Campaign connects customers with Black-owned businesses in Halifax
7 entrepreneurs will contribute a product to a sampler bag of goods that will be available for sale
At a time when many people are seeking ways to support Black-owned businesses, a non-profit group in Halifax has come up with a way to help seven Black entrepreneurs reach more customers.
The Buy Black Halifax campaign was organized by the non-profit group ACCE HFX, which stands for Arts, Community, Culture, Economics.
"We said, 'There's this want to give, but how can we amplify a want into a relationship with a business?'" said co-founder Bradley Daye.
The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month has led many more people to look for ways to invest in Black communities.
Organizers of Buy Black Halifax are putting together 300 bags for sale that will contain products from seven different Black-owned businesses from around Halifax. The idea is that people who purchase the bags will sample products from each business and consider shopping from them in the future.
The price hasn't been settled on, but should be somewhere between $100 and $120, although the value of the goods is about $200 when purchased individually.
The businesses and types of products include:
- Delectable Desserts — cakes and cookies.
- R&B Kitchen — soul food such as mac and cheese, jerk chicken and oxtail.
- tREv Clothing — fashion and lifestyle design.
- Bad Publicity — cosmetics and eyelash extensions.
- Bailly Fragrance — vegan and cruelty-free fragrances.
- Queens & Kings Natural Products — whipped shea butter, beard oil and sugar scrubs.
- Sankofa Afrikan Gifts — jewelry, clothing and kente cloth face masks.
Black business owners like Ashley Miranda (Lorde) say they struggle to break in outside of their home communities, which is one reason why Miranda said she joined the ACCE campaign.
She's the owner and CEO of Bad Publicity Cosmetics, a business she began three years ago that sells makeup and eyelash extensions.
"I find, being a Black female entrepreneur, it's kind of hard to reach certain levels of audience because you're so stuck into your own zone, your own community. It's hard for networking purposes," she said.
"They feel like maybe you're not smart enough, or maybe you didn't have schooling for it, or maybe you're just not equipped for this," she said.
In addition to expanding her customer base, Miranda hopes other Black entrepreneurs and young women will see her success and be inspired.
"I also want to be a role model for the young girls out here, just to let them know that no matter what you do you can follow your dreams. No matter how slow it may move, or how fast it may move, or how much competition you think you have out there, just believe in yourself and believe in your brand."
Community support fund
Daye said it was tough to select businesses to contribute to the bags. ACCE began with a list of roughly 100 businesses that have products that could be offered.
He hopes to repeat the Buy Black Halifax bag, highlighting different businesses in the future.
Daye said ACCE hasn't yet laid out exactly what criteria the funds will be used for, but the compassion fund will be for immediate community needs like scholarships or school supplies, while the business growth fund will help people who want to start a new business or work on an existing small to medium-size business.
ACCE will also accept direct donations to the two funds in addition to the bag sales.
The organization will spend June 17-23 promoting the bags and sales will go live on June 24.
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