Celebrate Black History Month by making an investment in a Charlotte Black Owned, Women Owned Business. Support these ladies all year long by following their social media pages, and when you are able, make a purchase. From candles and beauty to event planning and food; the following list is a great start to find businesses to support.
Keyah Greer is the owner creator and mixer of Blü Nail Laquer, a vegan, non-toxic nail polish line and a 10-Free company which means they avoid using products that are known to have harmful chemicals.
Another distinguishing factor of Blü Nail Laquer is that it offer customers the option to create their own unique custom nail lacquer color(s).
Keyah is always vending around the city of Charlotte at various pop-ups promoted on her social media.
INSTAGRAM: @blunaillaquer,
Andrea Richter started making candles as a creative outlet with no intention of selling them. She enjoyed the process so much so that before she knew it, The Pretty Honest shop was born.
Andrea’s candles are handmade in CLT, highly fragrant, and made with high-quality fragrance oils. Scents are offered in candles, reed diffusers, room sprays, and wax melts.
INSTAGRAM: @prettyhonestshop
Ashley Outlaw is “nacho average” food truck owner, delighting QC taste buds with her out-of-the-box nachos. She turned her passion for home cooking into a thriving venture with Nacho Average Truck. Ashley creates all the recipes and menu items featured on the truck. She uses fresh ingredients and everything is scratch made.
Meticulously crafted over four years, her crispy chips, creamy queso, and fresh toppings elevate classics like Beef Supreme Nachos, quesadillas, and burritos. Her mobile truck serves Charlotte and surrounding areas. The schedule is posted weekly on social media.
INSTAGRAM: @nachoaveragetruck
Dressing Rooms Interiors Studio founder, Adriene Bethea, is a retailer and huntress of all things home. What makes her different is that her studio draws influence from her upbringing. It’s personal. Growing up in a home infused with art and culture has influenced her casual collected style and playful use of patterns and colors.
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She started selling vintage art, décor and lighting on Etsy in 2011. She’s sold on One Kings Lane and with Chairish. She had a booth at Slate Interiors for several years before opening her brick and mortar shop in the Oakhurst neighborhood.
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INSTAGRAM @dressmyroom
Denise Butler is not only the creator, but the artist behind Cocoa Cuties. Her mission is to create products that celebrate and inspire children of color — to let them know they can BE, DO, and IMAGINE anything. She creates characters that inspire and represent all diverse shades.
A few years ago, Denise was looking for birthday gifts for her young nieces and couldn’t find the products that she desired…black ballerina tees! She’s always loved to draw and doodle, so she decided to create what she couldn’t find! And bring it to life. We love that.
INSTAGRAM @cocoacuties
DeAnna Allen is The Brown Sugar Collab – a curated shopping experience that highlights products handmade or developed by minority women.
Within their boutique you will find a variety of items for your home, bath & body, hair and skincare — all produced by women of color. The mission behind The Brown Sugar Collab is to help eliminate the barriers some women face when they are trying to market their products to a broader audience.
The storefront is located in Southend Charlotte at 1425 Winnifred Street Suite 113
INSTAGRAM @brownsugarcollab
Ashley Blackmon is the CEO of Popup Datez, a year-round, temperature controlled, tent rental company offering a unique way to host micro events, date nights and more.
They can deliver these beautiful venues to your yard or you can select from one of the venues with captivating skyline or rooftop views. Their year-round tents are temperature controlled and can be used for personal or business purposes. They offer several décor and entertainment packages. Movie night, lounge, picnic, and brunch just to name a few. So fun.
INSTAGRAM: @POPUPDATEZ
Ariel Perry is Ariel Perry Photography, an internationally-acclaimed senior portrait photographer who knows the power of young people. She has a passion for capturing the promise and potential of the next generation. Through her photography and her mentorship programs, Ariel has helped both seniors and aspiring photographers find the confidence they need to step into their dreams.
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Ariel Perry Photography, founded in 2014, is based in Charlotte, NC, and boasts multiple features in nationwide publications including US Weekly, InStyle, Yahoo, and Senior Style Guide.
BOOKING 2024 SENIOR SESSIONS NOW.
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INSTAGRAM: @arielperry
Charlene Ridley is the life coach / dream coach who just conceived of and opened the Unpause Your Dreams Creative Studio, a 2200 sq ft content creation studios for women entrepreneurs.
This mixed use space allows you to bring your dreams to life whether that’s using one of their 10 sets for a new brand or content photo shoot, recording a webinar or podcast, or putting yourself on stage to speak and host your own events—-this is the space for you.
INSTAGRAM: @unpause_your_dreams
Jasmine Macon created the amazing and delightful Beyond Amazing Donuts. She is a school-educated pastry chef who has been recognized among top new Black pastry folks in the US. Jasmine worked for Bayhaven Hospitality group at Leah & Louise and then began by selling donuts on her own through pop-up locations like Hex Coffee.
In 2022, Raydal Hospitality Group provided retail space (1730 Abbey Place Unit 4) for Jasmine to open a storefront for BAD donuts, and provides support for back- office company business management.
INSTAGRAM: @b.a.donuts.clt
Lindsey Williams is the woman behind Davidson Wine Company, an urban winery — meaning they make wines without being at a vineyard. Her mission is to guide consumers towards a deeper appreciation of wine and the winemaking process in a
non-intimidating and inviting environment. Lindsey leads the vision of producing, bottling and selling wine that is affordable and superior to mass produced products.
They have a lively tasting room where they hold frequent events, host many private gatherings and pair chef inspired bites to eat with their wines.
INSTAGRAM @davidsonwineco
LaDara McKinnon creates vibrant abstract paintings that narrate stories of resilience and triumph with compositions layered with rich colors, playful brushstrokes, and gestural mark-making that are heavily influenced by her desire for self expression, and creative freedom.
Her work has been licensed, published and collaborated with numerous brands such as Minted, HGTV, Better Homes and Gardens, Davidson College, HomeGoods, Atrium Heath, and WestElm.com. LaDara also pushes the boundaries within the art industry by incorporating teaching, philanthropy and storytelling into her art practice, benefiting organizations like Safe Alliance, The Loveland Foundation, and many more.
INSTAGRAM: @LaDaraFineArt
Melissa Carnegie is the Founder of Kicks and Fros, a lifestyle brand and community created to educate, entertain, elevate & inspire black & brown women in the sneaker community.
Melissa started Kicks & Fros in May 2017 after not seeing a lot of women who looked like her on other sneaker pages or, more importantly, not getting recognized for the work they did in the sneaker community. Continuously improving and evolving, Melissa formulated and launched her own sneaker cleaner last year, and just announced a new partnership with the SoleSafe App this year.
INSTAGRAM: @kicksandfros
Diamond Weems is CEO of Lip N Pour, where guests experience the art of creating their own custom lipstick or lip gloss. Diamond put together an idea now known as Lip N Pour. Since February 2018, she has created over 1000 custom lip colors and hosted a plethora of workshops and parties bringing a unique experience to women of all ages.
In late 2023, Diamond took Lip N Pour to the next level by becoming the first custom blend franchise. So exciting to see what’s next!
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INSTAGRAM: @lipnpour
Sharetha Holman Cooper is a photographer & co-founder of Picture Project CLT Selfie Museum, a DIY photography experience where customers can take photos themselves or book a professional photography package. The studio also serves as a creative photography studio for other photographers and creators, and a venue for celebration parties and special events.
Recently recognized as one of the Top 3 Art Galleries AND one of the Top 3 Children’s Birthday Party Venues in Charlotte by Charlotte’s BEST.
INSTAGRAM: @pictureprojectclt
Tamu Curtis is the Cocktail Queen. And the owner of The Cocktailery, a cocktail supply and beverage lifestyle shop. Tamu started conducting cocktail classes back in 2016. From there her brand expanded into The Cocktailery, a complete beverage lifestyle experience born because Tamu wanted to take the mystery out of mixology & crafting better cocktails at home.
The Cocktailery does this 2 ways — in-person hands-on cocktail classes and by offering an in-store and e-commerce shopping experience.
INSTAGRAM: @thecocktailery
Dequonna Wise is a professional life coach/instructor, author, motivational speaker & event curator based here in Charlotte. As an expert on purpose, business, and relationships Dequonna has the privilege of certifying other coaches as well. She’s the first and only female instructor for the Tony Gaskins Life Coaching certification program.
As the founder of The Inspired Women’s Day Retreat CLT, Dequonna plans & hosts women empowerment events and mixers. It is her life’s passion to motivate, encourage, & help others live the best version of themselves — through her trainings and personal experiences she’s equipped with the right tools.
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INSTAGRAM: @iamcoachwise
Kimberly Faith Wilkinson is owner of Juice Box Juice Bar, an all natural wellness bar. Fresh pressed juice to provide minerals and essential nutrients that your body absorbs quickly. All natural. No preservatives. Pressed local.
Founded in 2016 Juice Box is now relocated to 2020 Beatties Ford Rd and under renovation. Their doors will reopen to the public soon. For now find Juice Box at @620mktcafe and @tastecafecharlotte and order directly from us by sending a message on IG, email, or online.
INSTAGRAM: @juiceboxcharlotte
Monique McGrant is a native of CLT and owner of McGrant Tax & Bookkeeping. Monique started her college career at UNC Greensboro as a sociology major, later earning her Master’s in criminal justice at UNC Charlotte.
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How did her passion for taxes come into play? Monique grew up watching her mother in the craft of tax prep and watched her mom grow her business (McGrant Tax & Bookkeeping) into what it is today, which inspired Monique to follow.
Now Monique gets to use her knowledge and expertise to promote financial literacy with her customers and small business owners.
INSTAGRAM: @mcgranttaxbookkeeping
Samantha Mwangi is Be Social Coffee — a new specialty coffee brand that focuses on sustainable packaging.
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Samantha refused to waiver from the start. From climate change to food waste, she wanted to work to address the challenges facing the coffee industry. She knew she could do it in a way that made a difference. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Their specialty coffee beans are roasted in small batches and packaged using earth-friendly materials.
INSTAGRAM: @besocialcoffee
Vanessa Kenon-Hunt is the creator of O+A|EVERYDAY® — a rich and creamy body oil with minimal ingredients and maximum results.
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O+A| EVERYDAY® was created when Vanessa’s eldest son, Gregory was released after months of care in the NICU with his skin extremely delicate and dry. Vanessa needed a moisturizer that was made without harsh chemicals and complicated ingredients, but could not find one. So she whipped one up herself.
Vanessa introduced O+A| EVERYDAY® to the world in 2017 as a full body moisturizer, aftershave care, sunburn reliever and hair balm. Made with organic extra virgin olive oil, organic aloe vera, the perfect amount of organic shea butter, vitamin E and soothing essential oils.
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INSTAGRAM: @oa.everyday
Ebony Stubbs is founder of Rae Images, a portrait photography studio specializing in business headshots and branding photography. They partner with purpose-driven entrepreneurs and corporate executives who want to grow their online brand.
Ebony first picked up photography as a hobby. She quickly found that she had a gift of connecting with others and putting them at ease in front of the camera. She worked freelance for several years, then launched Rae Images in 2012.
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INSTAGRAM: @Rae_Images
Charity Peaver is the owner and lead luxury travel consultant at Esprit Errant Travel, here in the CLT. She’s also the senior destination wedding architect at their sister brand, Esprit Errant Destination Weddings. She has a deep understanding of what makes a trip unforgettable.
Whether it’s a luxury honeymoon, a fabulous adults only group trip, or a gorgeous destination wedding, Charity’s goal is to create memories that will last a lifetime, with a commitment to excellence and attention to detail.
INSTAGRAM: @Esprit_Errant_Travel
Charmaine Wells-Benjamin is the owner of Mama Me Time®️ and she is a North Carolina licensed massage & bodywork therapist, birth & postpartum doula, & childbirth educator.
Charmaine became a doula after the emergency cesarean birth of her son in August 2017. She immediately made it her mission to become an advocate for women who seek resources, guidance, and education for unmedicated birth resolutions.
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After serving many clients during labor and delivery, Charmaine later decided to become a licensed massage & bodywork therapist. She knew women needed help to feel good on a regular basis whether that be pain relief, therapeutic relief, and/prevent burnout.
INSTAGRAM: @mamametimespa
Valerie Brooks is owner & lead designer at Xpressions Floral & Event Design —a full service event design company known for their unique approach. Featured in @southernbridemagazine , @essence, @stylemepretty & @theknot, Xpressions loves to do all celebrations, corporate events, and retail installs.
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INSTAGRAM: @xpressions_floraldesigns
Joi Kennedy is the owner of the Sugar and Spice Party Bus, aka The Sweet Pink Bus, which offers age appropriate parties for girls 5-17. Joi’s goal is to make girls feel especially good about themselves, surrounded by friends and family, and her party bus has been featured on ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, NBC, & Spectrum News 1. Joi drives an adorable pink bus to your location of choice, the bus remains parked, and Joi and team host a sweet party, including decor, spa treatment or dancing, food, drink, sweets, and treats.
INSTAGRAM: @sugarandspicepartybus
You will find many more fab local woman-owned businesses to follow on our instagram page @womenofclt. Another great resource is the IG account @cltblackowned, follow it for a daily feed of CLT Black Owned Businesses to know about.
