Celebrating Black-Owned Businesses in Duluth
Get to Know Your Neighbors
June 10, 2022
The Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce represents the voice of business in the Duluth area—And black-owned businesses are an essential part of our local business community. Read on to learn the stories of several black-owned businesses you can find in our Zenith city, and hear from the founder of the Northland Black Business Showcase.
319 W. First Street, Duluth
https://docwitherspoons.com/
Born and raised in the Duluth Hillside, Stephan Witherspoon is well-known in the local community. By trade, he is a singer/writer as well as a local activist. Most recently, he has become a restauranteur, opening Doc Witherspoon’s Soul Food Shack in 2021.
Doc Witherspoon’s is a southern-style soul food restaurant with a warm and inviting atmosphere. Stephan loves to create dishes by the influences he has had in his life. So, if you see an Asian or Italian influence in his food, you can ask him how he came up with the dish and what the story is behind it. Stephan’s family has a long history in Duluth and they love calling it home.
Natural Braiding & Beauty LLC and GJ&T’s Fashion, located conveniently at 1131 E. 4th St., aim to bridge the gaps of cultural awareness for textured hair and bring new forms of fashion to the community:
1131 E. 4th Street, Duluth
Mobile braiding services available
(612) 636-2398
https://www.facebook.com/NaturalBraidingAndBeautyLLC/
Denisa-Ford Washington is a licensed braider and nail technician. Your hair is your treasure & confidence, and you deserve to look your best at all times. Come get a consultation from Natural Braiding & Beauty to help you decide on the best style that suits the confidence you walk in, and the truth you stand on – Especially when it comes to making the best hair decisions.
1131 E. 4th Street, Duluth
(218) 221-0575
https://www.facebook.com/GJTS.FASHION
GJ&T’s Fashion, owned by Talib Shabazz, is a clothing, fragrance oil, shoes, and accessories store. It provides high-quality clothing and product at an affordable price. Plenty of brands and men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing are represented. Come check us out!
Kia Ronning is the owner of Keeks Kreations & co-coordinator of MEGA (Making Equal Genders Awesome) at Men As Peacemakers. Keeks Kreations offers customized creations such as hoodies, t-shirts, keychains, and tumblrs. In the winter of 2021, a couple small black-owned businesses, Royal Roots & Growing Together, reached out to Kia to make them shirts with their logo on it. She was thrilled to help their businesses grow! Kia began to wonder how many more small black-owned businesses there were in the Northland, and how she could shed light on them. She started a Facebook post searching relentlessly for the other regional black-owned crafters, businesses, artists & entrepreneurs. After receiving a multitude of responses, she planned and created the Northland Black Business Showcase in just two weeks’ time.
Walking into the first showcase and seeing each business setting up their booths warmed Kia’s heart. This is where black small business owners were meant to be: center stage, in the spotlight, and taking back the narrative! Kia explains, “This showcase is so important to me & the black community. People need to know about our amazing skills, resources, and talents.”
The 2nd Annual Black Business Showcase was held in February 2022 and had almost twice the number of vendors. The turnout was more than anyone could ask for and many businesses sold out of the items they brought.
Kia is seeking a larger venue for the 2023 Northland Black Business Showcase to accommodate additional businesses and community members, as the event has outgrown its current space within just two years. Planning for the 3rd annual showcase will begin in August, with a showcase date of February 18, 2023. Kia is so excited to continue to support and shed light on the black small business community.
If you would like to be part of the 2023 showcase in any way, please reach out to Kia at nbbshowcase@gmail.com. Organizations interested in having a supporter table at the event to share resources with local black-owned businesses are also encouraged to get in touch.
Read about the 2nd Annual Black Business Showcase: 2nd Annual Black Business Showcase
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Commitment to Change is a collaborative effort between Lake Superior College and the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce to build a more inclusive and diverse community through education, resources, opportunities, and partnerships. This robust Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion resource guide has been curated from experts across the Twin Ports to share with your organizations in honor of Juneteenth.