He started a place in his east Raleigh neighborhood where local vendors can bring in, display and promote their products. Fittingly, he called it The Table.
"If you have a brand, if you have an idea, if you want to be a part of it, if you have some time to bring to the table, bring whatever you want to bring," Emmanuel Chapman said.
Chapman, better known as "Poobie," held a soft opening for his store, The Table, this past weekend.
He co-owns it with his brother Dez Wells.
"This area is part of my upbringing and who I am, so I wanted to kind of give back, make a platform or table for other people to be able to reach their goals," Chapman explained.
He said that when he was growing up, this shopping center had small convenience stores, and children growing up now will see the start of success.
"I'm looking forward to down the road when I'm not able to be so hands-on with it to see how this idea or this platform or this place takes kids from the path that may be a little less unsavory to actually being in a space that makes sense," he said.
Chapman said he'll rent out space for a few vendors for two months and rotate new businesses for more exposure. The Table's grand opening will be early in November.