Blax Friday – A Statewide Directory Celebrates Black-Owned Businesses

Part of the IMPACT Stories series by State of Black Arizona.

Celebrate, support and expand black business — impact for Arizona

More than 20 years ago, two Black San Francisco entrepreneurs created Black Business Month, which is observed nationally every August. They sought to celebrate the Black business community’s accomplishments and the significant potential it could achieve with more access to capital.

Since 2020, the State of Black Arizona (SBAZ), a statewide nonprofit data organization, and Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), a leading economic development entity, have worked together to further this mission. The organizations have issued three State of Black Business reports detailing the Black-owned business community’s strengths and challenges and presenting concrete strategies for expansion.

One strength has been that Arizona’s Black population and business base are growing. But reports have also shown many firms still struggle to find capital for long-term success. Recommendations have called for, in part, better access to all types of capital sources, more startup resources and a directory of Black businesses

 Read more in the latest AZ State of Black Business Report

In response, a number of Arizona entrepreneurs have created and expanded programs and financing opportunities for Black businesses. They are celebrating, supporting and expanding the Black business sector for a better economy and brighter future in Arizona. Their stories almost always have two things in common: 1) like all entrepreneurs, they saw a need and filled it; and 2) they have drawn on the power of community to ensure success.

For Black Business Month 2024, State of Black Arizona and Greater Phoenix Economic Council have profiled some of the people and programs that are changing the landscape for Black-owned businesses. Their impacts will be distributed weekly in the State of Black Arizona newsletter, on GPEC's blog and on SBAZ and GPEC's social media channels.

How Blax Friday became a catalyst for Black business growth 

Like successful entrepreneurs everywhere, Tucsonan Ashley La Russa saw a need and filled it. But she hasn’t done it alone.

In the wake of George Floyd’s death in summer 2020, many in Tucson wanted to connect with the Black community and support Black-owned businesses. But an easy way to locate more than a handful of well-known enterprises didn’t exist. Plus, since many businesses were e-commerce only, they were often relatively unknown in the community. The pandemic shutdown offered the time to craft a community-oriented solution.

Ashley and colleagues, some who had been tracking Black business via #BlaxFriday, started creating the Blax Friday Google sheet, now Arizona’s largest online directory and app of Black-owned businesses. Starting in Tucson and expanding to Phoenix and across the state, Blax Friday has made it easy to connect with Black businesses and encourage collaboration among entities. As a positive force for vouching for “representation and economic empowerment of Black business owners,” Blax Friday strives to help owners “build a bridge” to their communities.

Available at BlaxFriday.com and via the free app, the directory now lists more than 1,500 businesses in 15 categories, including apparel, food and bar, gifts and art, hair, home and tech, media and events, nonprofits, and professional services. The 2024 goal is 2,000 entries. The next expansion target is expected to be more Black-owned professional entities, such as doctors and legal services. But 1,500-2,000 is definitely not all of the Black-owned businesses in Arizona. Ashley estimates there are at least three times as many as have been listed thus far. Blax Friday is crowd-sourced, relying on entrepreneurs to input their businesses into the databank and community members to suggest new companies. Thus, many help Blax Friday expand.

Originally from Texas, Ashley moved to Tucson in 2008 to work for Arizona Theater Company as a stage manager. Initially, she expected to stay just a short time before moving on to other prospects in theater. Instead, the opportunities in Tucson convinced her to stay for the long haul, creating Roux Events and launching Blax Friday. She has become a well-known figure in Tucson but insists “it takes a village” to keep Blax Friday growing, especially because expanding its reach remains the greatest challenge. Working with State of Black Arizona has been important to Blax Friday’s statewide exposure and reaching beyond city boundaries.

Blax Friday is a positive response to the desire among Arizonans to support Black-owned businesses and reduce the isolation and barriers entrepreneurs often face. Ashley and the Blax Friday team, now nine strong, see business growth and new opportunities daily. Blax Friday is now a foundational resource for business growth and collaboration. It is an essential tool for businesses as purveyors and employers and Arizonans as consumers and investors.