Friday November 18, 2022
By Renee Cordes
Black Diamond Detailing, formerly a mobile-based business, now has a bricks-and-mortar service garage in Lewiston, at 409 Sabattus St. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held earlier this week. COURTESY / CITY OF LEWISTON
The first Black-owned, Somali-owned car-detailing company in Lewiston opened this week at 409 Sabattus St.
Black Diamond Detailing owners Abdirahman Saeed and Abdinur Mohamed cut the ribbon earlier this week with city officials and others.
The two are recent graduates of Top Gun, a 12-week startup accelerator program run by the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs, and employ one other individual.
The business that started as a mobile company and now has a bricks-and-mortar base in Lewiston with two service bays.
"As the company grows, we will hire more people," the duo said in a joint email to Mainebiz. The company, which offers quick and deep-clean services, is leasing the Sabattus Street space.
With the new, physical location, Black Diamond plans to expand services to include onsite exterior detailing. Current promotions include a quick car clean for $65.
The owners aid that while they had looked into other locations in Auburn and Portland, Lewiston is their home and therefore the ideal spot for their first location.
"It means a lot to us to have bricks and mortar," Mohamed said. "It's been our goal for a long time, and I'm glad it's finally happening."
Black Diamond Detailing is the first Black-owned, Somali-owned business of its kind in Lewiston, according to the city.
“We grow as a community when young entrepreneurs choose Lewiston as a place to build a life and a career, Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said. "This new business also showcases that Lewiston is a place of opportunity for our immigrant community."
Black Diamond's owners participated in Top Gun this year. They said it was a fantastic experience in which they learned how to budget and other aspects of business with which they were unfamiliar.
"Throughout Top Gun, these young men worked hard, applied the lessons, and started working with customers," Shanna Cox, president and CEO of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, said. "Since Top Gun, their dedication to growing their business has been evident, and the result of that hard work is what we are here today to celebrate.”