Written and produced by Marissa Orr.
An event highlighting Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs is making history within Arizona.
On Nov. 30, the Black Owned Business Festival, BOB Fest, was held in Downtown Tucson. The third annual free family-friendly event is the largest Black owned business festival in Arizona.
At this year’s BOB Fest, there were over 70 Black-owned businesses including vendors, artists, DJs, performers, models, and organizations. The vendors were selling anything from uniquely made products to savory delights from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and live music performances were played throughout the day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Newly added to this year’s event was an afterparty from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Hotel Congress Plaza. The free party featured five Black DJs and ended the show with DJ Mother Tierra.
BOB Fest is hosted by Blax Friday, a community organization that spotlights Black businesses in Arizona.
“Blax Friday was established in 2020 out of the need of locating Black businesses locally,” said Ashley La Russa, founder of Blax Friday and BOB Fest. Beginning as a google spreadsheet, it is now the largest Black business directory and app in Arizona.
One of the first events created by Blax Friday was Soul Food Wednesdays, a monthly food market of local Black businesses and food trucks. The market bridged the gap between community members and local business owners which led to the idea of creating BOB Fest, said La Russa.
The goal of Blax Friday is to show representation and economic empowerment of Black businesses in Arizona. “Black owned businesses make up about 1.5 percent statewide,” said La Russa, and the BOB Fest has offered a space for local Black owners and entrepreneurs to showcase their work for the past three years.
“It really shows a testament of small business and entrepreneurship,” La Russa said. “There’s still work to do to truly get the word out about us and so I’m excited to take on this passion and purpose.”
Ashley La Russa
Ashley La Russa (She/Her/Queen) founded Roux Events in 2019, an event management company with a primary focus on supporting the growth of organizations and community leaders that foster equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives. Ashley is the creator of the largest accessible directory and the ONLY statewide app of Black Businesses in Arizona called Blax Friday.
Ashley serves on the Local First Arizona Tucson Steering Committee, Tucson Jazz Festival Board, Downtown Parade of Lights and Festival Board and the African American Legacy Fund Board. Ashley partners with organizations, hotels, and event venues to strategically plan how to serve the community as a whole.
Click here for the BOB Fest survey for community feedback.
Shanta Jordan is a part-owner of Perfected Beauty Studio and owner of Shanta Services.
Nick Arcade is the owner of Black Broccoli.
