March is officially Women’s History Month and Jennifer Lopez has wasted no time in honoring her favorite female-owned businesses through the #BuyFromHerChallenge on Instagram.
Women’s History Month, which was first recognized and declared in 1980, spans the entire length of March and is a time to recognize the success and contributions women have had throughout history.
JLo kicked off the celebratory month by sharing her favorite businesses
The singer, dancer, actress, mother, Icon Award winner megastar (and more) shared her favorite women-owned businesses with her Instagram followers on March 1st. Lopez took to the platform to highlight smaller businesses to her 197 million followers in a video backtracked by her song, On My Way from her newest film Marry Me – presumably hoping her followers will be saying “On My Way” to the businesses soon.
The video highlighted three stores from different locations – two in Miami, Florida, and one in the Bronx, New York. The businesses included Azucar Ice Cream, Garcia Nevett Chocolatier, and The Lit Bar Bookstore.
“Honored to kick off the #BuyFromHerChallenge with @SherylSandberg for #WomensHistoryMonth. Here are three small businesses I love – all owned by women,” Lopez wrote in her post.
The end of the video featured a soundbite from Lopez in which she said, “You can start at the bottom and just with grit and perseverance and clarity and vision, build a life that has purpose and impact and reach your own personal definition of success.”
Lopez also went to tag others in the viral #BuyFromHerChallenge, where participants contribute by posting their favorite women-owned businesses to spread the word via the hashtag on social media. She tagged Isabel Guzman, Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, Portia de Rossi, and General Public Art.
A breakdown of the women-owned businesses Lopez highlighted
The first female-owned store JLo shouted out in her video was Azucar Ice Cream, which is located in Miami and known as “not your ordinary ice cream shop.” The bio of the shop’s page depicts it as “a cultural experience from ‘farm to cone.'” With a name that directly translates to sugar, it’s also no wonder the last line of their description says “we like it sweet!”
The shop is known for believing in natural ingredients and promoting local farmers and suppliers – all while being equipped with unique flavors and “neighborhood vibes.” Their Instagram page, which has 22k followers, reposted Lopez’s video with the added caption, “Thank you @jlo for being the inspiration that you are!”
The next business was Garcia Nevett – a chocolatier also located in Miami, Florida. The craft chocolates are handmade in the city itself by sisters Susana and Isabel. Along with providing an indulgent fine chocolate experience, the business is also known for its award-winning bonbons and elegant gift boxes. At 12.9K followers, the chocolate shop also took to the platform to repost Lopez’s video and thank her for the recognition as being one of the star’s favorites.
The last business shout-out from Lopez went to The Lit Bar, a bookstore located in the Bronx. Their Instagram bio defines the business as the “official bookstore of Wakanda and the Bronx.” The store also serves as a wine bar and a café for the ultimate customer experience. The store previously posted a photo of Lopez visiting in September of 2021, where the singer shared inspirational Latina entrepreneur stories with others from her home.
“No matter where we go we know where we came from,” The Lit Bar wrote as an ode to one of Lopez’s most popular hits. Though The Lit Bar is “from the Bronx,” they shared that they had actually just come from a COVID-19 testing truck before going inside.
To see more women-owned businesses and inspirational stories regarding female breakthroughs, be sure to follow the #BuyFromHerChallenge on social media throughout the month of March.