Celebrate Black-Owned Businesses

Black History Month traces its start to the efforts of Carter G. Woodson through the early to mid-20^th century to promote the study of Black history in American schools and universities. Today we dedicate each February to its observation. Here at Breeze, we are pleased to participate in Black History Month by celebrating Black-owned businesses across our travel destinations. Learn more about the businesses (listed by region) from the owners themselves:

2025

BLK Charleston – Charleston, SC

Miranda and Kenyatta Grimmage, are the proud founders of Black Charleston. You can find them on Instagram and TikTok at @blk_charleston. They are dedicated to amplifying local Black-owned businesses and promoting cultured Charleston experiences. Through their work, they continue to shine a spotlight on the excellence within Black entrepreneurship and foster economic growth within the community. They have made a significant impact in Charleston by expanding visibility across their community’s 50k+ combined supporters and beyond. They further their mission and reach through partnerships and collaborations and increase diversity in all spaces. Buy Local. Support Black-owned.

Lil Dizzy Cafe – New Orleans, LA

Lil Dizzy Cafe is a Creole soul food restaurant that is owned and operated by the third generation of the Baquet family. The Baquet family has been in the restaurant business since the 1940s. The eatery is well known for its gumbo, fried chicken and bread pudding.

7th + Grove – Tampa, FL

7th + Grove is a vibrant restaurant located in the heart of Tampa, Florida. Committed to providing their guests with a unique and memorable dining experience, featuring a menu inspired by Southern flavors with a modern twist. In addition to their main dining room, they also house Madame Fortune Dessert + HiFi Parlour, a hidden speakeasy located next door to 7th + Grove. This space is dedicated to Madame Fortune, an unsung Black pioneer who helped shape Tampa. This unique space offers a delightful selection of handcrafted desserts and specialty cocktails, all set to the backdrop of curated music.  

Trendsetters Dr. Jamaris Glenn and Khalilah McDuffie, Tampa natives who saw a void in their community, created both spaces for professionals to enjoy. They look forward to welcoming you to 7th + Grove and Madame Fortune soon. 

Sweet Desires – Vero Beach, FL

Sweet Desires Dessert Lounge and Sweet Desires Espresso Bar are proud to be Black-owned businesses that are more than food and coffee joints. They are spaces where culture, community, and connection come together. The owners are passionate about creating an atmosphere that welcomes everyone, celebrating diversity not only in their offerings but also through the music and experiences they share. Their journey reflects the strength of Black entrepreneurship and the joy of building something that brings people together in meaningful ways. They’re excited to showcase the heart of Sweet Desires and the people behind it. 

Corner Boys BBQ – Raleigh-Durham, NC

Corner Boys BBQ was founded by CEO and self-taught chef, James D. Sampson. Their mission is “We Feed The People” through food, with love, one bite at a time. What separates them from everyone else is the pride they take in a consistent product. If you see them out, stop and grab a plate! 

Bar Q – Norfolk, VA

Welcome to Bar-Q, where the art of southern barbecue meets innovative flavors! Their custom-built smokers bring to life hand-crafted dishes inspired by various regional styles. Each bite offers a delicious surprise, inviting you on a unique culinary journey. Come savor the smoke and fire that make every meal unforgettable! 

Pitmaster Jayme Campbell knows BBQ. Raised in the “Deep South”, he found a passion for bringing people together through wood, fire and smoke. He was taught by his grandmother, Venda Rea Campbell, cooking on a large open pit in the backyard. Listen to his stories about how she would buy whole cases of chicken, season them and cook them on a large outdoor open pit with a live fire. Today the passion is still lit in his soul, and it shows through the food that he serves. Long story short, his goal is to bring people closer together while enjoying a great meal through the ways of his upbringing. That’s what he feels he was placed on this earth to do – to make you smile. 

Funnel Cake Café – Las Vegas, NV

Braud's Funnel Cake Café, founded in 2006, began as a family-run pop-up tent at local festivals, offering just two flavors: Strawberry & Whip. Driven by a passion to bring funnel cakes to Las Vegas, Denette Braud eventually left her full-time job to grow the business. Since then, she and her family have taken the award-winning company to another level. 

Today, Braud's has expanded to a mobile concession trailer and caters to major corporations like Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders, Station Casinos, Pepsi, Marshalls Retail Group, and Caesars Palace. In 2017, they opened Nevada's first and only gourmet funnel cake café at Town Square Mall, serving 18 unique sweet and savory options alongside ice cream waffle bowls, floats, and beverages. 

Committed to giving back, their "Funnel Cakes for a Cause" program supports local and national non-profits, including Three Square Food Bank, Mastering Mindsets, St. Jude’s, Vegas Golden Knights Foundation, and Homes For Our Troops. 

Braud's Funnel Cake Café continues to delight customers while making a positive impact in the community. 

2024

Akron, Ohio

UNKNWN

Step into UNKNWN for a truly elevated retail experience with a big-city feel. UNKNWN is more than a concept retail store: It's an apparel lifestyle brand and community venue, too. Store manager Dominique Waters strives to connect customers not only with the clothing and shoes for sale, but with the community and each other, through workout classes, exclusive product releases, and communal experiences. Visit UNKNWN on Main Street.

Street Craftery

Street Craftery is a creative destination for DIY projects, splatter painting, and more. Located on South Main Street, they offer craft projects for people of all ages and even welcome private celebrations and corporate events. One particularly fun highlight of Street Craftery is the area in their shop known as Splatter Alley – a place where anyone can don protective gear and go to town with splatter paint on a canvas.

Akron Honey

Akron Honey harvests and produces true “hive to jar” honey right here in Akron, Ohio. The company has a strong focus on sustainability and mindfulness and works to educate local students on the importance of respecting honeybees. Akron Honey not only offers classic raw honey, but also flavor-packed variations like Bourbon Barrel Honey, Hibiscus Honey, and Habanero Hot Honey. You can buy honey and merchandise online or find Akron Honey in a store near you, including the Northside Marketplace.

Bentonville, Arkansas

DAYVISION

DAYVISION, founded by Mike Day, is an Arkansas-based film production company. The heartbeat of DAYVISION is to give power and resources to Black creatives and their stories. Maintaining efforts to normalize narratives from Black communities as we claim our identity and authentic voice in the visual arts medium.

Burlington, Vermont

Hangry The Donut Bar

Hangry The Donut Bar (HTDB) is a small home-based donut shop located in St. Albans, Vermont.  Sharing their love of Vermont through food, all of Hangry’s donuts are handmade and hand cut. They use quality, local, and organic ingredients, and all of their fillings and doughs are made with local farm fresh eggs, organic milk, and local organic flour (Nitty-Gritty Flour Company).  Visit their site or their new retail to order donuts.

Harmony’s Kitchen

Drawing on the roots of Southern, Nigerian, and Latinx cultures, Harmony’s Kitchen aims to bring authentic and tasty Afro Fusion Soul Food to your table.

Harmony’s Kitchen was first conceptualized in 2019, by owner and chef, Harmony Edosomwan.

Edosomwan is a Nigerian American who was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. Edosomwan moved to Vermont in 2016 to attend the University of Vermont. In 2020, at just 21 years old and while studying at UVM, she started Harmony’s Kitchen as a means to make extra money. She started off by selling plates to her friends and classmates. She would’ve never thought it would turn into what it is today.

Today, Harmony’s Kitchen is a full-service afro fusion soul food catering business, popup restaurant, and Supperclub.

Soul Simone

Soul Simone, created by Aisha McLaren out of her love of Nina Simone and crafting jewelry, specializes in beautiful brass and copper pieces that draw inspiration from life, pop culture, and McLaren’s Hawaiian and African backgrounds. Shop these gorgeous pieces on the Soul Simone website.

Charleston, South Carolina

Frankly Charleston

Since 2015, Franklin Williams has run a family-owned tour business, called Frankly Charleston, which takes visitors to the area's lesser-known neighborhoods. During the two-hour downtown tour, you'll get a closer look at how Charleston's enslaved population lived in comparison to their neighbors. Stops include The Citadel, Mother Emanuel AME Church (the site of the 2015 Charleston mass shooting), and more.

Daddy’s Girls Bakery

Daddy's Girls Bakery is just one of the many places that whips up the popular brownie-like bars made with brown sugar — but other recipes don't compare to Aunt Landa's. In addition to the original version of the Lowcountry dessert, the bakery makes a chewie cheesecake and dozens of other sweet treats, like chicken and waffle cupcakes and oatmeal raisin sandwich cookies.

Neema Fine Art Gallery

Stop by Charleston's Gallery Row and pop into Meisha Johnson's Neema Fine Art Gallery, housed in a building that once printed Confederate money. Johnson handpicks the award-winning artists and jewelers that are displayed in the space. Currently, you can find works from Romare Bearden, Dana Coleman, Noland Anderson, and more.

Tiny Tassel

Make your way to The Tiny Tassel, a colorful boutique owned by Mimi Striplin. Here, you'll find Striplin's signature tassel earrings, fun trinkets, gifts like Charleston-inspired candles, and handmade clothing sewn by her mother. When you shop, not only will you be supporting the boutique, but you'll also be supporting the nearly one dozen women- and Asian-owned brands that are featured in the store.

Evansville, Indiana

Dontae’s Highland Pizza

Chef Dontae Hines has been making some of Evansville’s favorite pizza and creative sandwiches for years, and in 2020 he finally got his own restaurant. At Dontae’s, he’s cooking up crisp crust pizzas such as the Gurg with barbecue sauce, pulled pork, candied jalapeños, and pineapple, and the Hot Hawaiian with ham, bacon, pineapple, brown sugar, and candied jalapeños.  Have a stromboli or one of Dontae’s creative toasted paninis such as The Cluckin Pig with chicken, bacon, white cheddar, onion, roasted tomato, and pesto; or have the Peachy Cow with brisket, peach reduction, cheddar cheese, pickles, and onion. A second location will be opening soon.

Vegan Eats and Treats 

Vegan Eats and Treats is a 100% plant-based food business. We strive to create food that not only tastes amazing, but is also good for the soul! We specialize in vegan soul food, but can create almost any food that comes to mind. We are also known for our layered cakes, muffins, and delicious cookies!

Huntsville, Alabama

The Goody Vault

The Goody Vault is a vintage clothing store that specializes in timeless garments circa 1920s -1990s. The Goody Vault was created with a goal to connect people with the highest quality and most unique garments.

Provo, Utah

Joe’s Café

When visiting Utah County and you want a good breakfast, look no further than Joe's Café. If you're lucky, you may even see Joe while you are there!

San Francisco, California

Rize Up Bakery

Azikiwee Anderson founded this innovative micro-bakery during lockdown. It started as a quarantine project in response to nationwide unrest after the murder of George Floyd and the uneven impact of Covid-19 on the Black community. He now bakes dozens of delicious, creative sourdough loaves per week, with fun flavors including ube and jalapeño bacon. Read our article about Rize Up to learn more.

Anthony’s Cookies

Anthony Lucas started selling cookies out of his car in the Bay Area in 1997. Anthony’s Cookies has since grown into a large enterprise producing thousands of cookies a week. They currently have 2 stores – one in San Francisco and one in Berkeley – but they are hoping to expand more in the future.

Excelsior Coffee

This hip coffee shop is run by Excelsior residents Lea and Andre Higginbotham. They welcome different local chefs to provide a rotating pop-up breakfast menu every weekend. Their delicious coffee is inspired by the Excelsior district in San Francisco and features blends from Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Malawi.

Red Bay Coffee Roasters

This local favorite is a must on your next visit to the Ferry Building. It was founded by Keba Konte in 2014 and uplifts people of all backgrounds, especially those often left out of the specialty coffee industry. Popular drinks include their famous charcoal latte and Vietnamese cold brew.