Candy Lowe’s Black Business Bus Tour got back on the road again Saturday in Tampa for the first time since COVID emerged in Florida back in early 2020.
The April 17 event sold out shortly after being announced and featured stops at six black-owned businesses around Tampa.
"From day one, the
Black Business Bus Tour has been about the camaraderie among the community and awareness of black-owned businesses," says Lowe, who first started the tours 15 years ago and conducts them around the state. "We hope that you will share your experience with your friends, neighbors, and family.”
A post-bus tour event at
Al's Finger Licking Good Soul Food in Ybor City for about 70 participants included socially distanced vendors in the outdoor courtyard.
Anji Degante of Accent Styles Boutique greeted more than 70 visitors to her shop on 50th Street in Tampa. Degante believes in giving back to others and donates a percentage of each sale toward helping children with education. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Accent Styles Boutique proprietor Anji Degante selects each hand-made, ethically sourced design for her small business and donates a percentage of sales toward educating other women. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Regina Johnson, proprietor of "Queens Vision African Apparel, welcomes visitors to her boutique on Busch Boulevard during a 2021 Black Business Bus Tour event. A tour is scheduled January 13 as part of the 2024 Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Seventy-plus visitors embarked upon "Queens Vision African Apparel" on Candy Lowe's Black Business Bus Tour Saturday. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Businesswoman and community organizer Candy Lowe, center, joins Hip Hop Crab proprietors Laraysha Wynn and Derek Yahu for a quick photo during Saturday's Black Business Bus Tour. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Anji Degante, right, proprietor of "Accent Styles Boutique" and part of the Black Business Bus Tour, assists shoppers on Saturday's stop. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Marlyn Lynn, 10, a student at LinaBean Academy, sells his artwork at the Black Business Bus Tour community celebration at Big Al's Finger Licking Good Soul Food. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Deanna Hardy-Joseph and Andrew Joseph participate in Saturday's Black Business Tour community celebration at Big Al's Finger Licking Good Soul Food. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Every business on Candy Lowe's Black Business Bus Tour welcomes visitors with refreshments and open arms. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Volunteers and organizers of Saturday's Black Business Bus Tour gather at Big Al's Finger Licking Good Soul Food Saturday afternoon to share friendship, dance and good food. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Deanna-Hardy-Joseph participates in Saturday's Black Business Bus Tour that started and concluded at Big Al's Finger Licking Good Soul Food in Ybor City. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Stringent Covid-19 safety guidelines were followed for Saturday's Black Business Bus Tour. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
The Black Business Bus Tour, the first since January 2020, sold out in two weeks. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Brandye Wilds, proprietor of "Tax Team Wilds Sisters," greets longtime Black Business Bus Tour supporter Beth Shoup at her business on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
Many of the attendees of Saturday's Black Business Bus Tour gathered outside "Hip Hop Crab" and "Cocoa's Fashion," adjacent stops on Candy Lowe's tour of African-American owned businesses. Photos by Kimberly DeFalco
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