Business | Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

How one St. Paul makeup artist built her business from the ground up after high school

by Lizzy Nyoike June 10, 2026June 10, 2026

Black Business Spotlight: Makeup artist Kelexis McKinley built Slayage By Keke over 11 years from experimenting in the mirror after high school into a storefront beauty studio on University Avenue in St. Paul.SUBTITLE
Black Business Spotlight: Makeup artist Kelexis McKinley spent 11 years building Slayage By Keke from a home glam room to a storefront

Black Business Spotlight

The Purposed Parent: Sister Duo Delivers Essential Prenatal and Postpartum Support

by Damenica Ellis June 3, 2026June 10, 2026

Nigerian American sisters Praise and Peace Olowokere founded The Purposed Parent in 2022 to provide culturally competent prenatal and postpartum support for Twin Cities families, with a mission rooted in reducing Black maternal and infant mortality.

Best of Black Businesses

Nominations Are Now Open for the 2026 Best of Black Business Awards

by MSR News Online June 1, 2026June 1, 2026

Nominations are now open for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder’s Second Annual Best of Black Business Awards. Submit your favorites across five categories through June 30, 2026, with winners celebrated at a live ceremony on Nov. 7.

Black Business Spotlight

Unique Fashion and Accessories brings affordable style and resilience to Crystal

by Lizzy Nyoike May 27, 2026June 3, 2026

Black Business Spotlight: Unique Fashion and Accessories owner Betty Sanders built a decade-long boutique business rooted in survivorship, affordable style and community empowerment after two battles with breast cancer changed the direction of her life.

Business

NEON Launches $22 Million Collective Kitchens Hub, Giving Food Entrepreneurs Room to Grow

by Alaysia Lane May 24, 2026May 24, 2026

The Northside Economic Opportunity Network celebrated the grand opening of NEON Collective Kitchens, a 25,000-square-foot commercial kitchen and food business incubator on West Broadway designed to help North Minneapolis food entrepreneurs scale their businesses.

Black Business Spotlight

Black-led Arise Community Credit Union works to expand financial access for all

by Lizzy Nyoike May 20, 2026May 27, 2026

Black Business Spotlight: Arise Community Credit Union, founded through the Association for Black Economic Power in response to George Floyd’s murder, is building a community-rooted financial institution designed to serve residents historically excluded from traditional banking.

Business

Golden Thyme marks one year under new stewardship, carrying Rondo’s legacy forward

by Jasmine McBride May 14, 2026May 14, 2026

Golden Thyme Restaurant and Bar on Selby Avenue marked one year under new leadership with a community celebration that brought generations of Rondo residents together for food, music and reflection.

Black Business Spotlight

Urban Lights Music continues legacy as one of the Twin Cities’ last Black-owned record stores

by Lizzy Nyoike May 13, 2026May 22, 2026

Urban Lights Music, one of the last Black-owned record stores in the Twin Cities, has survived 32 years on University Avenue in St. Paul through industry shifts, the pandemic, civil unrest and construction by staying rooted in community and culture.

Black Business Spotlight

Big L’s Soul Food & Steakhouse brings flavor to George Floyd Square

Big L’s Soul Food Minneapolis opens in George Floyd Square as Larry Robinson grows a four-year food truck into a full-service community restaurant on 38th Street.

Black Business Spotlight

Ashley Bolden built Lynnmonade on mindset and mission

by Jasmine McBride April 24, 2026April 24, 2026

Lynnmonade founder Ashley Bolden built a wellness beverage brand rooted in mental health, holistic nutrition and positive affirmations from a backyard lemonade stand she started with her son during COVID.

Business

Minneapolis fair opens doors for the formerly incarcerated

by Aamira Redd April 19, 2026April 19, 2026

Twin Cities Rise re-entry resource fair drew more than 150 people to Minneapolis Central Library on April 14 connecting formerly incarcerated individuals with fair-chance employers and support services.

Business

The secondhand shift: Stretching dollars instead of creating more trash

by Damenica Ellis April 18, 2026April 18, 2026

Thrifting and secondhand shopping are rising as consumers embrace pre-loved clothing and goods for environmental, financial and cultural reasons, with experts and Twin Cities voices weighing in on the trend.

Black Business Spotlight

One founder’s journey from the mountains of Jamaica to a Minnesota healing space

by Jasmine McBride April 16, 2026April 18, 2026

Amuure Holistic Healing founder Kenisha Ama’anii brings nearly two decades of wellness experience and a trauma-centered approach to massage therapy in the Twin Cities.

Business

Why people are opting out of hustle culture, choosing lifestyle over work

by Damenica Ellis April 14, 2026April 14, 2026

Hustle culture and Black burnout explored by two therapists who say opting out is not failure but a necessary corrective to a system built on extraction and overwork.

Events

West Broadway Business & Area Coalition Celebrates Record Milestones at 2026 Gala

by MSR News Online April 14, 2026April 14, 2026

West Broadway Coalition North Minneapolis gala marks record milestones and announces a youth jobs program and redevelopment of a 14-year vacant building on the corridor.

Black Business Spotlight

How Design by Melo is reshaping community spaces in the Twin Cities

by Lizzy Nyoike April 8, 2026April 8, 2026

Design by Melo founder Damaris Hollingsworth built a Twin Cities architecture and urban design firm rooted in affordable housing and community centered design after creating the opportunity she could not find.

Business

Rondo exchange launches to support St. Paul entrepreneurs

by Destiny Kromah March 26, 2026March 26, 2026

The Rondo Exchange grand opening in St. Paul celebrates affordable entrepreneurship, community legacy and economic opportunity in the historic Rondo neighborhood.

Black Business Spotlight

Strive Publishing & Bookstore centers Black voices

by Lizzy Nyoike March 25, 2026April 2, 2026

In the heart of downtown Minneapolis, inside the Medical Arts Building, a unique literacy space is quietly transforming how stories are told, and who gets to tell them. At Strive Publishing & Bookstore, founder and CEO Mary Taris has created more than a bookstore, building a cultural hub rooted in representation, community, and the power […]