MILWAUKEE — To continue recognizing Black History Month, we want to highlight several Black-owned businesses across the Milwaukee area. From restaurants, to online shops, to photographers, the Milwaukee area is full of amazing Black-owned businesses that deserve even more recognition and appreciation.
Art and Photography
Black Ink Milwaukee is a tattoo and piercing shop located on Brady St. Black Ink is the biggest black-owned tattoo franchise in the United States. The artists range from American traditional, to portraits, to tribal.
Grant Images Photography is a family-owned photography business that captures beautiful moments in the form of family, newborn, maternity, and portrait photoshoots.
Grape Escape offers fun step-by-step painting classes for adults and children alike. This business offers both private and public sessions that are available to register for on their website.
Flaash Photography's Jacoby White is a published photographer that specializes in portraits, sports, fashion, and event photography.
In honor of Black History Month, Black Arts MKE is presenting a theatrical production for Milwaukee's youth titled "Harlem Renaissance".
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Hair, Beauty, and Wellness
Taebrownbeauty, founded by LaFonte Brown, strives to provide high-quality, natural, safe, and hand-made luxurious products at affordable prices. Products include body scrubs, hair and body butter, and bath essentials.
DeeCutzz, Dee Allen, is a licensed cosmetologist that offers a wide variety of hair styling services such as silk presses, dread detoxes, sew-ins, various hair-restoring treatments, and more. A full list of services is listed on Dee's website.
Ashlee's Crazy Yoga provides yoga classes with various styles at different difficulty levels so there is truly something for everyone. Nutritional guidance, reiki, personal training, and mind body therapy services are also available.
Ebony Esthetics provides self-care services through skin therapy. They specialize in signature treatments that target hyperpigmentation, acne, pro-aging, and general skin health. Ebony Esthetics also provides waxing, and brow and lash enhancement.
King's Barber and Beauty Shop offers several services including beard and mustaches upkeep, coloring, hair treatment, perming, and haircuts for men, women, and children. King's also offers skin care services and makeup services.
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Shopping
International Appeal is an Etsy shop that sells handmade, vintage-style hats, accessories, and other clothing. With stellar reviews, International Appeal offers customized church and derby hats for women, and even occasional men's items as well. This Milwaukee-based store is keeping the vintage aesthetic alive and fresh.
RefreshMKE Curated Goods is another vintage styled store, however Refresh also aims to style their customer's lives sustainably. According to owner, Meaghan Bertram, her mission is to offer a sustainable way to shop while being culturally inclusive.
Maranta Plant Shop is an adorable plant shop in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Open since 2021, Maranta has made it's name as the first and only Black & Brown-owned plant shop. Maranta's mission is to make plant shopping not only accessible to everyone, but affordable too.
Brush Box is a craft box service that aims to use the direction of art therapy to allow customers to get in touch with their creative side. Some of the craft packs available for purchase include an affirmation deck kit, a cleanse kit, a jar full of positivity, and build-your-own superhero kit.
My Sistuh's Trunk is an Etsy store based in Milwaukee that sells handcrafted jewelry. With glowing 5-star reviews, My Sistuh's Trunk crafts beautiful beaded earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.
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Food and Drink
A Taste of Soul MKE is a family restaurant and lounge in the Roosevelt Grove neighborhood on Milwaukee's north side. A Taste of Soul MKE features a savory menu with various flavorful entrees, sides, platters, and more.
Sam's Place Jazz Cafe is a jazz coffeehouse in the Harambee neighborhood. Their mission is to offer great service, food, and experience at a fair price. Sam's Place takes pride in becoming a place where customers can relax and say "this is my place."
Immy's African Cuisine gifts Milwaukee with delicious East African cuisine. Located on Milwaukee's upper east side, Immy's offers a variety of classic cuisine including fufu, egusi soup, sambusa, and curry just to name a couple of the restaurant's options.
Twisted Plants is a truly unique Milwaukee-area restaurant. Brandon and Arielle Hawthorne, the owners of Twisted Plants, decided to open Twisted Plants to spread their appreciation of vegan comfort food such as plant-based burgers, meatless drummies, and more to others.
Taste of Lindsay Heights is a very special business. Taste of Lindsay is a carryout cafe that features cuisine from budding local food entrepreneurs. Owned by the Walnut Way nonprofit, Taste of Lindsay Heights directly aligns with their mission to promote wellness, work, and wealth within the community of Lindsay Heights.
To see a full directory of Black-owned businesses in Milwaukee, refer to MKE Black's Milwaukee's Black-Owned Business Directory
