Compliments of Whitney DuBois Gardner, CEO of Minoritize LLC, Chicago residents now have a way to search for Black-owned businesses ranging from arts & entertainment to hotels & travel and health & medical. McCabe Market Minority Business Locator is an online portal for those seeking ways to control their buying power and further their support of minority owned businesses.
A front-end web developer/designer by trade, Gardner designed and built the site himself. ?After hours of research, I discovered most sites fell short of providing the user with the utmost optimum browsing experience. Most sites I visited lacked professional design, were non-intuitive to the customer, and provided horribly outdated databases that included closed and non-minority businesses,? Gardner, founder and CEO of McCabe, told TNJ.com.??
According to Gardner, McCabe Market aspires to become a strong entrepreneurial center invoking the prosperity which results when people become aware of their buying power and its effect on their and neighboring communities. Following a soft launch prototype six months ago, Gardner got the feedback he needed. ?In response to all of the problems African Americans have had with the police in Ferguson and in other cities across the nation, users have responded positively to the site in saying that it?s time we take back our power. And the best way to do that is to control our buying power. African Americans have 1 trillion dollars in spending power in the United States and we should spend those dollars with our own businesses,? Gardner notes.???
The hard launch will take place next month.??? ?????
Inspired by the Greenwood District of Chicago commonly known as the home of Black Wall Street, the site features an updated database and a thorough verification process. ?There is an expiration date of one year for each vendor at which point she or he will have to sign up again. This cuts down on the challenges we face in making sure that the businesses posted are both legitimate and open for business,? says Gardner.???
And he plans to expand. ?Our long-term goal is to add in businesses from Houston, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina, and then expand from there,? shares Gardner.
