Calls to ‘Buy Black’ Are Giving Businesses a Much-Needed Boost
Lists of coffee shops, eateries and retailers to patronize have gone viral on Twitter and Instagram.
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At Breukelen Coffee House in Brooklyn, business is booming, at least by pandemic standards. Regulars have started to return—with masks, of course—but owner Frank Warren has noted an uptick in unfamiliar faces, too. After taking a 90% hit during shelter-in-place orders, sales jumped 30% last week.
He suspects the surge isn’t just because the city is coming back to life, but the result of renewed calls to support Black Lives Matter along with black-owned shops like his. “This couldn’t happen at a better time for us,” Warren said from behind the counter of his cafe. Over the last few months, he had relied on takeout to keep him afloat. “But then you add this? My gut tells me 50% more tips, at least.”