I am so proud to work for a company that doesn’t just prioritize news about the Black community when it’s convenient. I can honestly say our commitment to uplifting Black voices started long before the national and international attention to racism that George Floyd’s murder prompted. As part of that continued commitment, Daily Kos’ Equity Council is encouraging staff members and community members alike to support a Black-owned business on Feb. 25. We really hope you’ll support these businesses year-round, but if you’re in need of a place to start, use Feb. 25 as your launch point and this list as a resource.
In it, find more than 25 Black-owned businesses that at least one Daily Kos staff member has supported:
Auto
Girls Auto Clinic (Car Repair Shop)—Darby, PA
Mechanic and owner of Girls Auto Clinic Patrice Banks told NPR in 2018 there was a time when she couldn't find a female mechanic. "I was afraid I was going to be taken advantage of," she said. "I was tired of feeling helpless and having to go talk to a guy." So Banks, an engineer at the science and innovation company DuPont, learned how to fix cars herself.
She took a night class at a technical school when she was 31 years old. "I was the only girl with a bunch of boys, 19-year-old boys," she said. "That was interesting.
She went on to be featured on the cover of People Magazine in "The Power Suit" issue in December of 2019.
Baked goods and sweets
Root Baking Co. (Bakery)—Atlanta
Husband and wife Chris Wilkins and Nicole Lewis opened a specialty bread company in Ponce City Market in September 2018 after starting the company in Charleston, Atlanta Magazine reported. The couple planned to work with chefs throughout the South to host pop-up events spotlighting different foods and giving back to the local community.
“It’s important for us to reach out beyond our immediate radius and jump on any opportunity to work with a good cause, since we see ourselves as a community bakery,” Wilkins told the magazine. “As we get settled, we hope to join a few local farmers markets to connect with more growers.”
Miss D’s Pralines (Candy)—Atlanta
Dionne Gant, of her Miss D's Pralines, moved to Atlanta after facing "devastating losses" from Hurricane Katrina, she told Georgia State University's student newspaper. She started her company at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market and she went on to become “the Number One-rated praline seller in America,” Forbes reported.
“The people before me really laid the foundation for me to be a successful vendor here inside the Sweet Auburn Curb Market,” she said. “I realized that it’s a historical site, and I realize that for a lot of the families and friends around the great city of Atlanta, it’s home for them [and] it’s an honor to be inside the Municipal Market.”
Beauty, health, and wellness
Fly Fit Lenise (Fitness)—Los Angeles, CA
Lenise Jay, a pilates and aerial arts instructor, offers aerial fitness, yoga, and Hammock dance classes through her business Fly Fit Lenise. She told Shoutout LA she loves her work because she is all about encouraging people. Originally from the South, she said she moved to Los Angeles “with literally three suit cases, no job, and no savings.”
“I only had tax refund check of $1,200 if that,” she told the small business news site. “I have met some amazing people along the way and some people that were definitely lessons well learned. The biggest thing that keeps my flame going is the fact that I get to wake up every morning and decide what attitude I’m going to bring forth that day.”
Jay used her interview with Shoutout LA to also show support for a number of other Black-owned platforms, including a virtual community dubbed Fly Black Aerialists.
Pontie Wax (Candles)—Brooklyn
The company’s namesake, Pontie, was inspired to capture the scents from her family garden in Barbados, and her daughter Shante went on to found the company for “hand-poured soy wax candles” in 2015.
”Made from 100% plant based soy wax, each candle features non-toxic fragrance and essential oils,” the business states on its website. “There are no parabens, plastics or additives included to Pontie Wax candles, making each burn pleasant and safe.”
Alaffia (Green and Fair Trade Beauty)—Online and in some stores
Olowo-n’djo Tchala, who is from Togo, West Africa, and his wife—then-Peace Corps Volunteer Prairie Rose Hyde—founded Alaffia in 2003, according to the company’s website.
The company launched a Queen Alaffia line in 2015 "to empower women that had previously fallen victim to the sex trade" and has been instrumental in building schools in Nadagou and Tamangue.
Kindred Essence (Organic Skincare and Artisan Candles)—Online
Sisters Sandra and Jennifer Mapp founded Kindred Essence in 2008. They wrote on their Etsy page: "After spending many late nights in the kitchen creating and testing, I (Jennifer) finally felt ready to share a batch with friends and family members and garner their opinions. Their feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Word got around and people started to ask if the candles were for sale. Sandra and I were both naturally thrilled with this feedback and after much discussion, made the decision to offer our candles for sale. "
Mented Cosmetics—Online
Amanda E. Johnson and K.J. Miller founded Mented Cosmetics in 2017 "with the goal of providing women of color with more beauty options, according to the company’s website.
“When we graduated from business school we didn’t see many brands telling and celebrating our beauty stories,” Miller told Self Magazine. "That’s why we created Mented—to celebrate women of all hues and provide them with everyday beauty options.”
Minor Obsession (Handmade Soap/Bath/Skincare)—Cincinnati/Online
Courtney Lawrence, the founder of Minor Obsession, said on her website that she has "always had a passion for ingredient conscious products that not only is safe for your body, but also is safe for the environment and most importantly smell amazing." Lawrence added: "Born and raised in Cincinnati, she attended and graduated from the University of Toledo with a concentration in biology ... Soap making became her creative outlet because it truly is at the intersection of science and art. By December of 2018, she launched Minor Obsession."
Shea Shea Bakery (Soaps/Candles/Skincare)—Online
Bookstores and comics
44th and 3rd (Bookstore)—Atlanta
Founders Warren, Cheryl, and Allyce Lee established this company in 2017 as a “family-owned, multi-cultural book and culture brand.”
It was “born out of a Masters thesis by Cheryl Lee on the plight of independent bookstores and a strategy for success,” the company stated on its website. “The mission is to continue a source of unbiased literature that is true to the rich culture of excellence experienced and expressed in the Black community world-wide.”
Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse—Philadelphia
Ariell R. Johnson opened Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse in December 2015, in turn making her one of the first Black women to own a comic book store on the East Coast, The New York Times reported. “It is important to have a space for diverse audiences,” Johnson told the newspaper. “I look for comic book titles from everyone, but especially from nontraditional groups, including people of color, women and the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The stories from people who share those spaces are genuine.”
Books and Crannies (Bookstore)—Martinsville, VA/Online
DeShanta Hairston founded Books and Crannies in 2016 after earning a $12,500 grant from a local program that also educates aspiring business owners. "Despite the nation facing a year of uncertainty, Books and Crannies has grown on a national scale after DeShanta posted a viral tweet about her hesitation to pronounce her bookstore as black-owned in fear of losing white customers," the company stated on its website. “During the nation's peak of civil unrest, this tweet seemingly offered many people a basic understanding of the underlying effects of systemic racism in America. Not only have people been actively seeking to educate themselves on racism and America's real history, but they are making strong efforts to support indie bookstores, especially BIPOC owned.”
Loyalty Books (Bookstore)—Washington, D.C./Silver Spring, MD
”Loyalty was founded by Hannah Oliver Depp, a Black and Queer Bookseller who has spent her career working to diversify the book industry in order for it to better serve the powerful communities of color and queerness,” the company wrote on its website. “We aim to be the Mid-Atlantic’s neighborhood spot for wonderful books and unique stationery, gifts, and programming. Our staff and our selection highlight the diverse voices and creatives that make our communities great. Our intersectional community is important to our staff, therefore those are the books you'll find centered in our store, in our programming, and in our promotions.”
Solid State Books (Bookstore)—Washington, D.C./Online
Founded by Scott Abel and Jake Cumsky-Whitlock in 2018, Solid State Books describes itself as “a full-service general interest bookstore with a deep and diverse selection of fiction and non-fiction titles, as well as gifts curated to appeal to customers of all ages.”
“We set ourselves up to play an important role in the community,” Cumsky-Whitlock told Washingtonian, “and a community bookstore is a strong piece of any strong neighborhood. We view ourselves that way, certainly.”
He said customers reached out to the store for direction after Floyd was killed. “With the protests and everything going on with Black Lives Matter, it felt natural to us to play a role in response, in part because I’m Black,” Cumsky-Whitlock said. “As a partially Black-owned bookstore, and one that has taken very seriously its role in pushing diverse books to a diverse community, that’s really been part of our mission from day one.”
Source Booksellers (Bookstore)—Detroit
Janet Webster Jones, a former teacher and daughter of a librarian, founded Source Booksellers in 2002 after serving the school district for decades. “When I was coming along, there weren’t a lot of opportunities for African American people,” she told ABC-affiliated WXYZ. “I sort of fell into teaching ... and I like to tell people.”
She worked for Detroit Public Schools for 41 years as an educator, administrator, and speech pathologist among other roles she held. She similarly fell into selling books after traveling to Egypt and being asked how she found so many books substantiating what she learned there. “I found that people wanted vendors to come to events that were being held, like fairs and bazaars; I just started taking books to fairs and bazaars and events where people were already set up,” she told WXYZ. By February 2021, her event work and time selling books out of her own stores amounted to more than three decades in the book-selling industry in Detroit.
Clothing and Fabric
Hey.Make.Do (Yarn and Fabric Store)—Cincinnati/Online
Jennifer Cox, founder of Hey.Make.Do, created the business to be a welcoming place for crafters.
“Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA communities, and people on the margins, in general, are creating amazing art for themselves, often on their own,” Cox said in a news release The Voice of Black Cincinnati obtained. “There are knitters, sewers, designers, and artists that yearn for connection with each other, and that others should know about, but many don’t.
“I want Make.Do. to show up as a black-owned business committed to supporting the voices we don’t often hear and support makers by connecting them to new and different communities so we can all benefit from each other’s creativity.”
Entertainment
Black Love (OWN TV Series)—Online
Husband and wife Tommy Oliver and Codie Elaine Oliver created Black Love, a docuseries on OWN that premiered in August 2017. The first episode attracted 1.2 million viewers, setting a new OWN record for the “most-watched unscripted series,” IMDb reported.
Insecure (HBO Series)—Online
There had been mumblings about a TV show based on the life of Issa Rae, the creator of the celebrated web comedy series The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, for years before the first episode of that promised show, HBO's Insecure, aired on Oct. 9, 2016. In a sentence, it was well worth the wait. The show, which wrapped its final episode on Dec. 26, paints such an authentic picture of Black culture that it feels like the first true introduction of Black millennials to mainstream audiences.
Florals
Botanic Village (Floral Arrangements)—Philadelphia
Botanic Village founder Meagan Cook started her journey in the entrepreneurial space with an "all-atural and plant-based" skincare line, Our Village, and later created the floral sister company. She told the Austin-based lifestyle store New Origin Shop her son inspired her work.
"I had always made products and homemade facials for myself, but I never considered making them for others until he came along," Cook said. “He was born with eczema and also had a nut allergy. This meant I had to check every label known to man. After months of steroids and heavily chemical-base products I had enough. His symptoms and irritation never really subsided or healed. So I began reading; reading labels, reading about natural herbs, the body, how we heal, what exactly he was experiencing. Long story short, I mixed and mixed formulas until I got it right for his skin.
“After that I started to think, how many moms, women, and just people in general are looking for a brand that actually cares about them.”
Photography
33 West Studios (Photographer)—Cincinnati
Christina Garrett, owner of 33 West Studios, started the About Me page of her website with a refreshingly vulnerable synopsis. "Hello my name is Christina! Like many women I can't begin to count the amount of times I have neglected myself to take care of others," she wrote. "Then around 10 years ago, a dear friend handed me a camera to play around with, and I discovered photography.
“Now I have a way to give back to myself, but also to the many women I admire; even if I haven't met you yet (but we can fix that)! There is nothing that means more to me than giving women a unique and memorable photography experience that truly empowers them."
Her services include beauty, boudoir, and maternity shoots.
Food and Drink
alaMar Kitchen and Bar (Restaurant)—Oakland
San Francisco Chronicle writer Soleil Ho
wrote of
Top Chef star Nelson German's restaurant in 2019:
"All around me, people were digging into cast iron pots of hot seafood, both elbows firmly anchored on their tables, with nary a bib or plastic glove in sight. These were professionals. Regardless of what anyone was debating or chatting about, whether it was the Warriors or summer plans, the tables rapidly descended into silence whenever the pot arrived at the table. There was work to do: bright pink carapaces to scrape clean, heads to suck, butter-soaked potatoes to uncover. You don’t often see so many people acting this joyful — and serious — over shrimp, but that’s the feeling that I get from Alamar.”
Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey (Restaurant, heaven)—Cincinnati/Union, KY
Owner and chef Christian Gill started his journey into culinary arts at 7 years old in his grandmother's kitchen in Lexington, Kentucky. "Dawning in his grandmother’s kitchen, the quest to create was fostered by the teachings of his mother, grandmother, and later on perfected through experience: trial by knife,” Gill’s business stated on its website. “Executing his knowledge and passion for flavor, Christian welcomed ranging culinary opportunities, from corporate chains to local catering, even leading him to Walt Disney World in Orlando. A chef cut from the cloth of experience, Christian’s journey lead him to Cincinnati, Ohio for his first-time Executive Chef role at the Cincinnati Art Museum and curator of Rhinegeist Brewery’s Chef recipes.
“Acquired by the taste of a perfect biscuit and the courage to do things differently, Chef Christian Gill forges forward with Boomtown Biscuits and Whiskey proprietor, PJ Neumann, to elevate the essence of comfort food and deliver culinary gold."
Esoteric Brewing (Craft Beer)—Cincinnati
Brian Jackson opened Esoteric Brewing Co., Cincinnati's first brewery owned by people of color, with entrepreneur Marvin Abrinica in September 2020, The Enquirer reported.
"Our vision is to craft a beer with such integrity that it has a profound social impact,” they wrote on their website. “That's why we brew with pure ingredients, sourced locally, and grown organically, in order to craft a beer with such integrity that it has a profound social impact.
“We're here to elevate your palate and create a sumptuous experience that will change your relationship with beer. Craft beer should be as elegant as fine wine. That's why our master brewer spent years honing his craft, paying homage to traditional Belgian, English, German, & American styles made with old world character."
Gates Bar-B-Q (Restaurant)—Kansas City
"It's more than a restaurant," Daily Kos staff member Christopher Reeves said about Gates Bar-B-Q.
The company got its start when George W. Gates decided in 1946 that “a family-owned and operated restaurant would be more enticing than life with the railroad.”
“He pooled his resources and opened ‘Gates Ol’ Kentucky’ at 19th and Vine which was the first of the now thriving restaurant chain known today as ‘Gates Bar-B-Q,’” the company wrote on its website. “During 1949, as the population began to shift, a move was made to 23rd and Charlotte – however a dream to open a bar in conjunction with the restaurant drew him back to 19th & vine in 1951. This dream was shortlived – a major fire occurred in 1951, forcing him to move the business to 24th & Brooklyn and remain there until 1957.”
Haute Dogs and Fries (Restaurant)—Alexandria, VA
Lionel Holmes cofounded Haute Dogs and Fries with Pamela Swanson in 2009. "Every morning, Ottenberg’s Bakery drops off fresh top-split rolls at Haute Dogs,” Washington Post writer Tim Carman described. “The buns make a strong first impression. Literally the first thing you taste — before sinking your teeth into the all-beef frank from the Fields of Athenry Farm in Purcellville (you can order chicken or veggie dogs, too) — is the buttery roll, at once soft and toasty."
Carman also described other options such as the restaurant's lobster roll or cheeseburger sliders. "They reminded me of why I used to love White Castle," he wrote. "Order them with the hand-cut, skin-on Idaho fries, which trade on their deep earthy flavor, not a double-fry crunch.
"But, really, why go to a hot dog shop for sliders?"
The Islands (Restaurant)—Brooklyn
Marilyn Reid founded The Islands with Shuon Letchford in 2001, and she told The New York Times they had outgrown their first location by the second day. "We knew," she said.
Joshua M. Bernstein described the cuisine for New York Magazine:
“Jerk chicken that’s equally fiery and fall-apart tender. Plump shrimp swimming in a sea of fragrant coconut sauce. Curried goat so soft, you won’t mind staining your fingers yellow as you root for one last morsel. Bring a group of friends and order half the menu. You won’t find finer Caribbean food in the neighborhood.”
Slutty Vegan (restaurant)—Atlanta
The Beet plant-based living site called Pinky Cole's Slutty Vegan as much a part of the Atlanta area’s “cultural epicenter as the Braves and southern hospitality." The New York Times described the restaurant: "A Naughty Name, a Virtuous Menu and a Line Down the Block." For Cole, her restaurant is about the people. “When you think vegan, you usually think it’s boring, it’s fresh, it’s clean,” she told the Times. “Nothing is wrong with all those things, but a lot of black people see vegan as a rich, white lifestyle.”
Cole is helping change that.
Please add your favorite Black-owned businesses in the comments.
RELATED: 33 Black-owned businesses to support for the holidays and beyond