Women’s History Month
Black Girls in Trader Joe’s Normalizes Shopping In Niche Grocery Stores
‘Never should — in 2021 — a Black woman ever feel uncomfortable going to a store that provides a service or a product that is essential’
Cleveland-based esthetician and food blogger Mercedes “Dee” Davis created the Black Girls in Trader Joe’s Instagram account last May, just after the pandemic-related shutdown of her beauty shop. Within two days, her following jumped to 10,000. In less than a year, it jumped to 150,000.
Davis launched the brand because she knew that she couldn’t possibly be the only Black woman who shopped at the California-born grocer known for its unique and affordable foods and also known for its affluent locations.
Since then, Davis’s brand has taken off, amassing followers and posts tagged #BGITJ by the hour, landing her a monthly column with The Kitchn, and becoming her full-time job. In honor of Women’s History Month, Davis talks to ZORA about the inspiration behind the brand and how she’s using it to hold predominately-White spaces accountable while also empowering Black women.
ZORA: How did you get the idea of Black Girls in Trader Joe’s?
