As we continue to look for ways to support our small business community, we want to take this moment to highlight Black-owned businesses in Vancouver and Clark County. We discovered many of these businesses through iloveblackfood.com/pdx-directory and mercatuspdx.com, which are great resources to support Black restaurateurs and entrepreneurs of color in the larger metro region. If you own or know of a business we are missing, please reach out to marcom@visitvancouverwa.com so we can add them.
FOOD & DRINK
Find Richland Hub in Uptown which offers coffee, tea, cacao, cashews, and honey imported from Tanzania—the birthplace of the owner. His connection to his home country is made known by the photos on the wall, a sign reading "Karibu" meaning "welcome" in Swahili, and his compassion for giving back to the farmers and needs of Tanzania.
Southern Girl Delights and Creative Catering by Dorothy are owned and operated by Dorothy Golson who serves up classic southern recipes with a Pacific Northwest flair. Find the Southern Girl Delights food cart around Vancouver, Portland, and all of Clark County. Enjoy bites like shrimp and grits, a catfish basket, and cornbread waffles. Call ahead orders are welcome, and you can check their Facebook for daily specials.
Experience Daddy D’s Southern Style Barbeque in Vancouver and Woodland, WA. Savor generous portions of pulled pork, beef brisket, and BBQ chicken sandwiches—all meats slowly smoked for 14 hours and blended with all the special spices and barbecue sauce developed by owner Donnie Vercher.
BBQ Blessings (Catering Only) provides premium BBQ at affordable prices for a variety of events. Focusing on delicious, slow-smoked BBQ and Southern flavors, the business has experienced tremendous growth and prides itself on its supportive community.
RETAIL
Find fashionable apparel while supporting local when shopping with Better Mind • Better Body (BMBB). Every one of their products is designed and hand-pressed in their Vancouver, WA shop. Sourcing only the highest quality material and processes, you can’t miss the attention to detail, making each garment purchased uniquely yours. You can also join them for a variety of community events like cycle bar wellness rides, Vancouver wellness crawls, and more!
Inspired by local art and the Pacific Northwest, grab your PNW gear from Nimble Fern! A distinctive apparel and accessories company working to inspire local communities and bring people together. Their products are made with the best quality material available with unique designs that customers love to wear. Owner Halston Williams is also featured on page 23 of the 2021 edition of our Travel Magazine.
Culzzles LLC is a black and woman-owned family business, founded in 2021 by a mother and her 11-year-old son. The company was founded to bring more cultural diversity to consumers through puzzles, toys, games, and educational materials. The name combines two words, CULtural, and puZZLES.
For more products and retailers, check out these local businesses: NW Scents, Oils by Oscar & The James Jewelry, Jbombz and Oilz, Ichago trading company, Fearfully & Wonderfully Made LLC (FFAWM), Dory Designed, Day One Active Wear, and 2025th.
VISITOR HIGHLIGHT
Vlogger couple Traveling While Black recently visited Vancouver, giving the city a 5 out of 5 rating during their stay for “level of fun and comfortability for Black people.” They said, “We absolutely recommend you all take a trip to Vancouver Washington. We will be going back!”
NONPROFITS
Check out this refreshing effort making the outdoors more inclusive and welcoming for all! Hosting outdoor group adventures and providing education, resources, and workshops, Wild Diversity is creating a sense of belonging in the outdoors for the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. While acknowledging the cultural history and stewards of the Pacific Northwest—the Clackamas, Chinook, and Cowlitz peoples—Wild Diversity’s group of adventure leaders are there to help individuals explore, connect, and find a place in the outdoors.
Other local groups looking to explore include PDX Climbers of Color, Portland POC Hikes, BikePOC Adventurers, People of Color Outdoors, and BIPOC Hiking. For more information on making the Pacific Northwest outdoors welcome for all, click here.
| NAACP Vancouver | |
| Get Hooked Foundation | The Noble Foundation |
| Odyssey World International Education Services | Our Place/Nuestra Casa Multicultural Center |
| United Negro College Fund | iUrban Teen |
You can learn more about Vancouver and Southwest Washington’s Black history and stories through groups and initiatives like the Vancouver NAACP Chapter and their 2012 sponsored book, First Families of Vancouver’s African American Community, ongoing projects like the Black History Highlights of Southwest Washington exhibit in front of the Clark County Historical Museum and a 2022 Speaker Series, First Families: The Next Generation on the museum’s YouTube channel. There’s also a new park named after Ida Bell Jones, known as a matriarch of Vancouver's post-World War II African American community.
SERVICES
We realize that highlighting Black-owned businesses does not address the current calls for justice reform and will continue to look and listen for additional ways to support Black people who live in and choose to visit our community.