Black-owned businesses see surge in support since George Floyd protests

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Since protests began over the death of George Floyd, there has been a strong push to support black-owned businesses.

The owners of Lonez Scents in Houston said the support has been overwhelming with sales beginning to surge.

"The bittersweet part is that it took such a tragic event for this to happen, and the hope is that, after all this media stuff settles down, that people will still continue to want to support black-owned businesses," said Danielle Moss who runs Lonez Scents with her husband, Malik Moss. "We basically made what we made for the month of May that first week of June, so there have been a lot of people that are really interested in the product."

Their candles aren't just for the smell. They also push people to have conversations about race that the Mosses hope will continue long after the protests subside.

"I think the black dollar just needs to be recognized for how powerful it is -- not just on the consumer end but for us stimulating our own businesses," Malik said. "It just opens up so many different opportunities for us to take power of our own finances. It can just lead to so many different things for our community."

They're not the only black-owned business feeling the love.

Mario McCoy, who owns NCMPRBL, said his online sales have surged more than 200 percent in the last month.

"It's been phenomenal actually," he said. "Just domestically and internationally, all the way from Canada to Italy, they have taken a liking to incomparable and what we're about and what we stand for," said McCoy.

His business makes watches that reflect the experiences of the black community.

"All of our watches are built off of cultural defining moments and things that we, as melanin individuals, have experienced throughout our livelihood," he said.

Lonez Scents hopes the impact of the new support for black businesses stretches far beyond sales.

"If you think about legacy, you think about children seeing this too, like, 'I can run my own business. I can make my own product. I can help my storefront and do that successfully,' because you see people like you doing it, and it makes it seem like it's possible for you," said Malik.

For a list of other Houston-area black-owned businesses you can support, click here.

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