The New Mexico Black Leadership Council is asking Albuquerque residents to shop local and at Black-owned businesses this year. The council’s end-of-year newsletter features local operations and ideas for holiday shopping.
Hal Roberts with the NMBLC said with chain stores like Walmart and Walgreen’s leaving the International District, it’s a good time for locals to shop small.
“It's just an opportunity to compile some local businesses – not all of them in the International District, but still in Albuquerque and close by – where people can go spend their dollars locally and hopefully, that money can flow back into the community,” he said.
Roberts updated the small business list for the council's newsletter, the UpLift Chronicles, for the occasion. He said several businesses had closed due to the pandemic since it last ran, and others opened their doors.
The newsletter’s International District edition also has a feature on thrifting for holiday gifts.
“Sometimes there's the people who go thrifting–it kind of seems like a secret society in which you can go out and get good deals,” he said.
Roberts said the guide also includes many restaurants if you need a break from holiday cooking.
“I recommend Frank's chicken and waffles. I'm not saying you can't fry fish. I don't know what you're capable of, but their fish, their sides, pretty much everything is pretty good,” he said.
The guide includes a range of Black-owned businesses, from barber shops to Jamaican food to skincare.
You can find the UpLift Chronicles and the Black-owned business list at the NMBLC’s website.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
