This Binghamton entrepreneur has made her mark on beauty, catering and the restaurant biz

Tanya Williams might be the busiest woman in Binghamton.

Williams, who was recently honored Entrepreneur of the Year by the Greater Binghamton Chamber, owns multiple businesses and plans to open another later this year. If all of that wasn't enough, she also practices nursing.

“I’ve always been doing business,” she said.

Williams opened her first business, a hair salon, while attending nursing school in Queens. With friends in the Binghamton area, Williams would visit the area every so often, and noticed there were no Black hair salons.

In 1993, she moved her Queens salon north to Binghamton. She renamed it Miracle’s Beauty Salon and it became one of the first Black-owned salons in the county. That and its sister business, Paradise Hair World, which supplies beauty products, are “cornerstones” in the community, the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce said.

“There were always difficulties,” Williams said. She was hesitant to seek help in the community, "but if you have a service that somebody wants, no matter what, you’re going to survive,” she said.

Her salon thrived, and in 2010, she expanded her entrepreneurial pursuits and opened a restaurant. The idea came to her in a similar way as her salon. She saw a gap, and figured out a way to fill it.

“Around here, there’s Chinese food, Italian, chicken wings, and that’s basically it,” she said, “so I brought Caribbean food here, and now everyone wants oxtail, jerk chicken, and beef patties.”

Williams, who’s always loved cooking, would often make food for her friends and clients.

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“Once again, I realized I had something that was not here in the area,” she said.

She opened Caribbean Patty World and its catering alter-ego, Caribbean Bar and Grill. The restaurant has won “Best in Broome-People’s Choice” two years in a row at the Black Excellence Awards.

Her ever-expanding empire hit a brick wall during the COVID-19 pandemic. The salon was closed for six months, and her restaurant was reduced to takeout for two years.

Even after the salon reopened, many customers didn’t feel comfortable with the personal nature of the service, and Williams said she lost a big chunk of clients who learned to do their hair themselves during lockdown.

As for the restaurant, despite increased orders from DoorDash and to-go services, many of her staff suffered from the lack of in-person tips.

“Overall, business was better before the pandemic, and it remains hard because of inflation and the rising cost of goods,” Williams said, “but I’m always grateful for what I have, cause I could have less or nothing at all.”

Undeterred, Williams plans to open a banquet hall behind her restaurant later this year for people to host weddings, baby showers, dinners, and other small events. Williams said she does not know what the future holds, but she has no intention of leaving the Binghamton area.

“And I don’t want to take my businesses from Broome County anyway,” she said. “We need them in the community.”

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Caribbean Patty World owner Tanya Williams wins entrepreneur award