Spend Black Business month in Cincinnati at these three unique locations
You’re wrong if you thought Cincinnati, Ohio, was just skyline chili and the Bengals.
It tops the list as one of the most fun cities in the U.S. and the Best Cities for Millennials. Cincinnati is a perfect place for talent and travelers wanting to live and visit the heart of the nation. Boredom doesn’t exist in the Queen City! It is consistently topping charts as one of the Best Foodie Cities in America, Best Cities for Beer Drinkers, Best Cities for Artists, and Best Sports Cities.
This year’s Cincinnati Music Festival brought in a crowd of 90,000 to celebrate the event’s 55th return. On Thursday, Aug. 17th, the 35th Annual Black Family Reunion takes over the city for five days.
The annual festivals and countless events are the perfect catalyst to draw supporters to local businesses, especially Black-owned locations.
Cincinnati has over 1000 Black-owned/directed businesses throughout several industries, including restaurants, clothing stores, hair salons, and monuments. According to Spectrum News, as of 2020, the financial impact of these businesses reached over $2.1 billion and provided jobs for over 6000 people.
August is Black Business Month, and the city has several impressive options you can support. Here are some that should be at the top of your list.
Cincinnati Black Music Walk Of Fame
The Black Music Walk of Fame is the first-of-its-kind, interactive outdoor park featuring the stars and stories of influential Black musicians from the city. The monument is the passion project of Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reese. During the grand opening, Reese expressed her efforts to build the Walk of Fame were from the need to fill a void.
“We have a rich history of music and particularly Black music that I had learned just from growing up and being around it and my parents. And I said, wait a minute, this has to be shared with the world.”
The attraction is not only a means of entertainment but one of education about the hidden figures from the city that have contributed and impacted the music and entertainment industry. The Walk of Fame celebrated its grand opening in July 2023, bringing out some of the city’s most illustrious native sons and daughters. On hand for the celebration were iconic guitarist and singer/songwriter Bootsy Collins, R&B songstress Shirley Murdock, house music innovator Penny Ford and acclaimed music executive L.A. Reid.
Reese also stated she wanted the museum to be a fully immersive experience. “I wanted it to be Disney World. I want it to be interactive. I wanted it to be fun.” She added she wanted to be something that attracted “tourists from around the globe.”
BlaCkOWned Outerwear was created by Means Cameron in 2011. Cameron used his upbringing in Cincinnati’s West-end and collegiate experience at a predominantly white University as inspiration for the brand.
After experiencing life at both spectrums, Cameron discovered that BlaCkOWned™️ energy was needed in all communities across America. “Our brand thrives at the intersection of fashion and Black Excellence. Our Mission is to promote Black ownership while challenging societal inequities through our garments and storytelling.” He opened his first location in 2014.
In 2021 Cameron opened BlaCk Coffee Lounge, bringing his hometown something they couldn’t get anywhere else. “You can go to 10 coffee shops in Cincinnati and they’re all going to have good coffee, but the vibe is going to be very similar. But then you come here and it’s like, ‘Oh, yeah. This is a different thing.’”
Cameron partnered with the Cincinnati Bengals the following year on his “Stripes Don’t Come Easy” apparel line, which kicked off at a pop-up store in LA for the 2022 Superbowl for fans to support the Cincinnati Bengals.
Located in Cincy’s up-and-coming “Over The Rhine” neighborhood, Cinema is the perfect way to end the night. Serial entrepreneur Rico Grant found a way to merge his love of ‘90s R&B, Hip-Hop and classic Black films.
Guests get the chance to enjoy a great drink, music, with their favorite movie streaming on a projector. Grant stays true to the theme of Black film excellence by naming the cocktails after the names of characters from his favorite movies. Drinks include the Sister Mary Clarence (named after Whoopi Goldberg’s character in Sister Act) and the Sugar Ray (coming from Richard Prior in Harlem Nights), including a shot of BlaCk Coffee.
Grant owns multiple businesses in the city, including “Gumbo,” which is part traditional barbershop and part art gallery. He is also the force behind Paloozanoire, an event presenting fun events and art exhibits to the city’s Black community. In 2022, he began efforts to help with his grant program, Fundnoire, which uses a $1.5 million fund to provide grants to small Black-owned businesses.
Martie Bowser is a journalist and public relations professional in Charlotte, NC. She enjoys amplifying the voices of POC and women that fill a void within their community. Her favorite things to cover include “person of interest” pieces, small business highlights, pop culture commentary, entertainment features, and everything about Beyoncé. Her bylines can be found in Blavity, Black Excellence, Signature Bride, Black Wall Street Times, and HipHop Weekly. Martie can be reached via email at martiebowser@detourxp.com.
This story was originally published August 18, 2023 at 9:40 AM.