By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
Maryland ranks second in the United States for its share of Black-owned businesses, according to a 2025 Pew Research Center report, with African Americans owning 10 percent of all companies in the state. Only Washington, D.C., has a higher share at 16 percent.
To celebrate that entrepreneurial presence, the AFRO asked Maryland residents which Black-owned businesses they love the most. Leanna Harrison, a Baltimore City resident, named Everyone’s Place, a bookstore and African cultural center based in Druid Heights.
“When I first moved to the city in 2017, I lived in West Baltimore. I came here fresh out of University of California, Berkeley. It was fun to go to Everyone’s Place and talk to people and see the collection,” said Harrison. “It felt similar to what I was used to.”
She also highlighted The Empanada Lady, an Afro-Latina-owned restaurant in the Inner Harbor started by Elisa Milan, and BLK Swan, an upscale restaurant in Harbor East. In general, Harrison said she tries to be intentional about supporting Black-owned businesses.
“I think for anywhere it’s important for us to be circulating our Black dollars with Black businesses. But I think for Baltimore it’s super important because it helps our history not be erased here,” said Harrison. “The more we spend, the more they’re able to build and give back.”
Jeffrey Thames, a Baltimore County resident, selected Bar Vegan as his favorite Black-owned business in Maryland. Founded by Baltimore native Pinky Cole-Hayes—the entrepreneur behind the renowned Slutty Vegan chain—the restaurant and cocktail lounge marked her return home from Atlanta to open its doors. It’s located in Baltimore Peninsula, a neighborhood undergoing significant redevelopment.
“She’s nationally known. She started a business down in Atlanta, and she chose to come here,” said Thames. “I know a lot of people who have held functions there.”
Though he’s not vegan himself, Thames said he enjoyed trying something different and that the food was good.
“At this time in this world, we need to help each other out because there’s nobody else that’s around who is going to help us out,” said Thames.
Rodriguez St. Paul called out his aunt’s Haitian catering business, Epi Dat Set, based in Laurel, Md. Mari “Yiamme” Michel has been cooking for the Haitian community since 1987, according to St. Paul.
“During the pandemic, she was cooking out of her own kitchen. There were long lines of cars, and she was pumping out orders like normal with her sons,” said St. Paul. “Now, she has an old butcher spot in Laurel on main street. They changed it into a catering business.”
Stephan Dominique, another nephew of Michel, said Epi Dat Set started out of love. It also served as an inspiration to him.
“That was one woman believing in herself, and with her believing in herself, it gave us the opportunity to believe in ourselves as well,” said Dominique.
He noted that the spending power of the Black community, which is more than a trillion dollars, should be directed more often to businesses within the community.
“People are maximizing on our consumption,” said Dominique. “At the end of the day, our consumption should be focused on what we own, make and sell.”
