Angel Gregorio

Founder, Black + Forth and the Spice Suite
Washington, D.C.

Amid the pandemic, entrepreneur and activist Angel Gregorio made a huge bet on herself and fellow Black-owned businesses in her native Washington, D.C. And it has been paying off.

With the revenue from her business, the Spice Suite, and a government grant, Gregorio, 38, purchased a 7,500-square-foot lot in Northeast Washington’s Langdon Park neighborhood. In about two years, she transformed that lot into a retail oasis, dubbed Black + Forth. Her mission was to provide an affordable commercial space in D.C. for Black businesses, particularly to amplify Black women entrepreneurs.

“D.C. is considered one of the most gentrified cities in the nation, and it’s evident,” said Gregorio, who first opened her spice shop in 2015 in D.C.’s Tacoma neighborhood.

Black + Forth, which opened in January 2023, is home to Gregorio’s spice shop, a natural hair care salon, a nail salon and an esthetician studio. She’s also hosted hundreds of Black women-owned popup shops inside the Spice Suite. Together, they embrace a more village approach to business ownership, where vendors sell their goods and services while also running the spice shop.

Twice a month, Gregorio also holds a “Community Business School,” an eight-month program that began in February. She also hosts a farmers’ market twice a month, which kicked off in April.

“This space is aesthetically new and exciting, and it’s showing people a new way to do business,” Gregorio told theGrio. “I want to be known as an advocate and teacher for Black people and Black businesses.”

2024 Honorees