If quarantine has taught me anything, it has shown me how valuable every single sale is to individuals with their own small businesses. I’ve talked to friends of mine who have their own businesses and every one of them has shared that every sale is followed by their own happy jig or celebration! I don’t know if I can say the same for CEOs of big corporations like Jeff Bezos.
As we all know, February is Black History Month, a month dedicated to learning about Black history in the United States, which is unfortunately pushed aside far too often, and to recognize and celebrate the Black lives who have accomplished so much for their community and for the rest of the world. I see this month as a great opportunity to take our anger from last summer and support black-owned small businesses across the country. Below, I have come up with my own list of woman and Black-owned businesses that I think everyone should consider purchasing from that would even make great gifts.
- Semicolon Bookstore and Gallery
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Semicolon Bookstore’s aim is to nurture the connection between literature, art, and knowledge, while also using books to better the Chicago community and school system. They work with a literacy-focused non-profit called Parenthesis, which is dedicated to increasing literacy rates in Chicago by providing free books to the Chicago Public School students. Semicolon is Chicago’s only Black woman-owned bookstore, so living in the Chicago-area and being a huge book nerd, I will definitely be visiting it in the future!
- Alaffia
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Alaffia is a sustainable skin and haircare business that sells shampoos and body washes at an affordable price. The products contain rich ingredients like shea butter and coconut oil, which are sourced from West Africa. Additionally, their Authentic African Black Soap won a “Good Housekeeping Sustainable Packaging Award” in 2019, which you can buy at Whole Foods or Amazon. Their goal is to ensure African resources empower communities, alleviate poverty, and encourage gender equality throughout the world.
- Oui the People
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Oui the People is a body-care company that focuses primarily on selling the best quality razors for women, body gloss, shower moisturizer, and bikini-line masks. They aim to go against the grain and create a razor for women, rather than a “men’s razor dressed in pink.” They have designed these razors and other products to nourish bodies instead of trying to perfect a woman’s body. While these razors are a little pricey, their long-lasting steel materials go a long way, and ultimately will not end up in a landfill like the plastic razors from your local drugstore.
- The Honey Pot
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The Founder, Bea Dixon started making feminine products because she was suffering from bacterial vaginosis for months. Now she has created a business that sells anything from feminine wipes and body wash to pads, tampons and menstrual cups. It definitely takes an incredible woman to create awesome and healthy products women! Bea and her company have partnered with Happy Period, an organization that provides menstrual hygiene kits to those who are homeless, low income, or living in poverty. All of her products are made with 100% natural ingredients that include no chemicals, toxins, artificial fragrances, and are even gynecologist-approved! In addition, her products are biodegradable and cruelty-free, which is just the icing on top of the cake!
- Undefined Beauty
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Undefined Beauty’s CEO Dorian Morris, or as she calls herself the “(Sh)EO,” founded a botanical and CBD-powered beauty brand to introduce the benefits of cannabis in skin care as well as infusing social purpose into the industry by highlighting the social justice crisis of cannabis-related incarceration of people of color. As if her beautiful serums, gelees, and sugar scrubs did not already lure you in, the amazing cause definitely will!
- Black Girl Sunscreen
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After becoming frustrated with the unflattering white residue caused by most sunscreens, Black Girl Sunscreen founder Shontay Lundy created a line of moisturizing sunscreen for women of color in 2016. These sunscreens contain nourishing and rich ingredients like jojoba and avocado, resulting in no greasy, white residue ranging from SPF 30 to SPF 50, and can easily be paired with makeup. This business started in Nigeria and is now international, is also featured in Essence Magazine, and appearing in Target!
- Priscas Art
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Priscas Art is a wearable Afrocentric art business that uses African fabrics, Ankara prints, and batik designs to make aprons, bonnets, turbans, and more recently, COVID-19 masks! They even sell a mask to help prevent glasses from getting fogged up, so grab one while we are in this pandemic!
- Aromaology
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Aromaology offers a large selection of handmade hair and body items, as well as soy candles and massage oil. With every purchase, a portion of the funds help the organization plant a tree in Haiti and Tanzania in collaboration with ForestNation, and are already working to plant 1000 trees!