Buy Black Tour Essay
Shoppers Hop on a Bus to Visit Black-Owned Businesses in Detroit
In Detroit, over 60 shoppers hopped on two yellow school buses which are scheduled for a tour around black-owned businesses in Detroit’s downtown area. These shoppers will get a glimpse of the how black entrepreneurs have established their businesses. The activity is called Buy Black tour which starts at the Alkebu-Lan Village cultural arts center on the east side.
Tiffany Jones, a 26-year-old participant cites that she prefers to purchase and support the black-owned businesses in Detroit. The reason she joined the free tour is to find out where the locations are. She also added that their tour was a good learning experience for her.
JoAnn Watson is a former member of the Detroit City Council and is now one …show more content…
of the tour organizers. She shares how the tour was inspired by the men who participated in the Million Man March which was held 22 years ago in the state of Washington D.C. The 69-year-old Mike Anderson from Detroit was one of those men and is also the organizer of the Buy Black bus tour.
He said that seeing how many people came and joined the tour was the best part of his day. Anderson also added how nerve-wracking it is to wait and see how many would actually show up for the tour. Nevertheless, the turnout was quite favorable.
The Bus Stops
The tour’s first stop was at Hot Sam’s which is a men’s clothing boutique on Monroe.
The next stop was at Painting with a Twist located on Washington Boulevard which was originally from New Orleans. Detroit resident Michelle Lewis took notice of the company and bought a franchise.
She built the first studio in Ferndale at W. Nine Mile while her sister Donna Lewis opened the Detroit branch two years ago. The franchise stores are currently present in 15 locations all over Michigan.
According to Donna, a lot of people and their customers are surprised whenever they discover that the studio is black-owned. Although the majority of business around Detroit are white-owned, she still feels that it is very important to have a black-owned business in a city that is pre-dominantly black.
The tour also stopped at the Black Dress Boutique, Woodhouse Spa, Detroit vs Everybody, Source Bookseller, Bob’s Classic Kicks, N’Namdi’s Contemporary Art, Livernois, Bert’s in Eastern Market, and 7 Mile Avenue of Fashion. The group dined at the Seafood Market restaurant and then later on visited Paradise Valley or African Town as well as the Detroit Vegan Soul.
Read the original story via Detroit
News.
In Detroit, over 60 shoppers hopped on two yellow school buses which are scheduled for a tour around black-owned businesses in Detroit’s downtown area. These shoppers will get a glimpse of the how black entrepreneurs have established their businesses. The activity is called Buy Black tour which starts at the Alkebu-Lan Village cultural arts center on the east side.
Tiffany Jones, a 26-year-old participant cites that she prefers to purchase and support the black-owned businesses in Detroit. The reason she joined the free tour is to find out where the locations are. She also added that their tour was a good learning experience for her.
JoAnn Watson is a former member of the Detroit City Council and is now one …show more content…
of the tour organizers. She shares how the tour was inspired by the men who participated in the Million Man March which was held 22 years ago in the state of Washington D.C. The 69-year-old Mike Anderson from Detroit was one of those men and is also the organizer of the Buy Black bus tour.
He said that seeing how many people came and joined the tour was the best part of his day. Anderson also added how nerve-wracking it is to wait and see how many would actually show up for the tour. Nevertheless, the turnout was quite favorable.
The Bus Stops
The tour’s first stop was at Hot Sam’s which is a men’s clothing boutique on Monroe.
The next stop was at Painting with a Twist located on Washington Boulevard which was originally from New Orleans. Detroit resident Michelle Lewis took notice of the company and bought a franchise.
She built the first studio in Ferndale at W. Nine Mile while her sister Donna Lewis opened the Detroit branch two years ago. The franchise stores are currently present in 15 locations all over Michigan.
According to Donna, a lot of people and their customers are surprised whenever they discover that the studio is black-owned. Although the majority of business around Detroit are white-owned, she still feels that it is very important to have a black-owned business in a city that is pre-dominantly black.
The tour also stopped at the Black Dress Boutique, Woodhouse Spa, Detroit vs Everybody, Source Bookseller, Bob’s Classic Kicks, N’Namdi’s Contemporary Art, Livernois, Bert’s in Eastern Market, and 7 Mile Avenue of Fashion. The group dined at the Seafood Market restaurant and then later on visited Paradise Valley or African Town as well as the Detroit Vegan Soul.
Read the original story via Detroit
News.