8 Black Women-Owned Companies to Support Right Now
Tired of giving Amazon all your money? Try these Black women-owned business instead
It’s week 3 of the stay at home quarantine here in DC. If you’re like me, you’ve already eaten your entire stockpile of snacks and spent an inordinate amount of money on items you “need” to make your quarantine better. Hello, 12 pairs of animal print comfy socks.
At some point last week I realized I need to be more judicious with my spending. For me, that means buying less (obviously) but also choosing to buy from businesses I feel good about supporting. Since I’ve always been a fan of supporting businesses owned by Black women, I decided that’s where I’m going to concentrate my spending from now on when possible.
Being intentional with where our money goes is more important now than ever. COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on many small businesses. According to one study, 75% of small business owners said their businesses have been impacted by fewer sales and 51% say their businesses will only be able to continue to operate for 0-3 months.
And while I don’t have data for the impact on Black women-owned businesses specifically, outside of a global pandemic context Black women entrepreneurs already receive less funding—less than one percent of venture capital deals and lower loan amounts at higher interest rates than other founders. Despite this, one bright trend that I want to see continue: Black women entrepreneurs experienced the highest rate of growth from 2018-2019. I will do what I can to support that innovation, drive, and resilience.
With all this in mind, I put together a roundup of a few of the companies, products, and artists I’m currently using, wearing, and shopping. So, if you want to put your dollars towards supporting some incredible Black women take a look at the list below. Happy quarantine spending!
Quarantine apartment yoga — Yes, that’s me staying in crow! With my messy pineapple and #CoolAssBlackWoman t-shirt vibes (even though you can’t really see it, I’m wearing it!).
Cool Ass Black Woman.
I cannot get enough of the #CoolAssBlackWoman brand. I’m still fangirling from meeting the founder, Ashley N. Glaspie, at Oakland’s Black Joy Parade. #CoolAssBlackWoman is a platform—a safe space for black women around the world to become vulnerable, find ways in seeing life from a different perspective, and provides support... Our intentions are to inspire self-love, solidarity, and spread awareness amongst black women everywhere.
My t-shirt is currently in my quarantine clothing rotation. I wear it about once a week. Every time I’ve worn this t-shirt during yoga, I swear I feel a bit stronger and can hit that crow pose—and stay there.
Forbes.com | Mented Founders
Founded by KJ Miller and Amanda Johnson. As their website says: “We created Mented Cosmetics because we believe every woman should be able to find herself in the world of beauty, no matter her skin tone.” I just ordered three tubes of different nude lipsticks. Yeah I’m not going anywhere for awhile but that doesn’t mean my lips can’t look fabulous while I binge Netflix comedy specials on the couch.
IG | @kinkycurlyofficial
I’m back to being obsessed with Kinky-Curly hair products founded by Shelley Davis. Kinky-Curly products are made with natural ingredients to strengthen, moisturize and nourish natural hair. And a portion of the proceeds from each sale is donated to Charity:Water to help build wells in developing countries. Keeping the curls looking good while doing good—I’m all in.
IG | @nudebarre
I love a good fishnet. CEO and founder, Erin Carpenter, created this brand of intimates made in 12 shades of nude to match every skin tone. These really aren’t necessary right now (unless you want to put on a living room cabaret, which now I might) but bookmark their site and thank me later when you’re out in your flawless fishnets.
Facebook | @PoshCandleCo
Need to refresh your space? These soy candles have rave reviews for their fresh scents and catchy names. According to their website, Bad and Bougie is a sweet and sensual floral scent with hints of nectarine, honeysuckle, rose and sandalwood while the Black Girl Magic candle is an irresistible blend of brown sugar, coconut, honey, gold and a little spice. I’ve discovered that meditation and yoga by candlelight is so much better. I feel like I’m in a zen space yoga studio instead of the open space between the kitchen island and the laundry closet (see photo for of me above). Bonus: they’re cruelty free, vegan, and founder Tay Williams has a great story behind the company.
The Slap is the satin lined beanie created by Grace Eleyae that debuted in 2014 and has been a feature on natural hair sites since. It claims to retain moisture with its satin-lining, stay on your head at night via the signature elastic band, and is fashionable enough to wear outside. Now, Grace Eleyae makes other silk and satin-lined products to protect natural hair, including these cute turbans and headbands. I don’t currently have a Slap but given the amount of time I’m spending napping these days I’m seriously considering getting one. And it looks cute enough to wear outside….when I can go outside again.
IG | @viottycollection
Make your walls more interesting with beautiful art that celebrates black culture, artists, and history. The Viotty Collection is a woman-led brand that designs illustrations and prints focused on Black artistry with sustainability in mind. It features the work of artist Sam Viotty with bright colors, collages, and bold shapes that are visually engaging. Seriously, if you’re going to be stuck inside 24/7 do yourself a favor and transform your space with a print or two.
IG | @black.girl.rites
Starting your side hustle during quarantine? Need a website? Focus on getting your business off the ground while Brooklyn-based creative by j. founder, Jessica Charles, focuses on getting your brand identity and website together so you can show off what you do. I’m currently working with her to do a full redesign of this site and build my other site AlexisCharles.com (coming soon!). After seeing the mockups I can’t wait for them to launch. I’m about to have a whole new look—clean, fresh, and modern. And she’s multitalented: Jessica is also a playwright. She’s the most recent fellow of NYC Liberation Theatre Company’s Writing Residency Program, and her work has been presented in theaters around the world from Brooklyn, NY to London, UK. Check her out on IG: @black.girl.rites Full disclosure: Jessica is my sister 👯♀️.
For more businesses owned by black women—millennial black women, specifically—check out this article from Black Enterprise.