Top Black-Owned Los Angeles Businesses You Should Check Out

We’re all about celebrating the history, culture, and contributions of Californians from all walks of life.  And today, we’re highlighting a few of our favorite Black-owned businesses in Los Angeles.  A big part of what makes the City of Angels stand out is the diversity of its residents.  So, understanding the leverage your purchasing power holds and making the conscious effort to support economically marginalized communities helps make it more welcoming for all Angelenos.

An excellent bookstore, authentic Rwanda coffee, and the ultimate hot chicken joint are just a few of the Black-owned businesses in L.A. you’ll find on this list.

Black-Owned Businesses in L.A.

BEAUTYBEEZ

Location: 6522 Laurel Canyon Boulevard, North Hollywood

As a black woman, Brittney Ogike has experienced firsthand the lack of varied beauty products for BIPOC customers from established beauty brands. So Ogike decided to do something about this. She worked with her husband to create a new brand that could help fill this hole by providing melanin skin care products, brown girl beauty solutions, and a beauty care space built by and for people of color. Hence, BEAUTYBEEZ was born. This Black-owned business in Los Angeles is one of the best places to find high-quality brands in the world of inclusive beauty—a one-stop-shop in the truest sense.

Gloveworx

Location: 10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles

Leyon Azubuike founded Gloveworx to create a culture where athletes and coaches from diverse backgrounds can train together. That’s precisely what you’ll find at this state-of-the-art training boxing studio that features an expert lineup of diverse coaches ranging from boxing champions to Olympic medalists. 

This Black-owned business in Los Angeles can make a kick-ass boxer out of anyone, thanks to its nurturing environment. In 2019, Gloveworx opened a branch in Lower Manhattan, New York City, so that you can take advantage of this empowering training space even on the East Coast.

Galerie L.A.

Location: Long Beach

We’re suckers for sustainable fashion, and Galerie L.A. doesn’t disappoint. Founded by Dechel Mckillina, a celebrity stylist who worked over a decade with famous artists such as Drake and Nicki Minaj, this Black-owned business in Los Angeles does an incredible job of bringing eco-friendly high fashion to the masses. 

Order quality clothing from their website and help a local, ethical, woman-owned Black business and make eco-conscious shopping choices. If you’re looking for neat educational resources, check out the  Gallerie L.A. Blog for some super incisive articles on eco-fashion and relevant feminist issues.

Reparations Club

Location: 3054 South Victoria Avenue, Los Angeles

This independent Black-owned woman-owned business may be small, but it is a must-visit for those looking to support black businesses. As with all small businesses, Reparations Club, or Rep.Club for short, has suffered from significant challenges owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, this cool concept bookshop and creative space are still going strong as a small but mighty Black-owned bookstore in Los Angeles. 

Rep.Club has a fantastic selection of books by established and up-and-coming authors on all subjects concerning the black experience and major social issues of our time. Since the storied Eso Won bookstore sadly closed its storefront bookstore at the end of 2022, it’s good to know L.A. has other Black bookstores ready to pick up the mantle.

Black-Owned Coffee shops in Los Angeles

Silverback Coffee of Rwanda

Location: 400 South Hope Street, Los Angeles

Silverback Coffee of Rwanda is owned by Rwandan genocide survivor Jack Karuletwa and offers the finest authentic East African coffee. The beans Karuletwa uses are exclusively grown on small Rwandan farms in top-notch conditions. 

Not only do you get fantastic coffee by ordering from this Black-owned coffee shop in Los Angeles, but a portion of your order helps support good causes. Silverback Coffee donates to organizations in Rwanda that build schools there and provide services to genocide survivors, as well as to the Rwandan government to preserve the endangered Silverback gorilla species.

Bloom and Plume Coffee

Location: 1638 West Temple Street, Los Angeles

Bloom and Plume is a black-owned coffee shop in Los Angeles that serves you the aesthetically appealing coffee and bites of your dreams. The coffee shop aims to build a community where everyone becomes a better version of themselves while serving the best fresh brews. How can you not love this Black-owned coffee shop in Los Angeles that’s creatively curated and intimately designed to offer an exquisite aesthetic experience?

Boketto Cold Brew

Location: 743 South Broadway, Los Angeles

Cold brews are all the hype these days, and only a few can do it as well as Boketto Cold Brew. Made fresh in Downtown L.A., the pouched coffee served by this Black-owned business in Los Angeles is going to be your next fridge staple. With delivery straight to your door, you can have fresh cold brews delivered anywhere in the country or pick up your coffee directly from Bosketto’s South Broadway branch if you’re local.

Black-Owned Restaurants in L.A.

Alta Adams

Location: 5359 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles

What happens when you blend soul food flavors with Californian and West African cuisine? You get flavorful dishes like the ones Alta Adams specializes in. This Black-owned business in Los Angeles is dedicated to cultivating an equitable and inclusive environment by empowering rising culinary talents and serving delicious food that brings people from all backgrounds together. So please do yourself a favor and order the fried chicken with Fresno hot sauce; it’s the best in the city.

Hotville Chicken

Location: 4070 Marlton Avenue, Los Angeles

Nashville hot chicken has taken the Los Angeles food scene by storm in recent years, and it’s not hard to see why. Head over to Hotville Chicken to try a hot and tasty Tennessee tradition that’s been going strong for over a century. The owner of Hotville Chicken, Kim Prince, has brought this spicy Southern recipe to the West Coast, serving their trademark Nashville hot chicken to new and loyal customers. Don’t forget to order tasty sides of home-style mac and cheese and Southern fruit tea to get the full hot chicken experience when you visit this Black-owned business in Los Angeles.

Compton Vegan 

Location: 11419 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles

Owned by Black vegan soul-food chef Lemel Durrah, Compton Vegan aims to bring healthy and affordable food to Compton.  This historically Black neighborhood has suffered from food deserts and other socio-economic issues. By offering an alternative to fast food, Durrah hopes to improve the health of Compton and beyond with plant-based takes on classic comfort food. 

Compton Vegan also uses an iconic green food truck, enabling them to offer healthy catering throughout the Los Angeles area.  Check their social media to see when they’ll be in your area. Compton Vegan also has a GoFundMe going for a future brick-and-mortar location, so feel free to pitch in if you want to help a young black-owned business in L.A. grow. 

Black-Owned Ice Cream Shops in Los Angeles

Happy Ice

Location: 7324 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles

Happy Ice makes incredibly delicious, colorful ice creams from a super-secret Philadelphia recipe. The result? The texture of traditional ice cream and the refreshment of a light and fruity sorbet. In addition to its brick-and-mortar location, Happy Ice has two ice cream trucks. 

The trucks are as colorful as the ice cream they sell and are on the move every day except Thursdays and Mondays. Check Happy Ice’s truck location schedule to find out when the Happy Ice trucks roll up to your neighborhood. Oh, and did we mention that everything sold by this Black-owned ice cream shop in Los Angeles is exceptionally Instagrammable? 

The SnoBall Shop

Location: 4452 West Slauson Avenue, Windsor Hills

Next time you find yourself craving New Orleans-style shaved ice, head straight to The SnoBall Shop. This Black-owned ice cream shop in Los Angeles serves the tastiest cones, the best funnel cakes, and the most positive of vibes. Their delicious frozen dessert treats are just the ticket on a hot Los Angeles summer day.

Have a Black-owned business in L.A. you would like to add to this list? Let us know by nominating them to be a California.com Recommended Business.

Disclaimer: California.com is not receiving any type of compensation for reviewing any of the products or services mentioned in this article.