Supporting Black-owned businesses is something that Aurora Nkrumah Dixon has been advocating for a long time. In June 2020, she and her husband Troy founded The Necessities Company, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based storefront and online platform that sells more than 170 products from Black-owned businesses around the world.
Some of the products that they sell include fresh produce, laundry detergent, toothbrushes, batteries, light bulbs, and more.
“By supporting more Black-owned businesses, Americans can create more opportunities for meaningful savings, property ownership, credit building and generational wealth,” says the company on its website.
In an interview with QCIty Metro, Aurora Dixon said initially, she ran a pop-up shop called Jamii Exchange Market — “Jamii” is Swahili for community. At events, customers asked if her shop had a website. At that point, she was personally delivering products at customers’ requests.
Dixon added the online store and rebranded the business.
During a pop-up event last year, one of her customers sparked the name change.
“[The customer] said, ‘y’all got everything. You should call it The Necessities Company,’ and it stuck,” Dixon said.
As Blacknew.com reported, when an order is placed with The Necessities Company, none of the products are drop-shipped. All the high-quality products are stocked and stored on hand by the company, ready to ship. Same-day delivery service is available in the Charlotte area. Freshly picked produce from a North Carolina Black-owned farm is also offered by the store.
“Ditch the BIG brands, buy black PERIOD,” says Dixon. “This is more than supporting an individual. It’s about supporting a movement, and a legacy. Black people are the biggest consumers in the world, and it’s time we spent our money in our own community, building a better future for all of us.”
The founders of the Black-owned online platform say that, in order to ensure quality and customer confidence, the store tests all products before adding them to the online store.
“We’ve always believed that in life, there’s nothing more important than community. It’s the people around us, the feeling of coming together, and the chance to improve lives by making a real difference.”
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