Small independent retailers have enough challenges without adding âpandemicâ or âcivil unrestâ to their list. But Leeâs Flower and Card Shop, a third-generation institution on U Street in Washington, D.C. â once known as the cityâs âBlack Broadwayâ â has stayed strong through many challenges, from a changing neighborhood to all the uncertainties of 2020.
People want to support Black businesses during this time of protest against systemic racism. And the floral industry has fared well during the pandemic, says co-owner and president Stacie Lee Banks, 57.