While Black Friday may not be the frenzied shopping craze in malls and shopping centers that it used to be, it is still one of the year’s biggest shopping days, and a Phoenix nonprofit organization is working to help small and Black-owned businesses make the most of it.
Archwood Exchange, a Phoenix-based nonprofit, hosted its annual Black Friday and Small Business Saturday block party in downtown Phoenix. Local vendors selling gifts and food, and musical performances filled Second and Roosevelt streets.
Castille Ritter, who was in town visiting family from Las Vegas, said she and her mom came to the festival looking for gifts and just to go shopping.
“I’d rather support a small, local business than a big corporation running sales,” she said.
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Ritter bought an affirmation sticker from Taniya Vann, owner of Soul Bloom Journals, a company that creates journals, organizers and stickers aimed at helping women to feel uplifted and motivated. Her journals are created to help the writer be aware of her mental health, with prompts that are motivating and uplifting.
Vann creates all her designs herself for her Phoenix-based business. Her journals, she said, are good for any woman who is on a journey to become a better version of herself.
Tyaunna Harry, a Phoenix-based author, attended the event promoting her first book, a children’s book about notable figures in Black history. Her book, called “ABCs of Historical Black History,” was released in May, and is a collection of short biographies about people in Black history.
Her book, released in May, is targeted for middle school readers, but is a good stepping stone for younger children to learn with their parents, she said.
Ali Nervis, executive director of Archwood Exchange, said the event helps small and Black-owned businesses share in the profits of major shopping days like Black Friday. Shopping at a small business, he said, has a stronger impact on the local economy and can help create jobs.
Asha Mae, the owner of Asha Mae Clays, was selling her clay polymer products, which include earrings, bookmarks, hat pins and other pieces with her husband Kemar. Her son, Kyle, also sells shirts. Mae started her business about a year ago and said people shopping for unique gifts to start by looking at small businesses.
“If you want something handmade, and made with love, it’s better to support a small business,” she said. “It helps out the economy and keeps local businesses going.”
Local flavors can also spruce up a holiday meal, Sierra Monet, who was working at her family’s food truck, Smitty’s Kitchen. Her family is originally from Sierra Leone, a small coastal country in West Africa, and wanted to create a business to share African flavors that are hard to find in Phoenix.