'FXBG Diverse City' Program Showcases Diverse Local Businesses

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — A new 5-month program is highlighting diverse businesses in Fredericksburg. The FXBG Diverse City program is sponsored by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, and it aims to tell the stories behind local businesses, according to the program's website.

Each month, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism will select business based on a theme. In February, they're showcasing Black-owned businesses for Black History month. Similar themes will be present throughout the program.

The program will focus on women-owned businesses in March for Women's History Month. In June, the spotlight will be on LGBTQIA+ businesses for Pride Month.

Lily Eghtessad is a tourism associate with the Department of Economic Development and Tourism. "This program's initiative is to give business owners the opportunity for their voice to be uplifted and their stories to be heard," she said. "Small business owners are a large part of what makes our Fredericksburg community so unique, and celebrating the diversity of that community is crucial."

Every Tuesday and Saturday from February until June, the Department of Economic Development and Tourism will feature a local business on their social media pages. Extended versions of the social media posts are also available on the program's website.

Six Black-owned businesses have already been featured by the FXBG Diverse City program. They include the Faded and Company barber shop, the Jus Pop'n popcorn shop, and Beverly's Ribinator Food Truck.

In the interviews featured by the program, Black business owners have discussed the importance of their community in Fredericksburg.

Antoine Carey is the owner of Faded and Company, a barber shop in Fredericksburg. "Fredericksburg has humbled me because I began my career her," Carey said in his interview for FXBG Diverse City. "I’m so blessed to be in a community that knows us for more than just a barbershop."

"We absolutely adore downtown Fredericksburg. It’s all about the people," said Simone Simmonds, co-owner of the Pimenta Jamaican restaurant. "It’s all about supporting each other and making sure that we keep downtown Fredericksburg a very strong, nice, and beautiful city."

The program encourages residents to become regular patrons of the diverse businesses across the city. "Fredericksburg small businesses play a vital role not only in the local economy, but in our communities," Eghtessad said. "Lending support, in whatever way you can, is more important than ever, especially given the last year we had."