FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2023

AHEAD OF JUNETEENTH, SBS ANNOUNCES 3,300+ BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES FEATURED IN ONLINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY

New Yorkers Encouraged to ‘Shop Black’ on Second Annual Observance of Juneteenth Holiday in NYC

NEW YORK – The New York City Department of Small Businesses Services (SBS) unveiled its enhanced citywide directory of Black-owned small businesses, Shop Black NYC, today as a part of the City’s broader celebration of Black culture and heritage ahead of the Juneteenth holiday.

The directory is an initiative of SBS’s Black Entrepreneurs NYC (BE NYC).

Shop Black NYC enables New Yorkers to search for businesses by goods/services, keywords, industry, and borough/neighborhood. Since launching in 2022, the directory has grown to showcase over 3,300 businesses. The directory serves as another tool intended to help entrepreneurs overcome the barriers that have historically kept Black-owned businesses from finding success by connecting them directly to their neighbors, while also encouraging other Black entrepreneurs to start small businesses in their communities.

Black-owned businesses are essential to the vitality and fabric of New York City, and Black entrepreneurship provides a pathway to generational wealth for Black families. While the Black community comprises 22% of the City’s population, Black entrepreneurs own just 2% of New York’s small businesses. Shop Black NYC not only allows consumers to find Black-owned businesses in their neighborhood, but also allows SBS and BE NYC to directly promote Black entrepreneurship, and help Black-owned businesses thrive and expand.

"The Shop Black NYC directory raises the visibility of Black-owned businesses, enriches the consumer experience, and highlights the diversity of New York’s world-class business corridors,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development Maria Torres Springer. “When we elevate our Black businesses we encourage other Black entrepreneurs to follow their dreams and invest in their communities."

"When we support our Black-owned small businesses, we support the entire City," said Kevin D. Kim, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. "The Shop Black NYC directory serves to boost Black entrepreneurship by encouraging New Yorkers and tourists alike to shop Black and shop local, which in turn allows our neighborhoods to grow and prosper as new businesses take root."

“Knowledge is power,” said Kenneth Ebie, Executive Director & Chief Development Officer of BE NYC. “With Shop Black NYC, we are empowering all New Yorkers with access to information on over 3,300 local Black-owned local businesses that they can support during this important holiday and throughout the year. Equally importantly, listed businesses will benefit from a direct pipeline of valuable information and business resources available from SBS, supporting their ability to survive, thrive and continue to enrich the fabric of our great City.”

"The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce is proud to partner with the New York City Department of Small Business Services as it announces that it has reached an outstanding milestone of having three thousand three hundred plus businesses to be listed on its Shop Black NYC Directory,” said Lloyd Williams, President of the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce. “Congratulations to the amazing SBS Commissioner Kevin Kim and his outstanding associate, Kenneth Ebie."

"As the most diverse community on earth, Black-owned businesses are a vital part of Queens' larger business community,” said Tom Grech, President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. “We applaud the Adams Administration and the Department of Small Business Services for launching the Shop Black NYC Directory, which raises the visibility of Black-owned businesses, helping them grow and thrive. We encourage all New Yorkers to use the directory to explore Black-owned businesses in their neighborhoods and throughout our city."

"Shop Black NYC is a terrific example of leveraging the convening power of city government to create value for all its residents,” said Wole Coaxum, founder and CEO of Mobility Capital Finance. “With this tool, every New Yorker can access some of the most exciting businesses in the Black community. There is no better way to strengthen our community than keeping dollars in our community, and Shop Black NYC makes that possible."

"The Journal of Black Innovation National Black Business Month has supported BE NYC as the national model and Shop Black NYC is proving the demand," said John William Templeton, founder and publisher of the Journal of Black Innovation. "New York has been rated as the top state in the 20th Black Business Affinity Index for the third consecutive year. As Chair of Central Brooklyn EDC, we will be adding to that total as we break ground on our new headquarters on June 30 with a Black woman developer, Ericka Keller of Brisa Builders, in the lead and team with One Brooklyn Health, Medger Evers College and Borough President Reynoso to stimulate the Pitkin-Belmont Corridor. BE NYC works with us like a hand in a glove."

“The super-urgent time and season is now, and we must move the needle forward for Black businesses in New York City if we are to close the widening economic gap,” said Reverend Dennis Dillon of the Christian Times. “This directory listing of some 3,300 Black-owned businesses is not only a great milestone, it’s a formidable feat and a great sign of progress. BE NYC, we commend you.”

“Visibility and awareness are key to small business growth,” said Dawn Kelly, founder and CEO of the Nourish Spot, a business featured in the Shop Black NYC directory. Brava to NYC Small Business Services for not only providing a solid foundation for us small business to lean on for invaluable assistance but for publishing and providing this rich resource for our fellow New Yorkers and tourists to review and take full advantage of all the myriad opportunities available to support black owned businesses and shop NYC.”

The launch of the directory comes ahead of the second citywide observance of the Juneteenth holiday which commemorates the arrival of federal troops in Galveston, Texas, to announce that all enslaved people were free. The holiday is widely considered to be the longest-running African American holiday in the United States.

To learn more about the directory and find local Black-owned businesses, visit nyc.gov/ShopBlack.

About the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information on all SBS services, go to nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About BE NYC

BE NYC, launched by the NYC Department of Small Business Services in 2019, is a first-of-its-kind model in a major American city to help address the racial wealth gap by empowering Black entrepreneurs. Through strategic public-private partnerships and innovative programs, BE NYC provides pathways to achieve systemic change by providing equitable access to financing, strengthening professional networks and advice, scaling Black businesses for long-term success, and preparing Black entrepreneurs for opportunities in high-growth industries. For more information, visit nyc.gov/benyc.