Black Business Directory Has Come A Long Way -- Listing Now Includes 1,500 Companies

Three years ago, the Black Dollar Days Task Force compiled its first telephone directory of African-American-owned businesses. The listings were spread over eight pages, then photocopied and stapled by hand.

This year's 90-page version bears no resemblance to its predecessor. With its full-color cover, displays of ads and listings of 1,500 companies, it looks more like a mini-version of the US West Yellow Pages.

The person behind the effort is Michele Harris, who sacrificed working at her salon for six months in order to become the leader of compiling the directory.

"I thought a change needed to be made," said Harris, who co-owns Aura Nail and Skin Care Boutique in Seattle's Central District. "I felt we needed to be represented in a more professional way. Even though I have a business, this was more important because it's not just helping myself, but others, too."

The Directory of African-American Businesses, a listing of black-owned companies in King and Pierce counties, joins a growing cadre of specialized directories in the Puget Sound region. The Seattle Chinese Yellow Pages and the Women's Yellow Pages in Northwest Washington are just two examples.

The Directory of African-American Businesses is the only one of its kind known in the Pacific Northwest, according to the National Association of Black Pages, a trade group of publishers that prints 80 similar directories nationwide.

"I think there's a growing concern in the black community of the importance of supporting black-owned businesses," said Ken Reid, the group's president. Reid publishes black directories in four cities, including Atlanta. "There's a realization where their dollars are spent creates jobs."

Although the first black directory was published as the Colored Man's Business and Professional Directory in Chicago in 1892, Harris' effort in getting her directory printed wasn't easy.

Harris toiled 12-hour days convincing companies to advertise in the directory. She also spent a lot of time just trying to find local black-owned companies.

She accepted business cards - even scraps of paper with the owner's handwriting - in her efforts to compile names of companies. Although listings were free, companies were charged up to $200 for a full-page ad, much less than they would pay in the Yellow Pages.

"They can't afford that size ad, or an ad in that directory," Harris said. "So they need our directory to support each other."

Indeed, Harris said, black-owned companies lose business because consumers may not realize those companies offer the same service as other companies. But a directory can help change that. Some large corporations have ordered the books for their purchasing agents.

The Task Force printed 25,000 copies, but expects to earn little or no money from the project. Nonetheless, work on next year's directory has begun. One change is that black companies across the state will be included, Harris said.

Although Harris looks forward to next year, she also wants to savor the success of this year's directory, which represented her first attempt at publishing. "I feel this is a great start," she said.

The African-American Business Directory costs $2 and can be purchased in Seattle at Blackbird Books, 3130 E. Madison St.; Seattle Poster, 1820 Terry Ave.; and New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 124 21st Ave.