By Tierra Stone
AFRO Intern
tierrastone@afro.com
And
Lizzie Suber
AFRO Intern
lizziesuber@afro.com
In honor of National Black Business Month, the AFRO asked Black people about their favorite Black-owned businesses. Interviewees mentioned a range of businesses from tea shops to music production companies and hair salons, highlighting the diverse range of ventures that Black people are involved in. Take a look to see if your favorite establishment was mentioned!
“My favorite Black-owned business is Cuples Tea because it’s a nice little set up and a nice little vibe.”
Essence Stevenson, 25
Between Jobs
Baltimore Native
CREDIT: Courtesy photo
“My favorite Black-owned business is Surprise Me Gifts because they offer customizations for special occasions like memorabilia for pets, shirts, mouse pads and cups. They have a bunch of different varieties that you can choose from or you can either create something with them to make your special occasion or memories memorable.”
Angie Stokes, 53
Human resources representative
Baltimore Native
“My favorite Black-owned business is my business, Donnadon Productions. It’s a music production company. I produce acts for other artists, take them to the studio and record.”
Donnel Farrow, 67
Retired IT specialist
Philadelphia
“It’s called Sharp Image Hair Studio. I like customer service. I like the fact that when I go get my hair done, focused on me as the client and not everyone else in the shop. You can have great conversations about life.”
Vonda Brister, 58
Special education teacher
Greensboro, N.C.
“If I had to narrow my favorite Black business down to just one, I’d be honored to share my favorite sandwich spot in my neighborhood: Abby’s The Sandwich Specialist in Irvington, New Jersey.
New Jersey is known for our sub sandwiches and deli meats, but I love Abby’s because of how the owner focuses on centering around the community. From delivering to local schools and even halfway houses–it’s clear that Abby’s is more than just a regular deli shop- but a neighborhood staple. And, their Italian hot dogs and pastrami sandwiches are also a plus!”
Jeydah Jenkins, 23
Multimedia journalist
New Jersey
Credit: Photo courtesy of Instagram / Abby’s The Sandwich Specialist
“My favorite Black-owned business is Octavia’s Bookshelf in Pasadena, Calif. it is the first and only Black owned bookstore in the city.”
Alice Anderson, 74
Retired
Los Angeles, CA
Credit: Photo courtesy of octaviasbookshelf.com
“I love the coffee shop Archive CLT, it is located in Charlotte, N.C. I love the flavors and the vibe of the shop, they have cool archives from Black history and culture.”
Jason Sanford, 24
Engineer
Atlanta, GA
“As many of us know, the ‘chicken box’ is a staple for Black Baltimore. Chef Saon Brice at Blk Swan is doing it right. I took my dad there for Father’s day, and we couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks. From the crispy fries, to the juicy chicken and the Mambo sauce it’s well worth a trip to Harbor East.”
Megan Sayles, 24
AFRO Business Writer
Pasadena, Md.
Credit: Photo courtesy of eatatblkswan.com
“My favorite Black owned business is the Adams Motorsport Park. It is part of my family’s legacy in Southern California. The go-kart track that was originally laid in 1959 is still in use, and the park has grown to include a number of motorsports.”
Ama Brown
AFRO Editorial Assistant
Wilmington, De.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Meta (Facebook) / Adams Motorsport Park
The post The people speak: What’s your favorite Black business? appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
![“I realized, by taking the [cosmetology] course, that I can actually do this as a career and actually have a job where I enjoy what I do, instead of just working to get paid and to go home,”](https://nnpa.org/wp-content/themes/Extra/images/post-format-thumb-text.svg)
