Black women entrepreneurs find niche in spirituality-inspired

In 2020, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic changed the way many Americans worked, as companies closed their doors to limit workplace contamination. The uncertainty around Covid-19 caused people to seek hope in religion and spirituality, resulting in an industry boom. For many Black women, like Shontel Anastasia, the current spiritual boom is not only a way to connect to one’s higher self, but also a means of making money.

Anastasia, owner of the Urban Gurvi Mama shop, founded her business in 2017 to cultivate a safe space for women on their spiritual journey. She says she witnessed people seeking to “go back to their roots” at the start of the pandemic.

“For the last two years, there has been a surge of people wanting to go back to their roots. Last year, I did just as well being self-employed at my shop as I did working in corporate America,” she says.

From candles and crystals to metaphysical practices like tarot readings, the spiritual wellness industry saw a significant boom. The psychic business, for example, reached 2.2 billion dollars in 2019. This number is expected to grow to 2.4 billion by 2026.

Furthermore, the number of psychic service businesses in the US is anticipated to grow from 93,939 to almost 100,000 over the next five years, according to IbisWorld. 

Shantrelle Lewis is one of the many Black women who found their entrepreneurial niche in traditional African spirituality. The hoodoo practitioner and co-founder of Shoppe Black used her interest in African Traditional Religions to establish a group of fellow Black women practitioners.

“The resurgence of spirituality has created a market for people to want to purchase supplies that will allow them to create prosperity, to promote health, to bring in love and to bring in all the good things that they want to attract to themselves by supporting people that look just like them,” she says.

Pew’s “Faith Among Black Americans” report asked survey participants 3 questions: Have you prayed at an altar or shrine? Have you consulted a divine or reader? And do you burn candles, incense, or sage as part of your religious or spiritual practice?

Twenty percent of Black Americans say they’ve prayed at an altar/shrine, while 12% say they’ve consulted a reader and used candles, incense, or sage.

“About 30% of Black people say that they believe prayers to their ancestors can protect them,” Cox says. “So we have that aspect. And about 40% of Black people say that they believe in reincarnation. So even though they’re not affiliated with African religions, some of these practices and beliefs that we might associate with non-Christian religions are there.”