In celebration of Black History Month, we wanted to help our Hippo family be able to easily find and support Black entrepreneurs that are in the home space. Instead of turning to that big-name retailer, your money can support a Black-owned business; preferably a local one. By strengthening more Black-owned businesses, you can personally contribute to job creation for Black people but also help shrink the racial wealth gap.
Keep reading for some top-ranking websites and apps that will help you find Black-owned businesses, either locally or specifically for the products you are searching for to make your home as comfortable as possible.
Black Owned Biz
A great first place to check is blackownedbiz.com. This easy-to-navigate site allows you to search over 12,000 Black-owned businesses, with new businesses being added daily. From hand-poured candles to environmentally friendly pest control companies, Black Owned Biz can quickly find what you are looking for.
Black Business Green Book
This popular site, created by the nonprofit civil rights advocacy organization, Color of Change, is a directory of Black-owned businesses that allows you to search by product, service, and even by state. Maybe just feel like browsing? You can click Home Goods and quickly see which local or national companies you should know about the next time you need a little retail therapy. Have a favorite Black-owned business you can’t find on Black Business Green Book that you think more people should know about? You can submit that business HERE.
Shop Black Owned
Shop Black Owned is an open-source tool that was created by the team at Coast and Janet Gardner that allows you to search Black-owned businesses by city. This tool provides a wider visibility to these areas’ businesses by connecting customers to businesses they may or may not have intentionally searched. Don’t see your city listed? Shop Black Owned allows you to suggest cities you would like to see as well as the ability to submit your favorite Black-owned businesses.
I Am Black Business
This website and mobile application’s main purpose is to “empower and uplift the Black businesses that already exist.” It is an easy-to-use directory where you can search for specific services, by location or the ability to browse and discover new Black-owned businesses in your area. Joseph Guster created I Am Black Business as a solution for Black entrepreneurs as well as the customers that want to support them.
Miiriya
Pronounced Me-ree-ya, this website, and the app allow you to shop for Black-owned businesses all in one place, like Amazon or Etsy. Whether you are searching for something specific or home decor in general, Miiriya’s goal is to create a very convenient way for shoppers to seamlessly find their next favorite Black-owned business.
The Official Black Wall Street
OBWS for short is the largest digital platform where customers can find, review and support Black-owned businesses. Not only does OBWS offer a very robust listing of Black-owned businesses, the website, and mobile application also help you spend wisely by showing special offers, daily deals, and any sales that you may be interested in while shopping around. Functioning similarly to a few other sites and applications makes this an easy to share find with parents and the not-so-technically savvy looking to support Black-owned businesses.
Your favorite sites
Already have a few sites that you turn to when you are shopping for home services or decor? Not to worry! They may be doing their part to support Black-owned businesses in their network. Websites like Etsy have a specific landing page for Black-Owned Shops that will help you to quickly find your favorite shower steamer spa bundle or large art piece for your newly redecorated bedroom. Take the time on your favorite sites to check if they are supporting Black-owned businesses by checking the search function or the drop-down menu. If they aren’t, consider trying one of the above directories and making it your new favorite site.
Free support
After you decide on your favorite Black-owned cleaning products and which application you keep on your phone to help you find Black-owned businesses in your area we also thought we would let you know how you can support Black-owned small businesses without spending any money at all.
- Visit their website- Just jump on your favorite company’s website, click around a bit, read their blog if they have one and give them some feedback if you think need it. Not only will just your presence and clicks help with their SEO (search engine optimization) but your suggestions can help them optimize their site’s user experience. Don’t forget to sign up for their newsletter while you are there!
- Take the time to rate & review- People do their research when making purchases and customer reviews are some of the most trusted information they are looking for. Whether it is a salon, coffee roaster, or pet toy, leaving a rating and a review not only helps people know that the product is worth their investment but again, can help with the companies searchability online.
- Connect & engage on social media- Following, sharing, and most importantly, engaging with your favorite Black-owned businesses on your favorite social media platforms is a wonderful way to support them beyond your wallet.
This was just a start to get you some at-the-ready resources to educate your shopping adventure and help you to support Black-owned businesses year-around. While it isn’t an exhaustive list by any means, supporting Black-owned businesses can be hard if you don’t know where to find them but now, with the help of technology and some forward-thinking Black entrepreneurs, supporting Black-owned businesses is as easy as a quick search.
