BLK-Owned Hamilton launches directory
Aim to make it easier for customers to find Black-owned businesses and increase their visibility
The Montague sisters have made it their mission to bolster Hamilton’s Black-owned business community.
It first began with the launch of BLK-Owned Hamilton, which started as an Instagram account in June 2020 and aimed to give allies of the city’s Black community an actionable way to show their support.
The account features Blackowned businesses and entrepreneurs from across the city, highlighting anyone from restaurant owners and hairdressers to jewelry makers and fitness instructors.
Their reach has grown steadily over time, with the non-profit organization amassing more than 8,500 followers on social media. They’ve hosted pop-up markets, sold merchandise boxes and have worked to bridge the gaps faced by Black business owners.
And in January, the three sisters officially launched their latest initiative, an online directory (blkowned.ca) dedicated to highlighting Black-owned businesses.
“It’s pretty exciting,” said cofounder Alex Montague, 24, who is the middle sister of the trio. “We’ve spent the last year working with a Black-owned web developer — Creative Scope — on this.”
Those who have been following the sisters’ work may remember the first iteration of the directory, which existed on a Google spreadsheet that could be shared via a link online. That concept has since been given both a major revamp and a permanent home with the coinciding launch of their official website, said Montague.
The directory can be found by clicking on the Explore Hamilton tab. That will take users to the index, which can then be filtered based on what folks are looking for, where they were hoping to shop and what businesses are top-rated.
Each business profile includes links to their social media, their address if they have a physical location, their hours of operations, a short description of the business as well as a place to leave reviews.
Montague said through providing all that information on a centralized platform, they hope to make it easier for customers to find the businesses as well as “increase the visibility” of the Black-owned businesses.
She noted that people often want to support an “equity-deserving group” such as Black entrepreneurs, but don’t know where to find them.
“This is that starting place,” said Montague, noting that it’s not always obvious when a business is Black-owned. “We’re taking away that awkwardness and the information is readily available for anyone.”
So far, more than 50 businesses have been added to the directory. Not all of them are from Steeltown, Montague noted.
Through their events, they’ve connected with Black business owners from Mississauga, St. Catharines, Brampton, Milton, Toronto, Vaughan and even as far away as Montreal.
“We don’t want to limit anyone’s success or their ability to be reached,” she said. “We want to build a community.”
Entrepreneurs can add their businesses to the directory by signing up through the business hub section of the website. Some profiles have already been made and can be claimed by those organizations, noted Montague.
The service is also completely free.
Montague said the “ultimate goal and vision” is twofold: pointing to the directory as well as the creation of an online portal that will house their Black Youth Entrepreneurship Hub which will offer educational videos and networking opportunities.
“We want to be a centralized location for Black businesses,” she said.