Voluntary Initiative Aims to Boost Connecticut's Black-Owned Businesses

The volunteer-run website SHOPBLACKCT.com launched just one month ago and is quickly gaining notice as the state’s leading Black business guide. At the start of August, the website already had amassed more than 800 business listings from 76 cities and towns across a broad range of business categories.

ShopBlackCT.com provides a free platform for Black-owned businesses in Connecticut to list for free, receive pro bono marketing support and even have their businesses featured on the ShopBlackCT.com blog, according to organizers of the initiative formed to propel the website. The site also provides opportunities for Black business owners to share their expertise.

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.” Among the values cited by organizers are Collaboration, Diversity, Service, Excellence and Empowerment.

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. Business categories range from Automotive to Wellness, and include Restaurants, Pet Services, Realtors, Insurance, Fitness, Bridal, Technology, Travel and Desserts. Black-owned nonprofits are also included on the site.

Many businesses listed on the site are in Hartford, New Haven, Fairfield and Middlesex counties, and the volunteer team of 30 that runs the site are looking to continued growth, including into Tolland, Windham, New London and Litchfield counties, to be representative of Black-owned businesses across the state. As the website points out, “SHOPBLACKCT.com is 100% volunteer-driven. This effort is about giving, lifting up others and expecting nothing in return.”

Sarah Thompson, the senior marketing and communications director at The Village for Families & Children, has been the driving force behind the initiative. She established the site, drawing on two decades of experience working in agency, media and community-based non-profit organizations.

"All a business owner has to do to get listed is to visit the site and click the button to submit a business," explained Thompson. "It's that easy."

August marks the annual observance of National Black Business Month, which has been taking place since 2004. It has been described as “a call-to-action for local government officials, community leaders, and investors to focus efforts on creating inclusive environments where black-owned businesses can thrive.” Data indicate that the top three challenges facing Black business owners are capital or cash flow, marketing and advertising, and time management. The top three funding mechanisms to launch a business are cash, family or friends, and lines of credit. The leading industries are business services; health, beauty & fitness; food & restaurant; retail; and construction & contracting.

The newly launched Connecticut website features vivid, vibrant photography showcasing the listed businesses, much of it by photographer Corey Lynn Tucker. Among the other volunteers pitching in to build, grow and expand the site are Seshu Badrinath, Derek Bryant, Brenda De Los Santos, Alexandra Frisbie, Jaleith Gary, Leslie Gomez, Chris M. Johnson, Kerry Kincy, Maren Kuzmak-Carlson, and Jeff Mard. Volunteers also include Cassandra McKenna, Kristen McNevins, David Milton, Keisha Palmer, Gary Pope, Cheryl Pullins, Allison Reynolds, Fozoh Saliki, Deonte Smith, and Angel Thompson. The growing group of volunteers advancing the initiative also include Kris Thompson, Marshall Thompson, Sarah Thompson, Arianna Velez, Samantha Williams, Jaclyn Wilson, Ty Wrenn and Yvette Young.

One of the volunteers joined the effort after her own business joined the growing list. “We are a comprehensive corporate content development firm based in New Haven, explained Samantha Williams, President & CEO of Sam’s Word. “I assist entrepreneurs and small to mid-sized companies with their writing and social media management needs. After seeing one of my company's weekly email newsletters, Sarah Thompson contacted me to inquire about sharing my blogs on the ShopBlackCT platform. I thought this would be a great partnership opportunity, and I recently joined the ShopBlackCT team of content contributors.”

In a recent blog post on the site, Yvette Young commented that the site is important because “Systemic racism limits access to financial resources that would allow Black people to invest in themselves and their businesses. Once a Black individual is able to acquire the resources needed to start a business, they are then confronted with the numerous barriers linked to maintaining that business. There is not an equal playing field for Black-owned businesses…”