Blax Friday Festival hosted its 3rd annual Black-Owned Business (BOB) Festival 2024 on Saturday, November 30th, at Toole and 5th Avenue, Tucson, Arizona. The event brought together over 70 Black-owned businesses and approximately 1000 attendees.
Its Founder & CEO, Ashley La Russa, highlighted the importance of Blax Friday to the Tucson community.
Become an insider. Subscribe to our newsletter for more top trending stories like this!
“1500+ Black businesses have been identified and organized through Blax Friday (@blaxfriday). If our community became more familiar with these businesses, issues such as accountability, access, and acknowledgement would no longer be a barrier. BOB Fest helps build awareness and connections.”
“Few Times Black Community Comes Together”
House of Zuri was one of the vendors at the event. It’s an African-inspired fashion house founded in 2013 by Oluwakemi Star Nwabuokei.
Star is a model, designer, and stylist who works with top models, stylists, photographers, and makeup artists to bring her vision to life. ‘Zuri’ means beauty in Swahili, through which she pays homage to her African heritage. She shared the vision behind House of Zuri and their offerings at the festival.
Star’s vision for House of Zuri is to keep her clients on the cutting edge of fashion while maintaining an exclusive look for their fast-paced lifestyles.
At this year’s BOB festival, House of Zuri produced a runway show featuring a limited line of female designs showcased by gorgeous models. 21 years old, Natasha Keina, who is pretty new to the modeling space, was one of the models.
”Participating in the BOB event means a lot to me. I got an opportunity to walk in a fashion show, and this was definitely something I always wanted to do, and I’m glad I got cast by the House of Zuri to walk in their beautiful dresses!”
Another model who is delighted to participate in the event with House of Zuri is Brena Andrews. She talked about her modeling career and why she finds the event meaningful.
“I’m 29. I model only for Star, a dear friend of mine, so I don’t consider myself a model! I love to model for her because she makes me feel confident and feminine yet strong in her designs. I also feel like I’m connecting with my heritage with the African influence of the patterns and styles.”
“Participating in the BoB is always amazing because it’s one of the few times you can see the black community come together to showcase what they’re doing so we can all connect and support each other.”
Join our Spotcovery Global Black Community Facebook Group for early access to exclusive content and to share in a lively discussion.
Get African print dresses on Amazon.
“The Event Fosters Growth and Unity in Our Culture”
Apart from fashion, black entrepreneurs in music & entertainment were part of the event.
Nia Elise, a Neo-Soul artist born and raised in North Carolina, now resides in Arizona, where she nurtures her artistry.
Become an insider. Subscribe to our newsletter for more top trending stories like this!
“This event holds a special place in my heart because it highlights and celebrates the strength, creativity, and resilience of Black entrepreneurs and artists.”
Her music resonates far and wide with radio spins in North Carolina, Illinois, Alabama and New York! Nia’s debut EP, ‘Melanin Dreams’, was released in February 2024.
“As an artist and an entrepreneur, I value the opportunity to connect with the community, share my music, and contribute to a space that uplifts Black-owned businesses. It’s inspiring to be part of an event that showcases talent and fosters growth and collaboration within our culture.”
Another artist who entertained the attendees of the Blax Friday Festival is SMOO. Born Nahlej King, SMOO lit the stage with some of his studio hits from his upcoming release. His first solo mixtape, “TRACKS”, released on August 16th, 2024, included a 3 song prelude.
“Hip hop and R&B influence me. I have so much love and respect for the power of music.”
“This event was extremely important to me as a kid from Chicago, a place heavily influenced by black culture. Now living in Tucson, it seems like the culture and community are far, but we showed out at BOBFEST.”
Looking Ahead
Backed by popular demand, the 4th annual Black-owned Business Festival has been slated for November 29th, 2025, and La Russa looks forward to welcoming more attendees. “More attendees next year will be a blessing.”
Here’s a list of majority of the vendors who showed up for the Blax Friday Festival:
- Tucson Hair & Beauty Supply @tucsonhairandbeautysupply
- Beautiful Little Things @beautiful_little_things_store
- Empressive Health & Wellness @empressive520
- Momo Bunni (Jasmine) @momobunnicreates
- Perfect Beauty Studio @perfectedbeautystudio
- TT’s Treats (Tailor Highley) @ttstreats20
- Beeks Butters (Shirley Beeks) @beeks_butters
- Smells Like Dessert Candles @smellslikedessertcandles
- Luxury Plantbased Hair Care @revamppsalon
- Parks Production (Alicia Parks) @parks_production22
- Sweets Cakes & Treats (Daunyel Clayton) @sweetscakesandtreats
- ndur Athletics @ndur_athletics
- Light Of Mine (LOM) Candle Supply (Crystal Wheeler) @LOMCandles
- Freshy’s Closet (Stan “B. Fresh” Batson) @freshyscloset
- Cute & Classy Krispies (Ashley Cole) @cuteandclassykrispies
- Lilith And Daughters (Cyn McManus) @lilith.graves
- Dixinity Beauty Bar (Enid Moore-Cranshaw) @stylebymsenid
- Healing Arts and Conjure @diandviation
- XennialZ Vintage Style @XennialZ
- Ignis Clothing @ignis_clothing
- Black Broccoli @_blackbroccoli_
- GrowGod @theofficial_growgod
- Ms Kiki Love @knowledgeofself3_ikyg
- 1220 Bakery @1220bakery
- Kishna Marie @iam_kishnamarie
- Lighterandco @lighterandco
- Temek LLC @temek_creations
Food & Drinks
Some of the featured vendors included
- Bayou Bistro @bayoubistroaz
- Cute & Classy Krispies (Ashley Cole) @cuteandclassykrispies
- Sweets, Cakes & Treats (Daunyel Clayton) @sweetscakesandtreats
- 1220 Bakery @1220bakery
- TT’s Treats (Tailor Highley) @ttstreats20
- Hotel Congress Bar @hotelcongress
Fashion Parade
- House of Zuri (Oluwakemi Star Nwabuokei) @houseofzuri
- Natasha Keina @natasha.keina
- Brena Andrews @brelovesbarbells
Music & Entertainment
- Nia Elise @niaelisemusic
- Nahlej Musik @Nahlejmuzik
- Smoo @200much8
Shoutout to all the vendors and attendees who made this year’s Black-Owned Business (BOB) Festival a success. Mark your calendar for an eventful BOB 4th edition festival weekend in downtown Tucson on November 29th, 2025!
Nearly 80% of consumers visit directories with reviews to find a local business. List your business for free in our exclusive Spotcovery Black-Owned Business Directory.
Spotcovery offers unique and fresh daily content on Black culture, lifestyle, and experiences. We talk about everything black, black people, black-owned and black-owned businesses. We also deliver authentic and relevant content that will inform, inspire, and empower you! The future of black media is critical to today’s black experience! Our primary audience includes African Americans, Africans, Afro-Caribbean, and people of African heritage. Black culture is for the culture!
Become an insider. Subscribe to our newsletter for more top trending stories like this!
