RootedInBlk was one of Buffalo’s heartwarming business stories last year.
Sometimes rapid growth is a mixed blessing.
Led by Fee Scott-Bolden and her husband, Alex Bolden, the e-commerce startup went viral on Instagram with plant pots that include messages about African-American contributions to history and popular culture.
Lasting, intense demand pushed revenue into six figures, with Scott-Bolden estimating RootedInBlk would gross $1 million in revenue this year.
But the upswing in orders led Scott-Bolden to seek out a wholesale vendor for the pots. Little did she know how turbulence in global supply chains would affect her order for 10,000 pots. It took months for them to get made and shipped from China.
Once they finally shipped, they got stuck at the Port of Los Angeles, where they’ve been sitting for several more months.
Scott-Bolden ran out of inventory awhile ago and has no idea when her $10,000 order will finally make it to Buffalo. RootedInBlk’s core business is on pause indefinitely.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Scott-Bolden said.
In the meantime, she has borne the wrath of customers, who were quick to abandon the positive story of a successful Black entrepreneur.
“I’ve tried to be as transparent as possible, down to showing people the tracking numbers, but some customers said, ‘So basically what you’re saying is this is a scam,” Scott-Bolden said. “I get a lot of comments saying, ‘This is why you can’t support Black businesses.'”
Scott-Bolden said she and her husband tend to be introverted, with a limited business network in Buffalo. She does not have a support group of experienced professionals to fall back upon.
Despite all this, RootedInBlk is far from dead. Scott-Bolden is researching a new way of sourcing the pots, while using the time to brainstorm about other products – like gardening tools – and the customer experience in the future. She plans to broaden the company’s sales channels, as well.
Scott-Bolden says there have been dark days, especially as she experienced customer backlash, but she said it’s more broadly reflective of the tendency to turn against African-American business owners when they struggle.
She isn’t going to let that stop her.
“There is definitely more to come,” she said. “It may take some time, but I think five to 10 years from now, when you think about Black people and plants you’ll think about our company.”
