Highlights neighborhood favorites during National Black Business Month
LOS ANGELES, CA — On August 4, 2026, U.S. Congresswoman Laura Friedman (CA-30) toured two Black-owned businesses in California’s 30th District to start National Black Business Month. Friedman stopped by Tansy in Burbank and Bludso’s BBQ in Melrose to talk to the owners, operators, and staff members about the wins and challenges of operating a small business.
“Small businesses go beyond providing quality services or delicious food, they give Angelenos job opportunities and reinvest in the people that make up their community like Tansy and Bludso’s,” said Congresswoman Laura Friedman. “That’s why it’s important to me to make these visits and listen to their needs, so that I can advocate for them better in Congress.”
Tansy is a local Black woman-owned and family-operated plant nursery and home goods store that first opened in Burbank in 2019, and the only such store with that distinction in Los Angeles County. Owner Shawna Christian is one of five Black business owners in Burbank. Bludso’s BBQ is a California BBQ restaurant owned by television personality, James Beard Award Winner, and two-time Steve Harvey Hoodie Award Winner Kevin Bludso. Both businesses give back to their communities. Bludso’s BBQ runs a scholarship program to support Black students in the Compton School District where Kevin Bludso was born and raised, and Tansy hosts their Teen Titan internship program to help young girls gain skills that teach them how to run a business effectively.
Friedman is a champion of small businesses in her district and in Los Angeles as a whole. She has visited Dialog Cafe and Lou The French on the Block to talk to the owners of these eateries about the challenges of running a small businesses. Friedman also visited the Port of Los Angeles early last month to see first-hand how the Trump administration’s economic policies are impacting the flow of goods coming in and out of the U.S., and its impact on connected jobs.
Below: Friedman talks to owner Shawna Christian inside her store Tansy.
Below: Friedman meets Kevin Bludso, owner of Bludso’s BBQ.