Where to find women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ owned businesses to support this holiday season - Guapify

Where to find women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ owned businesses to support this holiday season

November 28, 2023

Cynthia Rebolledo, provided by

Nov. 28, 2023

Where to find women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ owned businesses to support this holiday season Delilah Snell, a Latina entrepreneur, attributes the success of her neighborhood shop to its values: Its commitment to celebrating, recognizing, and supporting Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, and women producers and makers from above and below the U.S.-Mexico border. "It's difficult to be a small business owner and even more difficult to be a female business owner," said Snell, who owns a curated market that sells an assortment of products and prepared foods called Alta Baja Market in Santa Ana, California. "That's why I'm a really big supporter and it's the ethos of the store to represent businesses that don't have the exposure that I think they deserve, and a lot of those are minority groups." Consumers increasingly share the same sentiment by being more intentional about where their money goes. The past couple of years have introduced a new emphasis on shopping small during the holidays and supporting businesses owned by women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ community members. A 2022 McKinsey survey found that 2 in 3 Americans report shopping based on their values, and nearly half believe retailers should actively support Black-owned businesses and brands. Despite the shift, there remains a serious gap between Black business ownership in comparison to white business ownership: In 2020, only 3% of all U.S. businesses were... — 1of9
Where to find women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ owned businesses to support this holiday season
Delilah Snell, a Latina entrepreneur, attributes the success of her neighborhood shop to its values: Its commitment to celebrating, recognizing, and supporting Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+, and women producers and makers from above and below the U.S.-Mexico border.
“It’s difficult to be a small business owner and even more difficult to be a female business owner,” said Snell, who owns a curated market that sells an assortment of products and prepared foods called Alta Baja Market in Santa Ana, California. “That’s why I’m a really big supporter and it’s the ethos of the store to represent businesses that don’t have the exposure that I think they deserve, and a lot of those are minority groups.”
Consumers increasingly share the same sentiment by being more intentional about where their money goes. The past couple of years have introduced a new emphasis on shopping small during the holidays and supporting businesses owned by women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ community members. A 2022 McKinsey survey found that 2 in 3 Americans report shopping based on their values, and nearly half believe retailers should actively support Black-owned businesses and brands.
Despite the shift, there remains a serious gap between Black business ownership in comparison to white business ownership: In 2020, only 3% of all U.S. businesses were…
Dragon Images // Shutterstock

Start Small Think Big Start Small Think Big is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion in entrepreneurship. It partners with BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, immigrants, veterans, formerly incarcerated and low-income business owners, and entrepreneurs with disabilities—by assisting with financial, legal, and marketing services. To help circumvent some of the unique challenges that limit the growth and sustainability of small businesses, the organization created a directory for shopping online. There, people can find a state-by-state roundup of goods and services from businesses run by BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people, women, and other underrepresented groups throughout the United States. — 2of9
Start Small Think Big
Start Small Think Big is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion in entrepreneurship. It partners with BIPOC, women, LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, immigrants, veterans, formerly incarcerated and low-income business owners, and entrepreneurs with disabilities—by assisting with financial, legal, and marketing services.
To help circumvent some of the unique challenges that limit the growth and sustainability of small businesses, the organization created a directory for shopping online. There, people can find a state-by-state roundup of goods and services from businesses run by BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people, women, and other underrepresented groups throughout the United States.
PeopleImages.com – Yuri A // Shutterstock

AAPI Business Collective The Asian American and Pacific Islander Business Collective is a directory for those who wish to support and shop businesses owned by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Calling out the anti-Asian racism and misinformation that circulated heavily during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it had on AAPI businesses and communities, the site showcases the creative talents of these diverse communities. With categories ranging from apparel to wellness, food, and art, the AAPI Business Collective is particularly helpful for those seeking specific or unique gifts. The platform allows you to browse small businesses by category and links directly to their websites. — 4of9
AAPI Business Collective
The Asian American and Pacific Islander Business Collective is a directory for those who wish to support and shop businesses owned by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Calling out the anti-Asian racism and misinformation that circulated heavily during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact it had on AAPI businesses and communities, the site showcases the creative talents of these diverse communities.
With categories ranging from apparel to wellness, food, and art, the AAPI Business Collective is particularly helpful for those seeking specific or unique gifts. The platform allows you to browse small businesses by category and links directly to their websites.
livertoon // Shutterstock

Black-owned small business directories A number of Black-owned business directories and marketplaces make it easy to connect with small Black-owned businesses, which face significant barriers to accessing capital. Some platforms allow you to buy from Black-owned brands nationally and locally. Some cities, like New York, have city-specific Black-owned business directories. Black Woman Owned, for instance, makes it their mission to amplify Black women entrepreneurs and serve as a resource to find Black woman-owned businesses. Many of these marketplace networks also offer curated mailing lists that help you discover products and services from hundreds of entrepreneurs. — 5of9
Black-owned small business directories
A number of Black-owned business directories and marketplaces make it easy to connect with small Black-owned businesses, which face significant barriers to accessing capital. Some platforms allow you to buy from Black-owned brands nationally and locally. Some cities, like New York, have city-specific Black-owned business directories.
Black Woman Owned, for instance, makes it their mission to amplify Black women entrepreneurs and serve as a resource to find Black woman-owned businesses. Many of these marketplace networks also offer curated mailing lists that help you discover products and services from hundreds of entrepreneurs.
LightField Studios // Shutterstock

Chez Nous Guide Chez Nous Guide is a Black- and woman-owned site that helps people find and support businesses owned by women, LGBTQ+ merchants, and BIPOC entrepreneurs in major cities globally. The directory is also an excellent resource for consumers looking to shop for ethically sourced products. The website allows for sorting by city or category, making it less complicated to find small businesses and listings in a wide variety of areas. — 7of9
Chez Nous Guide
Chez Nous Guide is a Black- and woman-owned site that helps people find and support businesses owned by women, LGBTQ+ merchants, and BIPOC entrepreneurs in major cities globally. The directory is also an excellent resource for consumers looking to shop for ethically sourced products.
The website allows for sorting by city or category, making it less complicated to find small businesses and listings in a wide variety of areas.
Hananeko_Studio // Shutterstock

Markets and craft fairs Shop for handcrafted goods and support women-, BIPOC-, and LGBTQ+-led creative communities by checking out local markets and craft fairs. Some of these markets are curated to showcase the work of minority-owned creators in particular. At In Todo, a Los Angeles-based craft fair, shoppers can enjoy a unique experience shopping from over 120 BIPOC artisans selling apparel, art, beauty, home goods, and more. In Chicago, the One of a Kind Show puts on a market in the winter and spring, where people can shop directly from makers of goods ranging from jewelry to ceramics, homewares, art, pet products, and more. This market is unique for its artist locator, where shoppers can browse the artisans and sort by name, location, and BIPOC-owned, LGBTQ+-owned, and woman-owned businesses, so you're sure to use your buying power to uplift creatives. Story editing by Eliza Siegel. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller. This story originally appeared on Flowcode and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. — 8of9
Markets and craft fairs
Shop for handcrafted goods and support women-, BIPOC-, and LGBTQ+-led creative communities by checking out local markets and craft fairs. Some of these markets are curated to showcase the work of minority-owned creators in particular.
At In Todo, a Los Angeles-based craft fair, shoppers can enjoy a unique experience shopping from over 120 BIPOC artisans selling apparel, art, beauty, home goods, and more.
In Chicago, the One of a Kind Show puts on a market in the winter and spring, where people can shop directly from makers of goods ranging from jewelry to ceramics, homewares, art, pet products, and more. This market is unique for its artist locator, where shoppers can browse the artisans and sort by name, location, and BIPOC-owned, LGBTQ+-owned, and woman-owned businesses, so you’re sure to use your buying power to uplift creatives.
Story editing by Eliza Siegel. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.
This story originally appeared on Flowcode and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Jen Wolf // Shutterstock

Flowcode compiled a list of five resources to help discover women-, BIPOC-, and LGBTQ+-owned businesses this holiday season.

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