The Pew Research Center revealed the latest information on Black-owned businesses in the U.S. in a newly released report this week.
According to the report, there has been an increase in Black-owned businesses in recent years. Drawing from the latest information from the Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey, the fact tank stated that there were roughly 140,000 businesses under Black ownership in 2020; the number is a 14% increase from the 124,000 that existed in 2017.
The new report comes shortly after their latest survey found that almost six-in-ten Black adults agree that these new businesses are key for moving towards equality in the U.S.
In celebration of the growing businesses, here are five new Black-owned businesses to support this month and the months after.
- Aya Paper Co.: Launched in 2019 by graphic designer SaVonne Anderson, Aya Paper Co. is a brand that specializes in creating sustainable greeting cards that have an emphasis on the Black experience. Featured in lists by Time, Forbes, Marie Claire and Allure, this all-Black women-led company has products for all types of events, from birthdays to graduations to everyday affirmations. Priced at $5, each card is eco-friendly and made from 100% recycled material using 100% renewable green energy.
- Soulful Vibes Co.: Less than five years old, this Black women-owned company specializes in offering customers what they need for their own spiritual healing. Created by Sunny and TJ Brooks, the brand stemmed from a Jet stone Sunny had found in the Bahamas that she credits with helping her deal with getting out of a toxic relationship. Soulful Vibes Co. provides a variety of products, including sage, chakra kits and crystal sets.
- Zoezi Sport: Founded by Howard graduate and show host Yvonne Bulimo, Zoezi Sport is a clothing company that came from Bulimo’s inability to find sporting brands to “connect with” upon returning to her birthplace in Kenya. Featuring the Kenyan spirit in designs, Bulimo’s company focuses on addressing this by mixing together culture, modernity and creativity to create fitness wear that is representative of Africa as a whole. The brand has clothing for both men and women, offering everything from leggings to sports bras to sweatpants to swimwear.
- The Little Boho Bookshop: Open since 2017, The Little Boho Bookshop is a bookstore run by businesswoman and Vice President, Director of Special Markets at publishing company Penguin Group, Sandra Dear. Located in Bayonne, NJ, The Little Boho Bookshop offers a variety of titles for adults but has a special focus on titles for kids, pre-teens and young adults; according to Dear, her main mission is to make sure reading through print is still fun for the younger generations. More than seven million titles from genres like fiction, biographies and nonfiction are available in the bookstore and its online site.
- Laws of Nature Cosmetics: Launched in 2015 by visual artist Jasmine Rose, Laws of Nature Cosmetics is a beauty brand that specializes in creating products using all-natural materials. After learning that her mother was diagnosed with metastatic Breast Cancer, Rose started to look at the products she used and found that there weren’t foundations free of parabens and mercury to suit her new all-natural lifestyle. After experimenting, she was able to create her own formula that would be the basis of Laws of Nature Cosmetics’ first product, the Crème Foundation. Since then, the company’s success has allowed it to expand with the brand announcing in 2021 that eye makeup essentials would also be available for purchase.
