a new name, Decatur Plaza, and a new anchor, a Small Business Expo offering new businesses an easier way to get started.
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Bates said God shared all this with him, starting during the time a special speaker was at Abundant Life Christian Center teaching the congregation about making good investments.
“This was a God idea,” Bates said. “We were just in training on the residential property for almost five years before we entered the commercial realm.”
Open since June 1, the Small Business Expo is up to six tenants, the newest of which is J-5 Shoes, a unique boutique opened by Edna Thomas earlier this month.
Thomas, like the others, appreciates the chance to limit her financial commitment starting out with a four-month lease costing just $75 a week, with all maintenance and utility charges included.
LeShawn Young, owner of Shawn’s Electronical Connections, has done so well repairing cellphones, computers and other electronics, he expanded his business to a second kiosk earlier this month.
“This location is real awesome because I’m right in the center of town,” Young said. “Eventually, I’m going to have to have somebody else doing the repairs, too, the traffic is so heavy.”
Other tenants in the Small Business Expo are Word of Knowledge Bookstore, Reshaping U 4 Life, Lo’Chique Boutique and CA’s Tax Enterprise.
Yet even this isn’t the full story on Decatur Plaza because it has also been home since September to Illini Fadez, a barber/beauty shop owned by Audrey Austin and Davida Fanniel of Springfield.
Manager Geoffery Turnbo said the shop started with three barbers and one stylist but now has five barbers and three stylists. “Everybody sees us driving by on Water Street,” he said.
Tickets-N-Trips also remains a key destination in the shopping center, and manager Stephanie Ramsey said she appreciates the changes that have come with the new landlord.
“It’s nice having businesses next to us and the place looking busier,” Ramsey said. “(Bates) has really done a good job fixing everything up and keeping the place clean.”
Until graduating from Eisenhower High School in 1973, Jessie Bates said he worked at Red Carpet car wash from the time his family came to Decatur from Brownsville, Tenn.
He operated a variety of businesses — including a lawn service, a night club, a clothing and jewelry store and a cell phone and pager business — in Decatur and elsewhere, until he felt the call to ministry, studied at Lincoln Christian College for two years then founded Ambassadors for Christ in Decatur in 1997 and Abundant Life Christian Center in 2002.
Two spaces remain in Decatur Plaza, and Bates wants to attract a discount store like Family Dollar or Dollar General, along with a thrift, photography or grocery store.
“For the economy, I think it’s going really well,” Bates said. “Our whole intent was to generate and create revenue in the inner city. That’s where our heart is.”
He also believes he learned important lessons from past ventures that will help him succeed.
“Besides being a God idea, I know it’s important not to try to grow too fast and make sure you are financed,” Bates said. “You must also provide the very best customer service you can because your customers are partners with you.”
