Black-owned business

When Dianne Austin was diagnosed with breast cancer, she never imagined having a hard time securing natural and textured wigs for herself for her medical hair loss in cancer center boutiques. Out of this difficult lived experience, she and her sister, Pamela Shaddock, decided to disrupt this health care disparity and become the co-founders of Coils to Locs.

The crowd roared in applause and cheers as Pinky Cole Hayes came out to greet the audience, dancing to “Back That Thang Up,” by hip-hop artist Juvenile, as the keynote speaker for the 2024 Mass Black Expo conference, “Building Black Wealth, Empowering Black Voices,” held last weekend.

Pam and David Griffin, the husband-and-wife chocolatier team behind the Black-owned Chocolate Therapy, consistently push confectionary boundaries with bold and inventive chocolate recipes.

Since 2012, the owner of Larry J’s BBQ Cafe, Larry Jimerson, has provided Bostonians with mouthwatering barbecue.

Capital is the lifeblood of any business, as every businessperson knows. But for many small-business owners of color, access to capital can be a challenge.

Black business ownership is growing at the fastest pace in 30 years, and the share of Black households owning a business has more than doubled, from 5% to 11% between 2019 and 2022, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Nubian Markets, a café, halal butchery and grocery store that opened in Nubian Square in May, is a business built to reflect and serve the Roxbury community. The café serves a menu inspired by the flavors of the African diaspora, the grocery shelves are lined with products from Black- and brown-owned businesses and the café dining room transforms into a community meeting space.

Traffic was shut down along Washington Street between Palmer and Eustis Streets in Roxbury Saturday afternoon to make way for Black Market Nubian’s third annual Buy the Block Party — an event that celebrated Black Music Appreciation Month and the area’s creative contributions to hip-hop over the past 50 years.

Minority-owned businesses won contracts worth $217 million from Massachusetts state agencies last year, a jump of more than $50 million from the year before, according to new data from the state’s Supplier Diversity Office.

Nia Grace, owner of Darryl’s Corner Bar & Kitchen in Roxbury, opens a vibrant, glamorous jazz club and restaurant in the Seaport this week in collaboration with Big Night.

Though there’s still the Thanksgiving meal to prepare and fall foliage lingering around Boston, it’s officially November, which means holiday shopping season has begun. Get a head start on your loved ones’ wish lists with these products from local Black-owned businesses.