FROSTBURG — The owner of a local hair salon attended the Small Business Summit hosted by President Donald Trump at the White House May 4.
“I got an invitation, a beautiful invitation. I went there and I walked into the East Room of the White House and I was so overwhelmed with thankfulness,” Stephanie Davis, owner of Country Diva Boutique in Frostburg, said. “It was really incredible, it was warm, it was an honor and privilege for me to represent Western Maryland.”
When Davis first received an email with an invitation to the event, she thought it was possibly a scam. She reached out to a former client, who now works as a personal assistant to Trump.
The former client had put Davis on the invite list, as she saw Davis as someone who strongly represents small-business America.
“I thought, why me? But then I start to think of all the small businesses in America that are virtually unknown as well and how they really are the lifeblood of our economy,” Davis said. “They run this country, they’re the engine. We need to have policies that encourage small business and not discourage small business.”
Davis was among representatives of 130 small businesses from across the country to attend the event. She said it was the first small business summit hosted at the White House in 30 years.
Davis, a mother of five, has owned the business for 10 years. She said starting a small business was a great thing for her, as she had her trade, but that taxes and fees can make it difficult for small business owners to thrive.
“It was just an extraordinary event of which I was so honored to attend. Just a small town girl from Western Maryland, sitting up there 10 feet from the president, and I’m really thankful for the opportunity,” she said.
“I could see that President Trump wants small businesses to succeed, despite all the bad, negative press that he constantly gets.”
The president delivered remarks at the event for more than an hour, Davis said.
“It’s not even a left or right issue, it’s an American issue because it involves Americans and people, and small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy,” Davis said.