Black Press USA contributing writer Amy Kang explains how fractional CFO services can help Black-owned businesses access capital, build investor-grade financial documentation and close the funding gap without the cost of a full-time executive.
Business
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Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Carol’s African Restaurant brings Liberian cuisine and community to Brooklyn Park
Carol’s African Restaurant, a new family-owned West African restaurant in Brooklyn Park named in honor of Jamecar Killen’s mother, held its grand opening May 9, drawing more than 200 people after nearly a decade of catering and community building across the Twin Cities.
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Neighborhood Development Center Spotlights Community Businesses Through Hidden GEMS Campaign
The Hidden GEMS on University Avenue campaign spotlights Flava Coffee and Cafe, Angelea’s Soul Food Kitchen and The Collective Salon Studios as part of NDC’s St. Paul Commercial Corridor Program celebrating the people and places that make the corridor special.
Posted inBusiness
Orange Barrels, Empty Tables: East 7th Street Businesses Fight to Survive MnDOT Construction
A seven-month MnDOT reconstruction project on East Seventh Street in St. Paul is threatening the survival of dozens of immigrant- and minority-owned businesses on the East Side corridor, with $5,000 grants covering just one month of a seven-month impact.
Posted inBusiness
After the Ruling: How Trump’s Struck-Down Tariffs Impact Black-Owned Businesses
A Supreme Court ruling struck down Trump’s IEEPA tariffs, triggering an estimated $130 to $175 billion in potential refunds, while Black-owned businesses absorbed disproportionate damage with 52% reporting a decline in sales.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
How one St. Paul makeup artist built her business from the ground up after high school
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
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
The Purposed Parent: Sister Duo Delivers Essential Prenatal and Postpartum SupportÂ
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.
Posted inBest of Black Businesses
Nominations Are Now Open for the 2026 Best of Black Business Awards
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.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Unique Fashion and Accessories brings affordable style and resilience to Crystal
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.
Posted inBusiness
NEON Launches $22 Million Collective Kitchens Hub, Giving Food Entrepreneurs Room to Grow
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.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Black-led Arise Community Credit Union works to expand financial access for all
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.
Posted inBusiness
Golden Thyme marks one year under new stewardship, carrying Rondo’s legacy forward
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.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Urban Lights Music continues legacy as one of the Twin Cities’ last Black-owned record stores
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.
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Posted inBlack 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.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Ashley Bolden built Lynnmonade on mindset and mission
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.
Posted inBusiness
Minneapolis fair opens doors for the formerly incarcerated
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.
Posted inBusiness
The secondhand shift: Stretching dollars instead of creating more trash
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.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
One founder’s journey from the mountains of Jamaica to a Minnesota healing space
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.
Posted inBusiness
Why people are opting out of hustle culture, choosing lifestyle over work
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.
Posted inEvents
West Broadway Business & Area Coalition Celebrates Record Milestones at 2026 Gala
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.