Black-owned businesses during persistently complicated times.

I'm David Brancaccio in Los Angeles.

Today is June 10th.

It commemorates the formal emancipation of enslaved people in Texas.

We've been examining persistent wealth gaps by race, now to consumers and black-owned businesses.

Following the murder of George Floyd,

the social justice movement it accelerated, led to a wave of support for black-owned businesses,

from consumers, banks, and big corporations. But that support is more muted now. Marketplace's

Justin Ho talked with black small business owners about navigating these ebbs and flows.

Around this time five years ago, Frankisha Watkins says foot traffic was booming at the beauty

supply store she runs in the Dallas area.

I remember working so hard. I actually walked a hole in one of my shoes, like in the toe area.

Watkins says be polished beauty supply was getting a lot of traffic from social media posts,

people tagging the company as part of a nationwide effort to support black-owned businesses.

Sales were so good, Watkins opened the second location.

We were getting so many new customers, people who didn't necessarily know that we were there.

I honestly thought that that would stay, that support would stay with us, and it did not.

Watkins says for her, the shop black movement lasted about five months or so.

She ended up having to close one of her locations.

Watkins calls this the yo-yo effect.

One month, you're doing really good, and then the next month people no longer support you.

Like, you cannot run, operate a business like that.

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