Minneapolis Black Business Week 2026 runs July 23 through Aug. 2 with a packed lineup of conferences, certification workshops, street markets and festivals celebrating and investing in the city’s Black business community.
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Posted inEvents
Brooklyn Center fundraiser event supports 30K-Square-Foot event space
McNeal Management is celebrating the land launch of a new 30,000-square-foot business and event center for Black entrepreneurs in Brooklyn Center with a free outdoor celebration. Digital Editor Aaliyah Demry has the details.
Posted inBest of Black Businesses
Best of Black Business 2026: Meet the 50 Finalists
Voting is open for the Second Annual Best of Black Business Awards. Meet the 50 finalists across five categories, from soul food kitchens to design studios, representing the best in Black-owned business across Minnesota.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Tribe Federal Credit Union brings community-rooted banking to Midtown
Tribe Federal Credit Union, the nation’s first provisionally chartered credit union, opened its doors at Midtown Global Market, bringing a mission-driven financial institution to South Minneapolis. Contributing writer Fela Jamal has the story.
Posted inTracey’s Keepin' It Real
Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real: Frank Brown and Tina Schlief on Customer Service, Communication, and the Dos and Don’ts of Doing Business
“The customer is always right” is a myth, says Minuteman Press Uptown owner Frank Brown. On this episode of Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real, Brown and consumer Tina Schlief join host Tracey Williams-Dillard for a candid conversation about customer service, communication and why Black-owned businesses need to stop offering discounts on request.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Roots & Bloom turns plant care into self-care
Ciera Curtis turned her love of plants into Roots & Bloom, a mobile plant shop bringing greenery, workshops and wellness conversations to communities across the Twin Cities. Contributing writer Lizzy Nyoike has the story.
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Sheer Treasures celebrates culture, wellness and community after 53 years
From selling incense door to door in North Minneapolis to 53 years in business, M. David and Gail Ricks built Sheer Treasures into a Northtown Mall staple rooted in culture, wellness and community.
Posted inBusiness
Fractional CFO services are unlocking capital for Black businesses
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.
Posted inOpinion
A Federal Rule Change Threatens Minnesota’s Small Businesses. Especially the Ones Our Communities Depend On
R. Lynn Pingol writes that a proposed OMB rule change would strip away the supplier diversity programs, technical assistance and SBA 8(a) pathways that small Black, immigrant and women-owned businesses depend on to access federal contracts, threatening the corridors communities rebuilt after years of crisis.
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 inEvents
Support a Black-Owned Creative Space at the Urban Lights DJ Night and Fundraiser on June 12
Urban Lights Music in St. Paul is hosting a DJ Night and Fundraiser on June 12 featuring an all-vinyl house, funk and disco set from MPLS House, vinyl giveaways and community connection to help keep a meaningful Black-owned creative space alive in the Twin Cities.
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 inOpinion
Policy shifts are reshaping Black and immigrant business economy
Procurement expert R. Lynn Pingol argues that Minnesota’s small businesses are facing a perfect storm of federal shocks, from DEI restrictions to DBE rollbacks and SBA delays, landing hardest on Black, immigrant and BIPOC-owned firms with the least margin for disruption.
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 inBlacklight On Sports
Erick Goodlow on Golf, Legacy, and Leaving Corporate After 30 Years at Medtronic
On this episode of Blacklight on Sports, host Dr. Mitchell Palmer McDonald sits down with Erick Goodlow, co-founder of Fairway Foundation and architectural firm Formula, whose two lives span 25 years of youth golf access and building the only fully Black-owned architecture firm in the Midwest.
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.
Posted inBusiness
Rib tips with a side of ‘Edina hot’ sauce: Two Minneapolis friends build flourishing barbecue stand
Just Paula’s has become a Minneapolis Farmers Market staple, serving slow-smoked ribs, brisket, and chicken while building community through food, family, and craft.
Posted inBlack Business Spotlight
Five-Star Chuck: A locksmith built on trust
One early winter morning in Oakdale, Minnesota, the cash drawer at a HomeGoods jammed shut with the night’s revenue locked inside. Management needed it opened immediately. The call went to one man: “Five-Star Chuck.” Less than an hour later, Charles “Chuck” Bradley was on site, opening the drawer with practiced precision. The store opened on […]