Monday, January 18th, is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We celebrate the life of this great civil rights leader with a day of service. Local non-profits like Solve are hosting special volunteer opportunities for Portlanders. Another way to celebrate is by supporting Black-owned businesses. Black-owned businesses can be found in business districts Citywide offering everything from critically acclaimed foods to passionate professional services. If you are wondering where to start, the Mercatus Business Directory is a comprehensive list of business owners of color in the metro area. Here are just a few:
- Alberta: Start your day at Fuel Café, which serves modern comfort food with a focus on organic ingredients. Pick up some smokables and edibles at Green Muse, a dispensary influenced by art, science, music, sports and fashion.
- 82nd Avenue: If you have a hankering for some Southern cuisine, Catfish Lane serves scratch-made Louisiana-style food. TCC & Associates performs civil engineering, surveying, land development planning and construction management. Looking for a new hairstyle? Diamond in the Rough Hair Spa specializes in natural hair and organic, handcrafted hair care products.
- Beaumont: Grab a slice (or two, or three!) at Amalfi’s, which features a covered patio and mercado, or Pizza Nostra which offers New York-style pizza made with homemade dough.
- Division/Clinton: Barbershop Worldwide provides quality haircuts for all textures of hair and hairstyles. For Ethiopian cuisine, check out Bete Lukas which serves tibs, alicha, vegetarian dishes, and sambusas.
- Foster Area: Foster’s first and only brewery Assembly Brewing packs a 1-2 punch with Chicago-style pizza and house-brewed beers and cocktails. Green Box is a family-owned Cannabis subscription and on-demand delivery service. Looking for some fresh design? Like Dat Apparel is a custom printing company specializing in screen printed apparel, web/logo design, airbrush, heat press, and vinyl.
- Lloyd: A Portland institution since 1932, Joe Brown’s Carmel Corn sells flavored popcorn, nuts, candy, cookies, cotton candy and Hana’s Snowballs.
- Hawthorne: For the latest fashions, Savvy Plus carries plus-sized designer clothing. If you want some new ink, try Tattoo 34, a street tattoo shop that specializes in flash and custom drawn pieces.
- Kenton: For comfort food on a cold day, Po’Shines serves contemporary soul food with a Cajun flair, and also provides concessions sales and catering services.
- Mississippi Ave: Polished Agency is a full service Instagram business marketing agency.
- Soul District: Champions Barbershop offers “Champion level” hair care and customer service. Flossin Media is an integrated media and marketing agency that specializes in marketing to and for multicultural and Black communities. Kee’s Loaded Kitchen serves soul food including smoked brisket, fried chicken, mac and cheese, fresh bread, loaded baked potatoes, and desserts.
- St. Johns: Pamper your pet at Tre Bone, which carries health-conscious pet food, plus beds, leashes, toys and collars. For a taste of the Caribbean, Jamaica House is a Jamaican restaurant in a converted house serving jerk and curries. Club Sky High grows locally and carries a complete line of marijuana products for recreational and medical use.
This list is non-exhaustive so check out the Mercatus Business Directory for more businesses to support. Don’t forget to show us how you are celebrating the life of MLK Jr. on Instagram @ventureportland with #supportsmallpdx.