During last summer’s racial justice protests, local Black-owned businesses saw a surge in community support. At the same time, Prince George’s County natives Kyndra Jones and Khloe Washington — who now co-run Street Smart Collaborative and Black-Owned Box — started thinking about the long-term. 

“How do we contribute [to the movement]?,” recounts Jones. “How do we make the commitment to Black businesses sustainable?” 

Washington and Jones’ path to entrepreneurship started in tenth grade, when they became “high school besties” before both separately earning degrees in communications. Last year, after the coronavirus lockdowns had already impacted local businesses, and the protests against anti-Black racism began gaining more attention, they started thinking of ways they could ensure their communities were supported.

“Every week, we were thinking of different things that we can do,” says Washington. “We originally started off by saying, ‘Okay, we’re going to put together a list of Black-owned business directories. So we started there and kind of just evolved. We were just trying to build a sustainable [approach] that can go on way beyond us.”

And so in July 2020, the two women officially launched their non-profit Street Smart Collaborative to fight racism through local economic growth. They consulted with their network of friends and business owners to learn what they needed to thrive, and began pairing their directory with resources for business owners to keep their (virtual and IRL) doors open. As the pandemic wore on, and as the support for “Buying Black” began to wane, they started exploring ways that businesses could team up to support each other. 

“Where can people shop for all Black-owned products in one hub?,” asks Washington. “We wanted something where, in one click, you have a gift for your mom, your mom, your aunt, whomever — or yourself.”

They also had friends like D.C. native Bianca Tylier, who sells BeSpiced seasoning blends and has voiced the need among business owners for more support. 

“We all have these Black-owned businesses but there was no way to highlight all of them,” explains Tylier, who now spends her time between D.C. and New York. “And we’re also in the age of subscription gift boxes … you do a survey, you tell them the product you want, and you get a box every month.”

And when Washington and Jones realized that there was not a box curated for Black products, “they literally took the idea and ran with it.”

By the new year, the high school friends started curating gift boxes out of the lists of businesses that they had already made — and on January 30 they opened Black-Owned Box as a project of Street Smart Collaborative. Tylier’s spices were among the products featured in the first sale. 

Washington and Jones’ model offers pre-curated boxes with the products pre-assembled. And instead of a subscription service (which would take more maintenance), for now, the gift boxes are sold individually.

Black-Owned Box refreshes its packages seasonally so customers can keep discovering new products. Earlier this month, the team dropped their “Relaxation Retreat Box” ahead of Mother’s Day in May, for those who need “their own relaxation retreat that can fit into their already exciting days.” The box is filled with five products, including finds like Joy and Magic’s Relentless Joy Loose Leaf Tea & Infuser and Lyfe Shadows’ Fresh Linen Room Spray.

“I know a lot of people were really looking to shop Black — especially everything that happened last summer with the protests,” explains Washington. “There was a huge uptick in support for Black businesses and support for small businesses — and we wanted to find a way to connect it all together.”

And Jones and Washington were not alone. 

While the two women were building their virtual business, Gary Williams Jr. and Tamon George of the D.C. marketing firm Creative Theory had a similar idea. But instead of a virtual gift box, Williams and George explored what a collection of products from Black-owned businesses could look like in person — and called their venture the Gift Shop.

“We challenge [our clients] to help them think about their company … [and] support their communities. And we realized that we are not excluded from that same responsibility. If we are challenging their impact — then we should be doing the same thing. And that’s how we got to the Gift Shop.”

Where Williams and George push clients to support their own local communities through Creative Theory, the pair decided that they needed to support the home in the District with the Gift Shop. 

“When you talk about the community, you can see the change D.C. has gone through in 5 years. You can point to gentrification,” Williams says. “It’s understanding that D.C. natives are still strong, they’re still here, and they are the fabric of all of [the city]. It is extremely important that places like this exist so that we can support one another.”

They began by hosting a pop-up store with Moechella at Union Market in early February and soon decided to make the store a permanent source for goods and artisans from across the region. 

Today, customers looking to buy Black in-person can go to the Gift Shop to purchase everything from home goods like kitchenware and candles, to artwork. Their inventory rotates (local Black businesses can apply each month to be featured) so customers can keep up with local creatives’ creations. As of the time of this article, customers who head to the shop can purchase goods from the city’s own District of Clothing and Destiny’s Cache. And then they are invited to come back for more. “The gift shop is now not a pop-up. We are here and here to stay,” says Williams. “We are not temporary in our mission.” 

Customers who would rather purchase products virtually can explore Black-Owned Box’s latest products that now feature a “build your own box” option. 

“We often get asked how [to keep supporting our community],” says Washington. 

The answer: “Whatever you think it means to support a Black business today, double that.” 

Black Owned Box’s products are available for purchase at shopblackownedbox.com. The Gift Shop is open at Union Market from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.