ABOUT SHOPBLACKCT

ShopBlackCT is a volunteer initiative and not-for-profit website featuring 1,700+ Black-owned businesses ​in Connecticut.

Free to list. Free to browse.

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We're teaming up with The Key Bookstore to help Senior Girl Scout, Rhaili-Em Lowe, meet their goal of raising 150 diverse books for Hartford students. ShopBlackCT will match the first 50 book purchases through February! 📚🤎

THE VOTES ARE IN!
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE WINNERS!!

WINNERS:

Arts, Entertainment & Events: Royal Lilac Photo & Design
Food: Sugar & Cream Cake Studio
Health, Wellness & Beauty: DaddyButter
Retail: ReFramed By Nikki
Professional Services: Lauren Simone Publishing House
Non-Profit: Angel of Edgewood, Inc.

FEATURED BUSINESSES

Zeni Beauty®
MIDDLETOWN/EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

Photo: Corey Lynn Tucker Photography
Minna Murphy, owner of Zeni Beauty, has been helping people through the art of makeup for more than two decades and has a heart for helping everyone look and feel like the best versions of themselves.

HARTFORD LENDING HANDS
HARTFORD

Photo: Courtesy of Hartford Lending Hands
Latasha Townes, founder, director and owner of 501(c)3 non-profit Hartford Lending Hands, is on a mission to help families during the holidays and beyond—especially those who cannot afford to purchase toys, groceries or clothing.

ARTIC ICE JEWELRY
MANCHESTER

Photo: Sarah Thompson Photography
Rashee Russell, owner of Manchester-based business Artic Ice Jewelry, is making every customer she meets sparkle and she has one mission: to help spread joy and positivity, while making people feel great about themselves.

HIGH KEI BEAUTY
HARTFORD

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)
Keiwana Hanley, owner of lash extension, brow tinting and beauty product business High Kei Beauty, reminds everyone to also put themselves on their gift list in the midst of the busy holiday season. After all, self-care is the greatest gift out there.

BLACC BOTTLE
BRIDGEPORT/EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)
Bridgeport-based BLACC Bottle is not just a reusable water bottle company, it’s a lifestyle brand. Standing for “Bonafide Love Advancing Cultural Change,” the bottles serve as canvases to promote love, unity and positivity.

GO PLATINUM SERVICES
HARTFORD

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)
Tyshawn “FREEK” Robinson’s life hasn’t always easy. But now he’s working to flip the script about what it means to grow up in the inner city through his firearms training business Go Platinum Services in Hartford, Connecticut.

BRIDAL AFFECTION
HAMDEN

Photo: Terrence Irving Photography
​Imagine a place where brides are welcomed with open arms, greeted by personal stylists, and cared for every step of the way—even before they enter the doors. Bridal Affection in Hamden is just that.

HEAVENLY HAIR PRODUCTS
BRIDGEPORT/EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

Photo: Larianne Tide (Photography By LarJ)
It’s often said that there’s no love like a mother’s love. After Val McCray's mother suffered from hair loss due to worry over her daughter's health, a new product line was launched to help.

JUST MAD VEGGIES
OAKVILLE

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)
Having learned how to tend garden from his father at a young age, Elijah Boles always had a passion for growing fruits and vegetables. In December 2020, he launched Just Mad Veggies, an Oakville-based gardening and apparel business that, just like his garden, continues to grow.

LIFER FITNESS STUDIO
WEST HARTFORD

Photo: Leaja Johnson (Exhibit Leaja)
Debra Fountain has been in the fitness industry for over 25 years. Previously a personal trainer, group fitness instructor and fitness coach, she now owns LIFER Fitness Studio in West Hartford, Connecticut, where she offers cardio, strength training and yoga classes.

OVELLE COFFEE
EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

Photo: Seshu Badnirath (Connecticut Headshots)
On a visit to Jamaica during their honeymoon, Sasha and Ian Fay were so captivated by the smooth taste, the lack of acidity, chocolatey notes and the health benefits of Blue Mountain coffee that they decided to bring it back to Connecticut. In 2020, they launched their West Hartford home-based business.

GET IN WITH KIM
BRIDGEPORT

Photo: Larianne Tide (Photography By LarJ)
Kim Vendryes-Martin, owner of Get In With Kim, views real estate ownership as more than a transaction; it is a life experience that should be equally available to everyone. Her strength is helping people who may be afraid of commitment to real estate to understand that it can facilitate them to get what they want. 

SO BLACK CANDLE Co.
EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

Photo: Brenda De Los Santos Photography
Kylah Chadwick, owner and creative force behind online business So Black Candle Co., combined her love for candles with elements of Black culture to create the business in September of 2020.

UNIQUELY CLEANED
NAUGATUCK

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)
Uniquely Cleaned, a residential and commercial cleaning service based in Naugatuck, is a typical family business at heart--but the family that started it is pushing things beyond the norm.

CARROT TOP'S SWEET POTATO TREATS
EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

Photo: Larianne Tide (Photography By LarJ)
After Yolanda Hart made a sweet potato pie just like her mother used to make, and then a sweet potato cake from her great-grandmother's recipe, she started her businesses, Carrot Top's Sweet Potato Treats, where she now crafts heartfelt sweet treats for all.

GOLDEN ADORNS ARTISTRY
EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)
Instead of being stuck in a let-down of post-vacation blues, Alisha Moten used her experience as a catalyst and inspiration to launch her West Haven-based online business while on a four-month pandemic-induced job furlough in 2020.

BLING'D BY KAILA
EXCLUSIVELY ONLINE

Photo: Meghan Olson Photography
Shian Earlington is proof that the most beautiful diamonds are created under pressure. At just 20 years old, Earlington is a biochemistry major, community advocate, activist, K-12 STEM tutor, Get LIT Teens Podcast co-host and a business owner. 

THE GREEN ROOM
NEW LONDON

Photo: Brenda De Los Santos Photography
At The Green Room, it’s all about family. Co-owners Jonai Phillips, Tondra Bryant and Shakim Outler wanted to create something for their community by their community, where patrons could feel like they were at their home away from home.

SUPPORTING 1,775 businesses and growing!

95% of businesses owners surveyed said ShopBlackCT is helpful for CT Black-owned businesses.

83% reported more exposure, increase in sales or new connections to other business owners thanks to ShopBlackCT.
"Without ShopBlackCT.com I wouldn't have that big showcase I have now. My business has increased 15%."

- Reggie White, Crab Shack King, A Touch of Soul
​
“ShopBlackCT.com has been a real vessel for bringing visibility to our Black-owned businesses, giving us the services of taking pictures and doing articles that we can use as marketing material and share with our networks and theirs.”

- Khamani Harrison, The Key Bookstore
​
“They have dedicated their time and their resources to create a platform that has been very instrumental in the growth of my business and the growth of many other Black-owned businesses in Connecticut. A lot of times us small business owners don’t have the means to get our names out there, but this platform was created to do that. It was so needed.”

- Shawnee Rochester, Escape Massage & Esthetics Studio
​
“The positive image, the positivity coming out of ShopBlackCT.com is so powerful and such a great movement that as a Black-owned, veteran-owned business myself I get to show my sons this great positive image and I love it.”

- Chef Jay, Fud, Inc. & Baby J's Spices
"ShopBlackCT.com has been a blessing for our business. ShopBlackCT.com helped us gain greater exposure within our local area and started a conversation around our story, our value and how we were working to uplift our community." 
​
​- Nakia Kearse, Your CBD Store Simsbury
​
"Business has increased since the launch of ShopBlackCT.com. My BBQ bowl sales have jumped."
​
- James Hanton, The Singing Sliders
​

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOPBLACKCT BLOG

Taking Higher Education to Elevated Heights with New Online Drone Pilot Certification Course

Aquiline Drones, the nation’s only Black-owned drone manufacturing and technology company, has developed a comprehensive online drone pilot certification course that primes students of all ages to become drone service providers and business owners.

SHOPBLACKCT.COM, YWCA HARTFORD REGION JOIN FORCES TO DRIVE CONSUMERS TO LOCAL BLACK-OWNED BEAUTY BUSINESSES

The CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” is a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination, which is the denial of employment and educational opportunities because of hair texture or protective hairstyles including braids, locs, twists or bantu knots. To celebrate, many CT Black-owned businesses are offering a special discount through the end of March and we've got the list! 

MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN BLACK COMMUNITIES: DEFEATING THE STIGMA

By Rode Bataille
Mental Health America explains that “historical adversity, which includes slavery, sharecropping, and race-based exclusion from health, educational, social, and economic resources translates into socioeconomic disparities experienced by Black and African American people today.” Socioeconomic status, in turn, is linked to mental health: People who are impoverished, homeless, incarcerated, or have substance use problems are at higher risk for poor mental health.

THE ECONOMICS OF RACISM

By Yvette Young
People often ask, why does ShopBlackCT.com only focus on Black-owned businesses? The quick answer is because of the impact systemic racism has had on the Black community.

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SHOPBLACKCT IN THE NEWS

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