Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 12-19-17

Black Businesses
Shop These National Black Businesses This Holiday
Tis the season to buy gifts for your loved ones. So, here are some Black owned businesses na- tionwide to consider while spending your coins.
Part of that is knowing what these businesses are and what they sell. Well, look no longer, be- cause we have a list provided by The Black Business News Blog that lists 25 businesses to support this holiday season.
Apparel/ Shoes
ChubiiLine: Motivated to stop bullying, 10-year old Egypt (Ify) Ufele launched this unique apparel line which features t-shirts, hats, bags, and baby onesies. At the young age of just 5 years old, her grandmother began teaching her how to sew, and she prac- ticed by making clothes for her Barbie dolls.
Pretty Brown Girls: T- shirts, onesies and wristbands that promote a special mes- sage of self-love and empower- ment for daughters, granddaughters, nieces, sis- ters, etc. The organization also offers powerful workshops, events and curriculums for Blacks girls and young women.
Nagast Footwear: de- signs, manufactures and dis- tributes custom Black pride/ Afrocentric sneakers and ath- letic footwear for men and women. Their designs include the Marcus Garvey shoe and The Nat Turner “African Runner Shoe”.
Aminah Abdul Jillil: Born and raised in An- chorage, Alaska, this former professional dancer turned shoe entrepreneur launched her women’s shoe collection in 2012. Her dancing career, per- forming with top stars like Britney Spears and Janet Jackson, led to another cre- ative field, selling designer shoes in Los Angeles bou- tiques and also online.
Gabby Bows: The first of its kind, double-faced, double snap barrette hair accessory created by mother and daugh- ter team, Rozalynn and 8- year old Gabrielle Goodwin.
Gregory Sylvia Hand Bags: This designer handbag company was co-founded by Gregory and Terri “Sylvia” Pope. The husband-wife team started their company in Char- lotte, North Carolina and are known for their luxury, ele- gant handbags crafted from fine leather.
Designed by Don Neck- wear: an exclusive neckwear company, based in Rialto, Cal- ifornia, that specializes in Afrocentric ties made of 100% jacquard silk. Founded in 1991 by African American entrepre- neur Don L. Griggs, the com- pany produces a superior quality line of men’s neckwear and cufflinks that reflect ele- gance and cultural signifi- cance.
Black History Bow- ties: the only online destina- tion that sells vintage printed bowties featuring African American heroes! Based in San Diego, California, their unique bowties are hand- crafted to perfection, made with premium 100% double- brushed cotton and polyester. Even more, they will look amazing on you when you get suited up!
Reach Robotics: Created by a young Nigerian entrepre- neur, these innovative gaming robots intertwine gaming with education for Science, Tech- nology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The robots are con- trolled via a smartphone app and are available in Apple stores worldwide.
Trinity Designs: This Texas-based doll maker began making African American dolls in 2001. Their product line includes dolls that capture the image and character of the African American sorority sis- ter, as well as adult, collectible dolls, which can be purchased online.
Uzuri Kid Kiz: This doll maker is based in Columbus, Ohio, and has been making dolls that reflect the African American culture since 1997. For a Black themed birthday party or dance party, checkout the balloons and party favors.
The Black Business News Blog reports:
Desserts/ Snacks
CamiCakes Cup- cakes: These yummy cup- cakes were the inspiration of African American entrepre- neur Andra Hall. She named the cupcakes after her daugh- ter Camille and includes over 25 different varieties like sweet potato, banana cream, salted caramel, red velvet and more. Order online or visit one of her 7 locations in Florida and Georgia. One location in Florida is Orange Park. 1910 Wells Rd, Orange Park, FL 32073
The Black Cake Com- pany: Caribbean rum cakes are the specialty at this bakery. They use fresh ingredients and recipes that have been handed down for generations. The company has been around since 1987 and ships cakes around the world.
Symphony Chips: Cre- ated by an Atlanta-based fa- ther and his 2 daughters, this company produces healthy po- tato chips with all-natural in- gredients that are both delightful and memorable.
Beverages
Jin+Ja: a revitalizing, anti-inflammatory and metab- olism boosting tea brand that was started in the summer of 2009 by entrepreneur Reuben Canada. He initially made the drinks for himself and for friends, but then real- ized that he had something bigger on his hands.
Ellis Island Tea: Ellis In- finity Beverage Company was founded in 2008 by Nailah Ellis-Brown. Their specialty is Ellis Island Tropical Tea, an all natural, hibiscus tea with a Jamaican blend. The recipe came from the founder’s great- grandfather and is now pro- duced in Detroit, Michigan. You can buy it at Whole Foods.
Me and the Bees Lemonade: Founded by 10- year old, Mikaila of Austin, Texas, when she was only four years old when she opened her lemonade stand, using her great-grandmother’s recipe. She called it Sweet Bee lemon- ade but has since changed the name to Me and the Bees Lemonade. You can buy it at Whole Foods.
Bee D’Vine: a popular brand of honey wine that was created by entrepreneur Ayele Solomon after he real- ized that flowering trees in Ethiopia were an ideal source of nectar and pollen that bees use to make valuable honey. This set him on a quest to bet- ter understand the art and business of creating honey wine. He evaluated production in Ethiopia and South Africa but settled on the world-class wine region of Sonoma – not far from where he grew up – using California honey for the first varietals.
Naturalicious: Founded by entrepreneur Gwen Jim- mere, this Detroit-based company produces and sells non-toxic hair care products. They also donate a large por- tion of their profits to Services to Enhance Potential (STEP), an organization that helps find employment opportunities for men and women with special needs.
CURLS, LLC: Entrepre- neur Mahisha Dellinger founded CURLS in 2002 in Elk Grove, California. They are a leader in the natural hair care industry and use only cer- tified organic ingredients in their products. The product can be found in Wal- greens and CVS stores in Tampa.
Shea Moisture: This com- pany produces all-natural products for the hair, skin, bath and body products, cos- metics and products for both women and men. The inspira- tion came from their grand- mother, Sofi Tucker, who sold Shea Butter, African Black Soap and her homemade hair and skin preparations.
Alice Inc: This amazing skincare company specializes in crafting affordable, hand- made creams, oils, butters and soaps for all types of natural hair and skin. Their top ingre- dients include coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil and other essentials to help your natural hair and skin thrive.
BLAC Minerals: This company specializes in all nat- ural makeup for women of color. All their products are free from animal testing, FD&C synthetic lakes and dyes, phthalates, parabens, sulfates, propylene glycol, benzene, mineral oil, petro- leum, peanut oil, triclosan, and other chemicals.
Hair/ Skin Care
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