After nearly five years of renting the storefront at 700 E. Harding Avenue in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, D’Cora Dotson is now the proud owner of the space where her business, D’Cora’s Custom Cakes, has grown into a local staple.

“I’d been trying to purchase it for a while,” she said. “It just made financial sense.”

The decision wasn’t just about saving on rent. It was about long-term stability, freedom, and building something she could one day pass on to her family. The building purchase was made possible in March 2025 through a small business real estate loan from the Lending Team at Communities Unlimited (CU).

The sale marked a full-circle moment. The property was sold by Codney Washington, longtime CU partner and executive director of WE Center / WE Build, who is working alongside CU on affordable housing and workforce development in Pine Bluff. In addition to Washington, D’Cora had also been referred to CU by another Pine Bluff advocate, Deborah Temple, a former CU Director of Lending who now leads the Arkansas CDFI Coalition.

D’Cora said she had previously tried to secure a loan through her banks, Regions and Bank of America, but the process was frustrating.

“Getting a business loan is totally different than getting a home loan,” she said. “I didn’t have all the documents they needed, like financial statements. It was just a lot.”

That changed when she started working with CU Small Business Lender Candence Brooks. “CU needed the same documents, but they actually helped me pull everything together so I could qualify,” D’Cora said.

CU’s loan covered the building purchase, with D’Cora contributing additional equipment to complete the transaction.

Now a few payments into the loan, she’s already thinking ahead.

“The land came with the building too, so I’m planning to expand and make upgrades down the line,” she said. “Eventually, once it’s paid off, it’ll free up more of my income. That’s the goal.”

Though the loan was finalized through CU’s Lending Team, D’Cora has continued to receive technical assistance from CU’s Entrepreneurship Team. Management Consultants Sierra Polk and James Custer have helped her strengthen her financial systems, install bookkeeping tools, and even plan for retirement.

“CU helped me get a handle on my financials,” she said. “Now I can actually speak confidently about my profit and loss. I’m using a system that shows my balance sheet and financials anytime I need it — it’s been so helpful, I’ve even recommended it to others.”

The E-Team’s support also encouraged D’Cora to open an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) and begin contributing regularly — something she hadn’t considered as a self-employed business owner.

“When I worked corporate jobs, I had a 401(k), but retirement hadn’t been on my radar until James brought it up.”

D’Cora has continued to run D’Cora’s Custom Cakes as a solo operation since shifting to a pre-order, prepaid model at the end of 2024 — a strategic change to reduce waste and adapt to rising food and labor costs.

“It’s been great,” she said. “Eventually, I don’t want to be the only one working here, but for now it’s been a good shift. Mentally, it’s been wonderful. I can just focus on myself and what I’ve got going on.”

She’s looking to hire help soon, possibly starting with local college students she’s met who are eager to work.

“I just hope to find someone who’s driven and understands the brand — someone who can help move it forward.”

Through it all, she credits the team at Communities Unlimited for standing by her.