Black Owned Businesses to Support
Now, like every other day, is a GREAT time to start being anti-racist. One of the best ways to support #blacklivesmatter, if you can't get out and protest, is to support black owned businesses locally and online. Here is a list I have compiled of some of my favorites.
BEAUTY AND SELF CARE
Gilded
Gilded is a skincare brand dedicated to making folks look and feel their very best. Their focus is nourishment and beauty fused into a ritual of self care that can be grounding, restorative, and relaxing. Gilded believes that every body deserves nothing but the best.
Harlem Candle Co.
Upon moving to New York City, native Texan and founder of Harlem Candle Co. Teri Johnson fell in love with the vibrant history and unique culture of the area. In 2014, she started Harlem Candle Company in her kitchen, dedicated to creating fragrances that celebrate the moments of the Harlem Renaissance.
BeautyStat Cosmetics
BeautyStat Cosmetics prides itself on high quality ingredients that can address skincare needs and help customers feel beautiful from the inside out. They are constantly developing new products as skincare science evolves.
KNC Beauty
Founder Kristen Noel Crawley created KNC Beauty after falling in love with lip masks on a trip to Tokyo. Quickly noticing that most versions on the market contained hard-to-pronounce chemicals, she decided create products she felt good about using for herself. Her brand has since evolved to also include eye masks and creams.
The Honey Pot Co.
After struggling for months with bacterial vaginosis, founder Bea Dixon was visited in a dream by an ancestor and was gifted the vision to heal herself and others. She has dedicated her life to creating care for people with vaginas using natural, biodegradable, and cruelty-free ingredients in formulas backed by science.
OUI the People
OUI the People--formerly known as OUI (Shave)--is a brand that creates body care and shaving products that are designed thoughtfully with your skin in mind. They aim to create an inclusive brand that reflects the nuance and depth of people's most intimate experiences with personal beauty and care for their bodies.
UOMA Beauty
UOMA--pronounced OMA (uh-mah)--is a brand dedicated to re-writing the rules of inclusivity and diversity to create a world where beauty begins when you decide to be yourself. Their line is highlighted by a 51-shade foundation range, eyeshadow palettes with deeper complexions in mind, and non-drying lipsticks that allow you to express yourself in comfort and style.
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CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES
BLK MKT Vintage
BLK MKT Vintage is a collection comprised of various items including clothing, accessories and other collectibles and curiosities that highlight the richness of Black history and lived experience. By centering Black cultural artifacts, they explicitly tell Black folks, "Not only do we see you, but we love you as well. You're worthy. What you've created is worthy. You are important here."
CBAAF
CBAAF (Come Back As A Flower) is an LA-based, ethically produced clothing brand that creates dip-dyed prints on 100% recycled cotton, making it a staple among US-based, handmade, and sustainable companies.
DIOP
DIOP was founded by Mapate Diop, a first-generation Nigerian American, who was inspired by Ankara, a boldly colored and patterned fabric used throughout West Africa. The brand's goal is to connect people to the truest sense of who they are while also honoring and reflecting the space between cultural heritage and modern design.
Brother Vellies
Brother Vellies was founded in 2013 with the goal of keeping African design and technique alive while also generating and sustaining artisan jobs. They create luxury accessories handmade from across the globe that celebrate cultural histories and uniquely classic designs.
lemlem
lemlem is an artisan-driven collection of adult's, children's, and home goods made entirely in Africa. Founder and supermodel Liya Kebede was inspired to launch the brand following a trip to her native Ethiopia where she met a group of traditional weavers who were unable to find a market for their craft. The core collection is handmade from natural Ethiopian cotton and lemlem is constantly and steadily expanding partnerships across Africa.
Nude Barre
Founder and Professional Dancer Erin Carpenter was frustrated throughout her dance career that none of her uniform was able to match her skin tone. Required to wear "nude" undergarments, she spent hours dyeing and spray painting tights and shoes because no brand made products her shade. Nude Barre was created to produce hosiery and undergarments that redefined the term nude to include all skin tones and allow people to feel their best.
Legendary Rootz
Legendary Rootz was created when founder Raven Nichole saw a need in the Black community for a safe space. Their purpose is to reclaim shared Black history and celebrate Black culture and lived experiences through powerful apparel and accessories.
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HOME DECOR
Clare Paint
Clare is on a mission to make paint shopping for your home easy, simple, and inspiring, so you can move directly to creating a home you love without the hassle and complication. They've reimagined the process with designer-curated colors, technology to guide you, mess-free swatches, and high quality supplies delivered right to your door to help you get through your project with confidence.
Soukie Modern
Founder Taib Lotfi was born and raised in Morocco. After a stint in the hotel business, Lotfi moved onto creating his own business with Kenya Knight (a California native), focusing on their shared passions for interior design and all things beautiful. They highlight designs for products that could be found in both locations with unique hand-crafted home goods,
Jungalow
Jungalow is a place to purchase home decorations including wallpaper, plants, art and more that will promote a human-to-nature connection. Their goal is to foster a spark to make homes more colorful, patternful, and "jungalicious" and work with natural, recycled, recycleable, and compostable materials when they can in order to give back as best they can. Every time you make a purchase, at least two trees are planted, too.
xN Studio
xN Studio creates textiles and furniture that represent and promote the intersections of life and seek to honor sacred spaces in the way they are adorned, whether that is work, home, or elsewhere. They utilize traditional techniques and add a modern twist in order to create a uniquely classic look that reflects the Ugandan heritage of founder Nasozi Kakembo.
Black Pepper Paperie Co.
Black Pepper Paperie Co. is a DC-based mixed-media art and design studio and lifestyle brand. They focus on creating globally inspired, handmade pieces that include ceramic, home decor, paper goods, and apparel. Their pieces highlight ancestral designs rooted in influence and memories from across the African diaspora.
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BOOKSTORES
Mahogany Books
Mahogany books is a DC-based independent bookstore that is dedicated to taking a leadership role in the Black community by promoting reading, writing, and cultural awareness as tools to educate and improve self-esteem, self-love, and the area as a whole. They specialize in books written for, by, or about the people of the African diaspora.
The Lit. Bar
The Lit. Bar is an independent bookstore serving over 1 million people in the Bronx, NY. Their mission is to create a place that inspires reading, promotes healthy social connections, call attention to diverse voices, and encourage intellectual visibility in the Bronx. You can also buy a multitude of books from them online.
Semicolon Chicago
In 2016, founder DL Mullen began creating what she believed to be the ultimate experience: a bookstore, a library, and a museum wrapped tightly into one space. Semicolon Bookstore, located in Chicago, IL, is dedicated to showing each and every one of its visitors a unique sensation of love, comfort, and learning that will promote human connection and education.
Turning Page Bookshop
Turning Page was founded by co-owners/best friends VaLinda Miller and Arrylee Satterfield as a way to show people the beauty of a good book, to educate, to provide a safe space for learning, and to give back to the community. This South Carolina based store offers everything from Murder/Mystery to African American literature to Cookbooks and more, many of which are available for purchase right to your home, though many educational books about the Black community are on backorder.
MeJah Books, Inc.
MeJah is a Delaware-based bookstore started in 1998 by Emlyn DeGannes and functions as a gathering place, source of information and resources, and place of engagement for creative ideas. It specializes in showcasing the contributions of authors from the African Diaspora but also offers a diverse inventory and has access to over 1 million titles in various genres.
Have any black owned businesses that you feel I missed? Leave the links in the comments of this article!