Black Owned Online Shops (Etsy Preferred)

This isn't abnormal. I work in government procurement and even federal law mandates that government allocate a certain percentage (around 25%) of its contracting work (your tax dollars) to small businesses. Of this portion, at least 5 percent is meant to be spent for businesses with economically or socially disadvantaged owners - essentially minority-owned businesses. I commend those who don't understand for asking but for anyone who finds this "odd" it's not a hard concept to grasp. The poster also never stated she planned to discriminate against other businesses or shop ONLY with black owned businesses. Why not support and put dollars back in your own community whether that's small businesses, LGBTQ supporters or minority owned?

I also find this odd... I prefer to support individuals no matter the race....

Thank you everyone for the overwhelming support! I did not want to create an argument on this board. I just wanted to know if I overlooked any resources. We have other businesses outside of being black-owned that will be vendors at our wedding.

It's pertinent that we invest in our communities in order to see a change. My dollar can go a longer way with a small business as opposed to a large corporation. Minority-owned (and small businesses) is one of my passions.

Thank you all for giving helpful advice because I know I am not the only person that feels left out sometimes when I shop for products -- being told I'm surprise this sheer looks nice on darker skin doesn't help either. I want to highlight my natural beauty (because I have a TWA) and do it in a way that reflects my upbringings. So yes, for those who don't understand why this is so important, I encourage you to read this post from top to bottom and check this link out: http://blackdemographics.com/economics/black-owned-businesses/

OP, thank you for this. Good luck and congrats!

So, if someone posted that they wanted to support white owned businesses you'd be ok with that? Or would that be racist?

OP, thank you for this post and for explaining the issue so eloquently.

I second @futuremrsmack thank you for explaining this and doing so in such an eloquent and respectful manner

@Anscia be prepared to explain what a TWA is :-) I rock mine from time to time and I love seeing pics of brides and entire bridal parties doing the same.

@Kelly That would be a waste of your time to post that question because most of the bridal world is white. There aren't many people that are in this industry that represent marginalized groups around the world.

But, to answer your question... No, I wouldn't get offended because this is an online forum and you can decide to participate in the forum.

Thank you @FutureMrs! A TWA stands for tweenie weenie afro, basically a short afro.

@Kelly, the very fact that this post was created negates your argument. You don't have to look to find white owned businesses. You have to work to find minority owned businesses, especially in this industry. Supporting black owned businesses means that they become more visible, and will create an even greater opportunity for more minority owned businesses, not to mention the importance of supporting the black community.

I had to go through a lot of potential hairdressers, not because there's a shortage of them in my area, but because so many of them do not work on "ethnic" or "natural" hair (their words, not mine.) I would absolutely love to see more black/minority owned businesses in my area get involved in the wedding industry.

@Kelly, it's not racist, it's about supporting your culture, heritage, or beliefs. Just like some of us would support business that are owned by middle easterns, some one who is jewish, or LGBTQ friendly. Eta: wording. Apparently I shouldn't post when I'm just waking up.

Does Kelly really care to understand?

@ Future, probably not.

@future mrs. I doubt it. Some people are always on the defensive.

OP, good luck on your search.

Good luck - I can't offer any help but think this is great and can't believe there are people who would be confused by the concept! I'm trying to go small/non-corporate/non-straight-white-dude every chance I can and think it's really important to support business who need support in our communities.

@GymRat you're my idol <3.

Actively searching to support your community is a beautiful thing. It takes time, effort and research (i.e, this post). That alone should tell you something.

Edit: I am not sure why my post got cut in half.

There have been many great suggestions in this thread. I hope you can find some awesome vendors! I'm sure you can.

People speak with their wallets. I think this is wonderful.

I looked for vendors that were immigrants because my FH immigrated from Italy. I found it to be important to support those businesses.

Ya, not sure why my post keeps getting half deleted....

Anyway- long post short, @GymRat you are my idol <3. And supporting your community is a beautiful thing that takes a lot of effort and research. Negative posts on this thread makes my skin crawl.

@gymrat My florist, planner/ event decorator, MUA, hairstylist, grooms cake baker, DJ, and photobooth are all black vendors.It's important to support minority businesses as they are often overlooked. That doesn't mean we won't do business with people of other races.