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This holiday season, shoppers are planning to spend their dollars at businesses that have shown similar social values — particularly treating their employees well — throughout the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent survey by consulting firm Accenture. And 40% plan to support minority-owned businesses in particular.
Though small businesses of all stripes have been hit hard throughout the pandemic, Black-owned small businesses have suffered disproportionately, according to an August analysis from the Federal Reserve. Not only are they often located in neighborhoods that were harder hit by Covid-19, they also had a harder time getting federal hardship loans through the Paycheck Protection Program than businesses owned by White people.
Here are some resources will make supporting Black-owned businesses seamless this holiday season.
How to find local Black-owned businesses
Color Vision, Support Black Owned and WeBuyBlack are organizations that have compiled lists of Black-owned businesses across the U.S. and can be a good place to start. The Fifteen Percent Pledge, a nonprofit that encourage retailers like Macy's and Sephora to dedicate at least 15% of their shelf space to Black companies, has also compiled a 2020 gift guide of Black-owned businesses across the U.S.
Additionally, there are sites that list neighborhood businesses in specific cities across the country so it's easier for residents to shop locally.
Here are a few in major U.S. cities (if you don't live near these cities, you can still order gifts online or Google search "[your town] Black-owned businesses"):
- Atlanta
- Brooklyn
- Chicago
- Detroit
- Houston
- Kansas City
- Los Angeles
- Minneapolis
- Philadelphia
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Seattle
- Washington D.C.
Black Nation and Official Black Wall Street are apps that helps connect users to Black-owned businesses, and EatOkra is a guide to Black-owned restaurants specifically, which have also been hard hit over the past nine months.
Money Report
You can also search #BuyBlack or #BlackOwnedBusiness on Instagram or Twitter, where you'll find hundreds of posts from people across the U.S. sharing their own lists of Black-owned bookstores, beauty brands, boutiques, restaurants and more.
Finally, don't forget to leave a review or post your own picture of your new purchases. More Yelp reviews have been linked directly to revenue growth, according to Brookings, and social media posts can lead others to the same shops.
Check out:
- Small businesses are in 'survival mode' as pandemic rages on
- Americans rally to support black-owned businesses hit by two crises
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