I was first introduced to Official Black Wall Street through their app that sends an alert any time you’re near a Black owned business that has registered with them. For me, it’s a cool way to find new businesses to support, especially if I’m in an area that I’m not familiar with. There are some features that I haven’t tried yet, like checking in when you’re actually at a business or leaving a review, but I will try them out soon.
Earlier in November, Official Black Wall Street hosted its first national Black Business Crawl. The idea was that people in 11 cities across the country would find and support the brick and mortar locations of a total of 160 Black owned businesses over the span of two days. It sounded like a fun thing to do, so I accepted the challenge. Plus there was the chance to win $700, so why not, right? I visited all nine Atlanta-area businesses listed:
Nubian Bookstore
You’ll find Nubian Bookstore right off I-75, just south of Atlanta in Morrow. When you walk in, you find that the store is divided in two, with half dedicated to books and paper products, and the other half to Greek clothing and paraphernalia. I didn’t explore the clothing side, but I could have spent hours on the other half. It was amazing to see an entire wall of literature full of black characters in every genre. The entire front had so many books for kids; I was jealous that I didn’t have access to all these titles when I was younger. As you move toward the back of the store, there are books for older audiences as well. There were also calendars and greeting cards and journals, all decorated with black people in every shade. I love all things literature and stationary, and I cannot wait to get more from Nubian Bookstore.
Pearl Restaurant and Lounge
Pearl Restaurant is tucked into the Castleberry neighborhood of Atlanta. In my quest, I got there almost as soon as they opened, and I don’t think they were quite prepared for that. Service was a little slow and the menu was slightly limited. I ordered small plates, which were in fact small, but good. I also ordered sides, which were a decent size. The decor was simple and the playlist was great, but I’ll have to try again a few hours after they open.
iwi fresh
Right up the street from Pearl Lounge, you’ll find iwi fresh. I could go on about how much I love this place, but I already have! You can read an in depth look here, but just know that I will just about always use a reason to visit.
Kinks and Curls
After leaving downtown Atlanta, the next stop was in Lawrenceville. Kinks and Curls is a cute natural hair boutique that not only sells mostly black owned product lines, but also has a little salon area for hair (and makeup!) consultations and styling. Opposite the salon is a DIY oil bar, that has all the different types of oil you would need or want to make a hair or body oil. I think what I appreciated most was the woman who helped me was super knowledgeable and willing to walk me through anything I needed and answer ALL of my questions. It made me feel like she actually cared about making sure I had what I needed. Even though it’s a little far for me, I’m willing to take the trek to Kinks and Curls for the health and wellness of my curls.
Rivet Boys Boutique
In my travels, I discovered that Rivet Boys Boutique no longer has a brick and 
mortar location and is solely online. From the quick browse I did of the website, it looks like they have everything you need for the little boy in your life to dress to impress for any occasion. Since the idea of the Black Business Crawl was to find different storefronts, I will spend more time on the website later and give a more in-depth review then.
BQE
I will always be thankful to the Black Business Crawl for giving me a reason to come to BQE. This food is so good, I was actually a little sad when I had eaten it all. On a weekend, this place is busy, so I would definitely suggest a reservation, especially so you don’t have to worry as much about the one hour time limit for parties without. During brunch, a DJ came and played all the jams. With the good service, great atmosphere, and amazing food, I may have just found my new favorite brunch spot.
Funky Flair Boutique
Funky Flair Boutique is a super cute boutique north of Atlanta in Marietta. I don’t think there was an item I saw that I did not want to add to my closet. There were some things that I will have to save up for, but I think it will definitely be worth it. For those of you outside of the metro Atlanta area, there is also a website where you can place your order and step your style game up. I know I already have my eye on a few things.
TAGS Boutique
I visited the Buckhead location of TAGS, which I was surprised to learn was open by Kandi Burruss and her partner Peaches Chin (mostly because I don’t keep up with any celebrity or reality star news). It is a spacious store with quite a few cute styles. Most of them were not my size or in my price range, but I will keep the store in mind for some of my friends and family.
Negril Village
I have previously shared that Negril Village is a Caribbean oasis. I stand by that. I enjoy the food, which usually fills me for a couple meals. I was very happy to see that it was included in the list for this Black Business Crawl.
I appreciated Official Black Wall Street’s Inaugural Black Business Crawl for encouraging people to get out to support Black businesses and because I found some new Black owned businesses that I will DEFINITELY be back to support. There were some things about the logistics of the event as a whole that caused me to raise an eyebrow, but overall, I am glad I participated.
Happy buying!
