Her Destiny: Entrepreneurship in Toledo

What was the name of your father’s business? “Destinie Fashions.”

And what is your mother’s business? “Destinie Child Care.”

When the Library’s Small Business & Nonprofit team interviewed Destinie Perkins for Women’s History Month, we had little idea just how destined she truly was for entrepreneurial success from an early age.

We originally approached Perkins intent on telling stories of women in sports (our Library’s 2026 WHM theme), but quickly realized there was so much more that led to this local entrepreneur’s drive to win.

“I used to run my dad’s store by myself at 12 or 13. A college basketball recruiter came through – saw how tall I was, how polite I was. He handed me his card and said “when you’re a senior give me a call.” I gave that card to my mom and she held on to it for years. It was my first hint that maybe there was a future in basketball.”

Perkins smiled when sharing that she’s a “proud product” of Toledo Public Schools. A member of Libbey High School’s last graduating class in 2010, she played tennis, softball, and basketball. For the latter, her coach was now Councilman John Hobbs III. The confidence-building of receiving that recruiter’s card would pay off, as Perkins earned a spot on the women’s team at Cincinnati State. After playing for a year she realized college basketball was “not for me,” but transitioned her learnings to become the college’s men’s basketball manager for several seasons after.

Post-college, tragedy struck. Perkins, expecting a baby boy, would experience the profound sadness caused by stillbirth. “It was really, really hard. I had to do a lot of soul-searching, and travel is what helped me with the death of my son.”

Travel gave Perkins the opportunity to clear her mind, to “see the world and just think.” Back at home, her mother had purchased the old Destinie Fashions building (her father’s previous business) and lot. Moving through the loss and on the road Perkins realized something – “I want to come back and give to my city.” After much debating on how to best serve her community and utilize the building, Perkins settled on bringing change to Toledo’s Englewood neighborhood through healthy food. “I’ve always been a part of Englewood and lived up and down Detroit Avenue my whole life.”

Soon to be a prominent fixture on Detroit Ave. is House of Shalom – a community-driven drop kitchen run by Perkins, whose business vision is crystal clear: “The food desert of the Englewood area is what convinced me the business needed to be food-focused. Our community’s health is important, and yet we die from diseases that can be fixed by the way we eat.”

Combining her desire to feed the community well with a sustainable business plan that lifts up aspiring area entrepreneurs, Perkins decided upon a drop kitchen. “A drop kitchen is a kitchen that has everything a foodpreneur needs – rent, sell, prep, test, research their food.” Perkins explained that while there may be shared commercial kitchens around, they aren’t plentiful in Englewood and many have restrictive hours or allow for cooking but not selling to customers. So, she’ll be installing a takeout window and working toward a nice “summer patio vibe as well.”

Perkins is also motivated to help those food entrepreneurs who are working full-time to support their dreams. “We’re here to cater to everyone and plan to make House of Shalom accessible 24 hours a day. There’s no place around to get food throughout the night, and what about the aspiring entrepreneur who is also a mom and doesn’t want to be waking up her kids making noise baking? She can rent our space, develop her recipes, and build her brand while her kids are sleeping.”

House of Shalom will be the business side, and Perkins is in development of a nonprofit arm too; Harlem Helping Hands (named for her late son Harlem) will offer cooking classes. “I want to help kids with basic skills. In our community a lot of kids are left alone and they have to provide for their siblings. I want to give them resources for their family to thrive. We also want to give seniors the opportunity to get out and engage.”

While her destiny has always been entrepreneurship, nonprofit operations are still new to Perkins. “I’m still learning. I got everything moving then realized I needed to apply for IRS tax exemption.” Lindsay, a specialist librarian on the Library’s Small Business and Nonprofit team, walked her through the application, which has now been approved and enabled Perkins to take part in the Toledo Neighborhood Capacity Building Institute.

Perkins encourages entrepreneurs to use the resources available to them, such as the Toledo Library. “There’s so many classes the Library offers as a great resource. The meeting rooms too – I love them! I can leave home and come here and relax but still work. And you have great databases.”

Her strategic leverage of local resources has given House of Shalom a major boost. In 2024 they were the very first business to receive the City of Toledo’s White Box Pilot Planning Grant, and then earned a White Box Grant & Facade Planning Grant in 2025.

After choosing to build her business right here at home, Perkins discovered a deep well of support available to Toledo entrepreneurs. She encourages others to:

“Follow your destiny. Never let a no stop you. And reevaluate and continue to knock down those walls. And use your resources! The City of Toledo has amazing resources like the Library, the MBAC [Minority Business Assistance Center]. I would not be sitting here with these grants without the MBAC – Mrs. Lenora really helped me get to the finish line.”

Perkins can’t wait to see her dad’s old sign back up in lights, and thanks her mother for believing in her. “Nothing would be possible without her investment. Everything tangible [for the business] has come through my mother.”

House of Shalom’s grand opening is anticipated for summer 2026.

When asked why Toledo, Perkins emphatically shared, “Why build another community up when I can build home? I want to build a community up here first. Build the block.”

If you too are looking to start or grow a small business or nonprofit in the area, please reach out to the Toledo Library’s Small Business & Nonprofit Department at business@toledolibrary.org, 419-259-5214, or make an assistance appointment at toledolibrary.org/sbn.