With a few taps on a smartphone, users in Birmingham can now discover and support hundreds of Black-owned businesses, thanks to the Black Business Traffic app. Created by Birmingham native Jamaine Stanton, the app serves as a digital roadmap highlighting over 350 local establishments, including restaurants, barbershops, churches, and more.
“I wanted to find our top-rated Black-owned businesses and put them in one location,” Stanton said. “Then a person can go there and use that as a tool to support businesses.”
The app is review-based and visually laid out like a city map, making it easy for users to navigate to nearby businesses.
Stanton emphasizes that the app focuses on physical brick-and-mortar storefronts and was designed to cater to grassroots entrepreneurs.
“Black Business Traffic was designed for the brick-and-mortar storefront business,” he said.
“The person who was willing to cash out their 401(k) and invest in their dream.”
One of those dreamers is Denise Ali, owner of Alibomb House of Hemp in East Lake, which is currently ranked as the top CBD store on the app.
Ali told WBRC that she credits Stanton’s platform with helping grow her customer base.
“A lot of people have called, especially when it first came out, and then around [Magic City] Classic, I got a lot of traffic from the app,” Ali said.
“It has been such a great opportunity for once just to be able to support another entrepreneur that’s taking risks to start something he truly believes in. Not only that but the exposure that I’ve gotten over the years has been great.”
Stanton personally vets each business before listing it, evaluating factors such as pricing, customer service, and online visibility.
The app also allows users to leave reviews and includes direct links to business websites.
Looking ahead, Stanton hopes to expand the app to Montgomery and Huntsville by the end of the year, with a long-term goal of going nationwide.
“Black businesses are fluid and dynamic,” Stanton said. “Our businesses aren’t just on 4th Avenue anymore. They are all over the city. They are online. They are in the greater Birmingham area and everywhere.”
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