6 Calgary Black-Owned Businesses You Can Support in 2021
What’s up friends? It’s the last week of Black History Month, so what would be more fitting than to shoutout some of the amazing Black-owned businesses right here in YYC!
There are so many amazing businesses that are run by Black Calgarians and this blog post only covers a few. However, you can find an entire list here!
While looking through this list, I realized that I know about some of these businesses but I’ve never supported them through purchasing. I know that I can do better at supporting the people in my community, especially during a pandemic, so I’m going to try and support one Black-owned business each month! Follow along on my Instagram to see which ones I choose.
Note: All images are from the brand’s Instagram and belong to the brand.
Aggudo Coffee- 338 10 St NW
You all know how much I LOVE trying new coffee shops. Aggudo is a local coffee shop and roastery, specializing in Ethiopian cuisine and coffee. One thing that you learn as a barista is that coffee tastes different and has different notes, depending on the country that it is sourced from. Ethiopian coffee is grown in higher-elevation, giving it a nice flavour and more nutrients than lower-elevation coffee. You can visit the coffee shop to grab a coffee or some of their amazing breakfast food like the hazelnut croissant or the Aggudo coffee cake. If you are more into having your coffee at home, you can visit their website to order the beans right to your house!
2. Civic Styles/ Shop Civic
I first learned about Tyeesha and Shop Civic at a local second-hand market last summer and I’ve been following her on Instagram ever since. Tyeesha says, “I am here to question the status quo of the fashion industry and help you to think more critically about fashion and what it looks like to you.” She does this through Shop Civic, a local second-hand and vintage shop. Her pieces are super fashionable and I love the way that she styles everything, both in her personal life and on her site. Shop Civic is currently closed while Tyeesha is on mat-leave, but you best bet that I’ll be shopping pretty frequently when she’s back.
3. Agu Athletics
The word Agu comes from the Ingo Tribe of Nigeria and means lioness. The brand aims to overcome fear and to show that we can take control of our own destiny and step out of our comfort zone. Agu Athletics specializes in workout wear that is durable, performance-ready, well-made and stylish. Their logo, which can be found on their clothing, is a combination of the lioness that the business is named for, but also shows a maze that is meant to represent that life is not linear. Can we just talk about the bright yellow set? FANTASTIC. Definitely need to get my hands on that.
4. Tish Jewelry
I am not a huge jewelry wearer (probably partly because I don’t have my ears pierced) but lately, I’ve been interested in some of the amazing local jewelry brands that we have in YYC. Tish Beauty was founded by Lateisha Brown. She wanted to create jewelry that she would want to wear. Her goal is to create jewelry that accents and enhances but doesn’t outshine the internal beauty of women. I love the pieces that are created with crystals and gems. Her collections are so beautiful and very affordable!
5. AdoniaaBeauty -Westbrook Mall
Black-owned beauty brands let’s goooo! I love trying out new makeup and I can’t wait to try out some products from Adoniaabeauty. Adoniaabeauty is more than just makeup products: the company also offers books, services and classes all about makeup! Adoniaabeauty is founded by Doyin. She is a trained electrical engineer with a passion for beauty, leading her to start Adoniaabeauty in 2014. Her focus is on uplifting, validating, equipping, and inspiring women at every stage of life. They have a membership that allows you to get even more out of every purchase (we love rewards!).
6. Zilla Couture
Zilla was founded in 2019 and now operates worldwide, bringing unique and trendy fashion for women of all sizes and ethnicities. Their products are super cute and affordable and they offer free shipping on orders over $100. The pieces are super trendy and I have definitely seen influencers wearing similar pieces (obviously at a much higher price tag). I also appreciate the diversity in their models in terms of size and ethnicity. I hate shopping on websites that only have size 2-4 models. I can never know how the pieces will fit on my body. I love that I can see the pieces on models that look more like me! I’ll definitely be shopping on here!
Where do you like to shop in YYC?
