Honoring Black History Month All Year Round

The Black community has long been at the epicenter of culture, creativity and art. Back in February we showcased the voices behind Black-owned businesses that are at the intersection of culture and social change. While Black History Month may have ended a few weeks ago, our aim as a certified-diverse agency is to elevate Black businesses all year-round, so we encourage you to check out the list of incredible Black-owned businesses below now and always.  

Home

Plant Economy - Plant Economy is an online shop that sells unique, plant products that create conversations – pots in all shapes and sizes with quotes on them like “talk growth to me” and “black with plants.” They aim to encourage wellness and prosperity, show gratitude and promote positivity, with a focus on the Black, plant-owning community. 

Bole Road Textiles - Bole Road focuses on modern textiles, ranging from pillows to throws, rugs, and more. Created by a NY-based, Ethiopia-born designer, Hana Getachew, it evokes the style of Ethiopia in a modern way.

Orchid Boheme - Orchid Bohème is a Black woman-owned online store selling romantic, boho-style women’s apparel. They focus on sustainability and ethically sourced clothes and materials. 

The Jungalow - The Jungalow is a lifestyle brand by Justina Blakely and the “go-to source for jungalicious design goods and inspiration.” They sell colorful, unique home decor products from rugs to pillows to planters aiming at helping “bring good vibes home” with a focus on sustainability.

The Bark Shoppe - The Barke Shoppe is a premier pet care facility. If local to NYC, you can bring your dog in for grooming services starting as low as $10. You can also purchase their grooming products online, including shampoos, conditioners, and more for cats and dogs. Everything is vegan, cruelty-free, and was not tested on animals.

Pur Home Clean - Pur Home Clean sells natural, eco-friendly home care products. From multi-purpose cleaning sprays and scrubs to laundry detergent, and dishwasher packs, you can get a variety of the products you need to keep your home clean while keeping yourself and the planet safe.

Brooklyn Blooms - This Black-owned flower shop in Bed-Stuy offers stunning floral arrangements for weddings, private events and for simply brightening up your day. Their vases are all thrifted which adds some extra vintage flair to their arrangements.  

Self Care/Beauty

Butter Me Up Goods - Butter Me Up Goods sells handcrafted, vegan skincare made with clean, organic ingredients. Body butters, soaps and bath bombs all formulated to work with any skin type or self-care need.

Hyper Skin - Hyper Skin has an amazing Vitamin C skin serum that has been featured everywhere ranging from Vogue to Forbes to Essence Its founder, Desiree Verdejo, is a mom of 2 and was recently accepted into Sephora’s Black-owned brand incubator program. 

Range Beauty - Created out of a need for more diverse shades and less toxic ingredients in the cosmetics industry, Range Beauty was born. The beauty brand encourages you to express yourself, while still allowing your true skin to shine through.

The Honey Pot - Bea Dixon started making feminine-care products in her kitchen, and today they are sold at large retailers like Target, Urban Outfitters, and Walgreens. They are one hundred percent natural and plant derived and also clinically tested and gynecologist approved. The line encompasses everything from organic tampons and feminine washes to bath bombs.

Food & Beverage

Cupcakin’ Bake Shop – Cupcakin’ Bake Shop has three brick-and-mortar locations in the East Bay, California. They sell a wide variety of creative cupcakes, baked from scratch daily. With humble beginnings starting as a home-based bakery in 2007, Cupcakin now has  multiple locations in Berkeley and Oakland.

Eat Okra - EatOkra is an app created by Anthony and Janique Edwards to help people discover Black-owned restaurants in their area. The couple moved to a Brooklyn apartment with no stove or refrigerator in 2016 and were forced to seek out the best restaurants in their new neighborhood.

Central Brooklyn Food Corp - The Central Brooklyn Food Corp is a Black-led, 100% community-owned and operated grocery store. They are on a mission to utilize their collective strength to ensure access to affordable and fresh food while centering the Black, low-to-moderate-income communities of Central Brooklyn.

Gooey On the Inside Cookies - You'll find irresistibly crispy-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside cookies at this Lower East Side bakery, which also boasts an impressive line-up of flavors to choose from. The owner, Kafi, specializes in putting inventive twists on timeless classics like the Birthday Cake Dessert in a jar or the mouthwatering S’mores Cookie.

Downtown Coffee NYC – Downtown Coffee is one of the only Black-owned coffee shops in Manhattan. Nestled in the heard of the lower east side, it’s the perfect place to stop for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon pick me up.

Bier Wax – A premium, craft beer bar that also doubles as a vinyl record bar. This unique union is truly one of a kind and a must try in Brooklyn.  

Mikey Likes It – You might’ve seen this East Village Ice cream store featured on Humans of New York. Owned and operated by Mikey himself, this shop serves up a classic family recipe and was called a safe haven by Black Enterprise Magazine.

Café Con Libros – Café Con Libros (coffee with books) is an intersectional Feminist community bookstore and coffee shop. Through their choice of books, programming, and great coffee, they’ve created a welcoming community space where everyone can feel centered, affirmed and celebrated.  

Wellness

Ethel’s Club – A social and wellness club designed to celebrate people of color both online and in-person, Ethel’s Club is one of the first co-working and social spaces curated by young people of color for other young people of color. 

Heal Haus – Heal Haus combines services from diverse healing modalities and practitioners in one facility to provide people with an inclusive space. They focus on holistic health and wellness, and their mission is to change the stigma attached to healing practices.

Clothing

Brandblack – Brandblack is a Black-owned footwear company, with an impressive line of sneakers among other shoes. Founded in 2012 by footwear design veterans David Raysse and Billy Dill, it aims to bring a more innovative and creative flair to an industry run by a few large conglomerates. Outside of creating great kicks, the line focuses on finding harmony between function and fashion.

Glazed NYC – Founded by friends Shelby Macklin and Banna Nega in 2015, Glazed NYC is a community-based lifestyle brand focused on providing high quality, classic accessories that bridge the gap between function and glamour.

T.A. New York – Owned and run by Telsha Anderson, this beautiful store is completely designed to cater to the women-identifying community in NYC with amazing clothes.

Busayo – This boutique sells beautifully made African fashion featuring contemporary prints sourced from Lagos, Nigeria. The owner, Busayo, left her job as a corporate lawyer to start the business out of sheer passion in 2011 and now customers will be able to shop her styles at Saks Fifth Avenue this spring.

More Resources to Explore

Thirteen Lune – Thirteen Lune is all about authentically fostering allyship. It’s an e-commerce destination designed to inspire the discovery of beauty brands created by Black and Brown founders.

Buy Black – Buy Black is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing visibility of Black-owned businesses. It houses resources for businesses across Amazon and Etsy in addition to in person shops and stores to support.

Black Owned Everything - Check out Black Owned Everything to continue your support for black-owned businesses all year long.