Black-Owned Businesses in Connecticut See Benefits from Rapid Growth of Web Hub

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A free, entirely volunteer-run, not-for-profit website in Connecticut is encouraging consumers to “shop Black” during Black History Month. The site, launched last summer, has experienced rapid seven-fold growth, and now lists nearly 1,300 Black-owned businesses from every county in Connecticut.

ShopBlackCT.com, which started in July with a listing of 175 businesses, has quickly become the “go-to” online community for finding, supporting and connecting to Connecticut’s Black-owned businesses. Currently, businesses in nearly half of Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns are already included on the site.

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“It’s incredible to see how quickly this platform has grown,” observed site founder and co-contributor Sarah Thompson. “It’s all thanks to volunteers and partners who have stepped up to help spread the word. It’s been such an amazing ripple effect of people wanting to create change and make a difference.”

Business owners featured on the site are seeing positive results – in recognition, and business.  And the variety of businesses – nearly everything, from piano instruction to restaurants, contractors to home care, fitness to insurance – is noteworthy for its breadth and geographic reach. 

“ShopBlackCT.com has been a blessing for our business,” said Your CBD Store owner Nakia Kearse of Simsbury. “[It’s] 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."

By choosing to support Black-owned businesses, consumers can contribute to shrinking the racial wealth gap, fostering local job creation, and tackling systemic racism, operators of the site noted.

“It takes all of us to create this shift. We all need to make intentional choices about how we’re choosing to allocate our dollars, not only during Black History Month but for all of the other months of the year,” Thompson urged.

The site is user-friendly and visually engaging, offering visitors opportunities to browse by town or category and includes feature write-ups about many of the business listings.  In addition to the many business categories represented, Black-owned nonprofits are also included on the site.

Many businesses are also featured in the ShopBlackCT.com blog, which helps visitors learn about the businesses’ stories, and the people behind them. ShopBlackCT.com volunteers also provide free photography and marketing support for these businesses.

 “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,” explained Khamani Harrison of The Key Bookstore in Hartford.

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The mission of ShopBlackCT.com is to challenge structural racism and transform the legacy of economic and social inequity in the U.S. by providing a platform to drive business to and awareness of local Black-owned businesses. There is no fee for businesses to list their information or receive support from ShopBlackCT.com.

For Reginald White of The Crab Shack King – A Touch of Soul, as with many others, sales have increased.

“Without ShopBlackCT.com I wouldn't have that big showcase I have now. My business has increased 15%," he pointed out.