Building Beyond the Bell: Black-Owned Businesses Fuel Back-to-School Season

Photo Credit-The Chronicle Media Group:Five-year-old Liam flashes a big smile after getting a fresh back-to-school haircut from Deon Patton of Cut N' Edge Barber Shop. Local Black-owned businesses like Cut N’ Edge are helping families get ready for the new school year, showing how entrepreneurship fuels community pride and preparation.

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Back-to-school season isn’t just about sharpened pencils and new backpacks—it’s about the heartbeat of our community: small businesses. Across Michigan and beyond, Black-owned businesses are making sure families are ready for the classroom, while also reminding us that economic strength is a vital part of the village it takes to raise our children.

At Cut N’ Edge Barber Shop, 5-year-old Liam sat grinning after his “first-day fresh” cut, ready to step into kindergarten with confidence. For barbers like Deon Patton, these moments are about more than style—they’re about legacy. “His generation is gonna change the world for the better. I can’t wait,” Patton said, nodding to Liam’s bright future.

All across the community, barbers and stylists fill their chairs with kids eager for that boost of confidence. Clothing shops roll out uniforms and affordable styles. Bookstores and local printers partner with schools to provide supplies and reading materials. These businesses are more than service providers, they’re mentors, neighbors, and role models who show students that success is built both inside and outside of the classroom.

Supporting these businesses means supporting the families who depend on them. It means circulating dollars back into the neighborhoods where our children live and learn. In that way, the back-to-school season becomes more than an economic boost, it becomes an investment in community pride, progress, and possibility.