Throughout the pandemic, Black-owned businesses have been hit harder than their white counterparts. Now, South Jersey Black business owners are sharing the ways they are recovering as COVID-19 business restrictions in the state vanish.
Alisha Bell, business owner and head designer of Alisha Simone Elegant Event Flowers and Decor in Haddon Township, was a college student studying English at Rutgers University when she found flowers to be a wonderful medium to communicate with others. Nearly 30 years later, Bell specializes in creating couture floral designs and décor and with the help of the Comcast RISE program, a multi-year commitment that provides marketing, creative, media and technology services to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)-owned small businesses, she is now utilizing technology to enhance her clients experience.