Retailwhileblack

29/10/2024

Engagement Photos!
5 days until my bookstore wedding 🥹🩷📚

19/10/2024

Nobody:
My family on the weekend: 🎃🔨
My newsletter is going out tomorrow a little late but it has lots of giveaways this month! Harlem’s Fashion Row Clothing, Books, Makeup, etc! All you have to do is be subscribed to the newsletter. To do that click the link in my bio and add your email to the subscriber pop up 🥰
Gift Guides will be up early this year on 10/23

25/09/2024

Part 3 of my all Black and/or locally owned elopement
The ring reveal is on the way 💍 ✨🍂
We are less than 60 days out from my bookstore elopement with friends and family and I am swooning over how magical this time period feels.
I can’t thank Natacha enough for being able to see my vision and I can’t recommend her enough ✨👏🏾
Marissa Bell loading

23/09/2024

20/09/2024

Black Owned Coffee Shop in Tampa Bay 🌴🌴

✨Pick a vinyl as your placemat
✨It’s not too loud
✨Lots of plugs
✨Football on Sundays
✨And purse hooks 👏🏾
What is it called where you are from?
PS. At the beginning is an old fashioned coffee

11/09/2024

Part 4 of my all Black and/or locally owned elopement
✨Wedding Make-up Preview w/ ✨
I asked for Fall makeup for my local bookstore wedding and Sade delivered! She has done fashion shows, celebrity clients, models etc. but lucky for meeeee she lives in Tampa!
Tips I was given for the makeup preview that I didn’t think about:
- style your hair similar to your wedding day hair
- wear a shirt color similar to your dress
Did you try to use Black and/ or local businesses for your wedding? Did you find it easy or hard and why?! 👀💍

02/09/2024

Day to Night ✨☀️🏝️🌙🌌✨
Every time there is a long holiday weekend you can catch me at the beach or pool. What are yall up to today?! Random fact: I hate ribs 👀🏃🏾‍♀️🤣
Black brands:
(cookies from )
(sunscreen from )
(book)
(anklet)
(earrings from )
(sunglasses)
(dress) *Gifted

29/08/2024

3X Award-Winning and now in more Libraries 📚 ✨
Nine year old Rissa is satisfied. You did it babe!! If you haven’t gotten this yet for your kids please check it out and if you have please leave a review !

07/07/2024

Photo Dump Day✌🏾
Y’all these beignet ears we got from at the (that are also available in the parks) really SMELL LIKE BEIGNETS 🤤
I also went to by .black.woman at and bought some things from and the but and were also there!
People I met in-person for the first time and !!
This was amazing. It felt like I was getting to watch everyone win and win big. Most of the brands I know sold out. 🫨 Did y’all stay up for the concerts? I didn’t I went to bed 😂

06/07/2024

🚨Warning this photo dump is epic 🚨
Today I did two panels that I will tell y’all about later, visited the bookstore to find my book, went to the house and made it a point to stop and take pictures with my retail family! (I missed some of you 😭)
Brands in these photos:








Creators that you probably already know but I LOVE seeing:

05/07/2024

Are you at today?!
✨You can catch me at 1:10pm on the SOKO MRKT Stage for the panel ‘How to Support Black Businesses in Retail’
or
✨3pm at Learning Lab for the panel ‘Wealth Creation for Content Creators’
If you are here…what are you buying?! I have my eye on that is also in and

03/07/2024

Today is Lina’s Birthday and also National Crown Day! There is no better way to celebrate than to show y’all her hair over this past year
The Crown Act is dedicated to prohibiting race based discrimination based on hair texture and protective styles in the work place and in schools. It has been passed in 26 states. Our state florida has only passed this law in two counties but that doesnt stop us from showing out all school year 🥰👏🏾
Sign and share the CROWN Act Petition and Happy 14th Birthday Bug!

24/05/2024

In honor of today being the last day of school!
Title: The Air Fair-He
.
Gabe is your average 9-year-old kid who is beginning to question all the tales he grew up hearing. And when he loses his tooth at school, Gabe knows it means cash, but it also means a visit from the Tooth Fairy. But wasn’t he a little too old to believe in fairies? With all these questions spinning around in his head, he needed answers and this night was his chance to find out the truth. He just had to catch the Tooth Fairy first. And when his trap actually works, Gabe quickly realized things aren’t always what they seem.

Fly through the night with Gabe and The Air Fair-He as they unveil the dazzling truth about what happens after you lose a tooth.
🏆 International Impact Book Award Winner

21/03/2024

Tampa Bay's Black Maternal Health Week Initiative is almost here!

Registration: https://linktr.ee/BMHWofTampaBay?

19/03/2024

This store replaced Sephora in JC Penny

Allow me to introduce you to my new go-to beauty store: Thirteen Lune! The company launched its retail website in December 2020 and is making major moves, FAST. You may have seen them in JCPenney—they’re in more than 600 stores nationwide—replacing the JCP Sephora stores. In 2023, they launche...

18/03/2024

10. Buying Black in retail is a strategy. The purchase orders are BIG and good cash for small businesses. The goal is to be in multiple retailers and have a good DTC (direct to consumer website) —

Multiple streams of income applies to businesses too!
We have to get on the same page 👏🏾 If you have any other questions drop them below ⬇️

15/03/2024

Award Winning Author ✨
The Air Fair-He has been announced as the Impact book Award Winner! We are also a finalist for the Readers Choice Award and It’s Lit! Literary Award by To celebrate, Air Fair-He Jerseys are now available on my site! RetailWhileBlack.Shop
P.S. I got to meet and he made sure I left DC with new Black Owned liquors to try. Kev has made at least 10 old fashions 🤣 Thank you again to for putting together an amazing book launch

12/03/2024

Here's why your store is so...not Black😬

I always get questions about why finding some Black-owned or founded brands in stores is challenging. I love that consumers want to support them! Before you get frustrated because you had to go to five stores before you found what you were shopping for, let's take a moment to understand why some bra...

08/03/2024

Four Black Women You Need to Know

Women’s History Month is the perfect opportunity to celebrate Black women who are thought leaders and making a difference in the content creator world. Black women are making moves in the retail space by facilitating important conversations, making lasting social change, innovating and inventing, ...

05/03/2024

You’re not shopping Black if you don’t know these 6 things

I’m starting the year with a hot take: You may shop, but you don’t understand retail. I’ve taken all of the comments, misconceptions, and questions I’ve heard over the years and I’m laying it all out so you can understand behind the scenes of the retail business and make informed decisions...

29/02/2024

Extra Day = Extra Love 💙
The Air Fair-He is the only graphic chapter book featuring a boy with locs. As a result, we had to partner with two Black-Owned brands ( and )who also make sure Black boys are seen, cared for and loved 🥰
You’ll get:
✨Satin-Lined Beanies
✨Young King Hair Care Products
✨ Signed Copy of The Air Fair-He by and
To enter follow the brands: (bonus entry for tagging a mom!)
*DISCLAIMER: ONE (1) W I N N E R will be randomly selected and notified via DM. This g-i-v-e-a-w-a-y is not affiliated with Instagram. Good luck! G-i-v-e-a-w-a-y open to U.S. residents. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Deadline to enter is March 7th, 2024 will reach out to the w-i-n-n-e-r directly! Must be at least 18 years of age to e-n-t-e-r. Void where prohibited.

08/02/2024

Books to Buy for Black History Month 🖤
The Air Fair-He 🪽
✨ For Ages 7-11
✨ Chapter Book
✨ Loc, Braids and High-Top Fades
Available online most places books are sold but keep book buying Local with —Share this with your friends and help out an indie author 🥰🙌🏾

04/12/2023

10. Buying Black in retail is a strategy. The purchase orders are BIG and good cash for small businesses. The goal is to be in multiple retailers and have a good DTC (direct to consumer website) —
Multiple streams of income applies to businesses too!

29/10/2023

The best trunk or treat I’ve ever seen 🫶🏾🙌🏾
Created by
What are your costumes this year?! Make sure you share with me! I love seeing them 😍

24/09/2023

Beyoncé and I have ✨Synergy ✨
Pulled up to Houston made sure to go to all the Black-Owned places I could to eat:





Hit up the Black-Owned sneaker store , got my make-up done by a Houston based Black-Owned retail brand at then shut it down in my outfit from a Black-Owned boutique in Tampa
That Girl Indeed 💅🏾💅🏾💅🏾
in