Black-Owned Businesses Hope the Summer Boom Doesn’t Fade
The holiday season will show whether BLM-inspired enthusiasm spurs a permanent change in shopping habits.
Photo illustration: 731; Photos: Robin Wilson Home (blankets); Maggie Anderson (book); Tonya’s Cookies (cookies)
Business at Robin Wilson’s home textiles company in New York City spiked this summer as Black Lives Matter protests spread across the country and #BuyBlack trended on social media. After appearing on several lists of Black-owned businesses, Wilson saw a 3,000% jump in sales for a few weeks, from the end of May to the start of July. “It was mind-boggling. It was wonderful,” she says. “Then it slowed down.” Even so, she says, her sales have remained up about 25% since the beginning of the summer.
After a dismal year amid the pandemic, the retail industry is counting on shoppers to spend more freely this holiday season. Many Black business owners such as Wilson have seen wild swings in 2020, from no revenue during early state lockdowns to sometimes unsustainable demand by early summer. These proprietors say the next three months will prove whether shopping has changed for good.