In 2024, Black-owned businesses faced significant challenges, from rising costs and gentrification to limited access to funding. Amid these obstacles, communities around the world rallied to provide crucial support.
Through flash mobs, crowdfunding, and organized shopping events, they helped Black-owned businesses weather financial hardships and highlighted the power of collective action.
Here are four examples of communities stepping up to make a difference.
The Sistah Shop – Atlanta
Image credit: Matrice Miller/ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Facing potential closure due to financial difficulties, The Sistah Shop, a retail space showcasing over 100 Black women-owned brands, received a lifeline from the community.
Entrepreneur Nehemiah Davis organized a flash mob in September that brought more than 150 supporters to the store, resulting in its most successful sales day.
feYi’s Flowers – London (UK)
Inage credit: Eni Awoyemi/ LinkedIn
When Eni Awoyemi, founder of feYi’s Flowers, discovered last month that a larger company had allegedly replicated her brand’s identity, she courageously spoke out. The Black British community responded with unwavering support, including Stormzy who bought over 100 of her flowers and Steven Bartlett amongst others.
Earnest Foods – Jamaica (NY)
Image Credit: Earnest Foods
Aleeia Abraham, founder of BlaQue Community Cares, has organized more than six cash mobs since 2021, including one at the Black-owned organic grocery store Earnest Foods.
In November 2024, her initiative, part of the BlaQue Resource Network, rallied local residents in Jamaica, New York, to support the store, giving it a significant economic boost.
Make My Cake Bakery – Harlem
Image credit: Evin Schwartz / Columbia Daily Spectator
Confronted with rising operating costs and declining foot traffic, the family-owned Make My Cake bakery in Harlem turned to the community for assistance.
The response was overwhelming, with locals contributing in November over $34,000 through a GoFundMe campaign. This outpouring of support enabled the bakery to continue its operations.
