Community honors local entrepreneurs at Best of Black Business Awards

A room in the Center for Performing Arts on Minneapolis’ South Side was packed with business owners, their teams and community members for the second annual Best of Black Business Awards.

On Nov. 7, Sister Spokesman and the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder announced honorees in five categories. The public nominated and voted on the businesses, and the event recognized the top three finalists in each category.

The day featured classic Sister Spokesman games, local vendors, food and performances by Tasha Prince, a member of the three-time Grammy Award-winning group Sounds of Blackness and a business owner herself.

Gabrielle Roberts, owner of 612 Jungle and winner of the Health and Wellness category, said what stood out to her was knowing the award came directly from the community.

“As a Black woman building a business in Minneapolis, I know what it means when people decide to show up for you,” Roberts said. “Everyone has an option. They can show up anywhere else and do anything and go anywhere else. So it really gets home when they choose us.

“When I heard that community members are the ones that actually chose us, I thought about all the ways that they’ve been choosing us over the last eight years. They made us a part of their week.”

Roberts sees that commitment in clients who recommend classes and in instructors who make genuine connections with students.

“Thank you so much for making space for us,” Roberts said. “It means a lot to know the space we made for you feels like home, too.”

For Mary Taris, owner of Strive Bookstore, taking first place in the Retail and Merchandise category brought to mind a quote from Miles Davis: “Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.”

“Receiving this award means so much to me personally and professionally,” Taris said. “It feels like validation for work I truly believe that I’ve been found to do.

“We sell books, but we’re building something much greater: a space where people can bring their authentic selves to gather, connect, learn and grow together. This award isn’t just a celebration of business, it’s a celebration of what we can build when we believe in the power of our stories and the strength of our community.”

Award honorees by category

Food and Drink
Winner: Golden Thyme
Second place: Flava Cafe
Third place: Jersey Jo’s

“Congratulations to all of us who have decided that we’re gonna be business owners,” said Mikeya Griffin, president and CEO of Rondo Community Land Trust, which owns Golden Thyme. “That’s not an easy road, but I’m so glad we’re in a position where we can be here to support each other.”

Griffin said the land trust’s work is about preserving legacy. “That is really what we were committed to when we decided to purchase Golden Thyme from the original owners, Mychael and Stephanie Wright,” she said.

Griffin also highlighted two of the shop’s managers. She said they make sure servers, customers and the broader community feel welcome in the space.

Hair and Nails
Winner: Hayat Beauty Salon
Second place: Cashmere Lux Beauty Salon
Third place: Ja’Lisa’s Gorgeous Extensions

Owner Hayat Mohamed opened Hayat Beauty Salon in 2007 to give Black women a welcoming space where they can feel safe.

Health and Wellness
Winner: 612 Jungle
Second place: Spyce Pilates
Third place: Reviving Roots Therapy & Wellness

Roberts opened 612 Jungle in Minneapolis in 2018.

“I wanted to teach yoga to the music that I actually listened to at home, and I really just wanted to show up in the space and not be judged,” she said.

She wanted to make room for people who had walked into traditional wellness spaces and felt they didn’t belong.

“I wanted them to walk in and say to themselves, ‘Oh, I can be myself in here,’” Roberts said. “And that is quite literally what you see when you go to The Jungle.”

Professional Services
Winner: Minuteman Press Uptown
Second place: Black Mortgage Corp.
Third place: Black Press

Owner Frank Brown started Minuteman Press Uptown in 2015. He unionized the shop, adopted a second-chance hiring policy for people with records and built intentional connections with Black-owned businesses and organizations that value the community.

“I just think it’s so important that we support each other in business,” Brown said.

Retail and Merchandise
Winner: Strive Bookstore
Second place: Black Garnet Books
Third place: Nature’s Syrup

Books were a refuge for Taris as a child and helped her through challenging times. She said her journey has led her back to her first love: books.

MSR CEO and Publisher Tracey Williams-Dillard, who hosts Sister Spokesman, stressed the importance of supporting Black-owned businesses to drive shared growth and community wealth.

“You know about these businesses now, support them,” Williams-Dillard said.

Look for upcoming MSR profiles of each winning business in On the Radar.

Damenica Ellis welcomes reader responses at dellis@spokesman-recorder.com.

2nd Annual Best of Black Business Awards Highlights