When Angel Bumpers-Goulding decided to open a Salt Lake City salon and salon supply store about three years ago, she thought the natural place to seek resources would be a black chamber of commerce.

But she discovered that Salt Lake City didn't have one. The Office of Black Affairs didn't have much information, either, she said.

So Bumpers-Goulding found help starting Beyond Beautiful through the Women's Business Center, the Small Business Administration and SCORE.

The resources were great, but when Bumpers-Goulding, 27, wanted to talk to other black businesses owners, she discovered "they were so few and far between in Utah." In fact, she was told there weren't any other young black women business owners.

Now, Bumpers-Goulding is a founding member of the Black Chamber of Commerce, something she hopes will help build a sense of community and encourage other young adults to start businesses.

"People sometimes tend to deal with and have more confidence in people they are more familiar with," she said. "When they come to us, we want to give them answers and get things done."

The Black Chamber of Commerce is hoping to hold its first event Feb. 1. A Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce is also forming, and organizers hope to hold an inaugural event in January.

When the two chambers form, they'll become part of a blossoming minority business community. An Asian Chamber of Commerce recently formed, and a Latin-American Chamber of Commerce held its inaugural event in April.

Before that, the only statewide minority chamber of commerce was the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

The emergence of new chambers is likely a reflection of Utah's burgeoning minority population, now about 16 percent of the state's estimated 2.4 million people, according to 2004 census estimates, said Craig Peterson, chief operating officer of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.

Blacks and Pacific Islanders each comprised less than 1 percent of the state's population, according to the 2000 Census. But recent census estimates show the black population grew by nearly 11 percent between 2000 and 2004, and the Pacific Islander population grew by about 9 percent.

Craig Peterson, chief operating officer of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, said forming a niche chamber gives businesses and individuals who are facing the same challenges an opportunity to network and deal with their unique issues.

"As our population becomes more diverse, there are more diverse businesses," he said. "Plus I think a lot of them want opportunities for training and to get together and talk."