ShopBlackCT - Black-Owned Business Guide

ABOUT SHOPBLACKCT

ShopBlackCT is a volunteer initiative and not-for-profit website featuring 2,000 Black-owned businesses in Connecticut.

Free to list. Free to browse.

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AND THE WINNERS ARE...

CONGRATULATIONS!

Arts, Entertainment & Events: Royal Lilac Photo & Design
Professional Services: B&A Benefit Solutions
Food: The Wright Slice of Cheesecake
Health, Wellness & Beauty: FLYY Movement
Retail: Brosu Boutique
Non-Profit: Hartford Lending Hands

NEW TO THE SHOPBLACKCT BLOG:

Submitted by Natural Annie Essentials

Kemistry Media Lab Presents: Welcome to the Beauty Booth - A Unique Beauty and
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Submitted by Natural Annie Essentials

UNLEASHING YOUR BUSINESS'S FULL POTENTIAL: HOW HOSTIG EVENTS CAN BOOST YOUR REVENUE

FEATURED BUSINESSES

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Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)

18-year-old James Judkins of Hartford, Connecticut was looking for a meaningful way to spread positivity into the world. He made the discovery with the opening of his online clothing brand of street gear he calls Free Therapy.

Photo: Blu Alys Photography

Look out, all you health-conscious consumers and smoothie bowl lovers—there’s a new acai in town! Playa Bowls announced its grand opening in April 2023 in Avon, marking the third Playa Bowls location in Connecticut for Mitch Jackson.

Photo courtesy of Infinite Beauty Bar/Aphrodite's Mane

With a passion to make a difference by helping men and women feel good about themselves, owner of Infinite Beauty Bar and Aphrodite’s Mane DeAndrea Abrahams is doing it all at her modern West Hartford salon—hair, braids, weaves, facials, lash extensions, teeth whitening, waxing, and she will soon offer makeup and nail services.

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)

Nasha Rhone purchased her first home—a condominium in Bristol, Connecticut—at the young age of 22. She quickly realized the empowerment, stability and equity that was afforded to her through homeownership and then discovered her urge to share the experience with others.

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)

Waterbury-based Deeper View Homemakers and Companion Services was launched in 2018 after co-owners Josephine Ahiati and Solomon Darko noticed a trend in caregiving companies they had encountered.

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)

While her day job kept her busy, at night Fendi Bentley-Samuels and her 10-year-old stepdaughter JuLynn Samuels enjoyed doing their nails together. That’s when inspiration struck and not long after, they launched a new business together.

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)

Khaiim Kelly, better known as RapOet, does it all—he is a creativity and culture teacher, poet, artist, inspirational public speaker and even Hartford’s first city troubadour. In all he does, his community-minded spirit and exceptional talent leads the way.

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)

When Tequanna Tyson was a little girl, she remembers her grandmother, a Southern woman, cooking all the time. She never dreamed of owning her own restaurant, but is now serving up fresh, home-cooked meals at Tequanna's Soul Food & Sweets!

Photo: Shariffah Mason (Reef's Views)

As soon as you walk through the doors into FLYY Zumba®, you are drawn into what's known as the FLYY experience. Sistah Anyangō energizes those in attendance by calling out, in traditional African Call and Response form, and the attendees respond.

Photo: Larianne Tide (Photography By LarJ)

Fashion has always been Brittany Rae’s first passion. So much so that in 2021, she made it her full-time career and opened Richual Boutique—pronounced "ritual"—in Bridgeport, Connecticut, a curated thrift, vintage clothing and accessories shop.

Photo: Brenda De Los Santos Photography

Dan Jenkins always had big shoes to fill. His father was Norwich's first Black police officer and his grandfather opened the first Black-owned business in the city in 1950s. For him, carrying on his family’s legacy of serving his community would be through teaching karate.

Photo: Leaja Johnson (Exhibit Leaja)

Jerae Williams, owner of Dripavellis Mobile Clothing Store, knew from an early age that he had a natural gift for fashion. Now, his mobile shop is breaking boundaries and surprising customers at every event since turning the first corner.

MORE FEATURED BUSINESSES

SUPPORTING 2,000 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

VIEW EVENTS

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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