Jeannine Cook, the owner of Harriett’s Bookshop, launched the small business city tour in February 2020, according to Whyy.org. The initiative stemmed from the anonymous email threats she received after her bookstore, named after Harriett Tubman, opened in Fishtown.

“Although Black women were opening businesses at a rapid pace, our businesses were closing at an equally rapid pace,” Cook told Whyy.org. “And so here is the tour, which says to people during Women’s History Month, no better time to support the women in your communities.”

During its first year for two months, the expedition hosted 52 passengers, who learned about five Black-woman-owned and operated organizations with the help of the tour’s conductors Starfire and Brianna Bolden. Eventually, three of the showcased businesses shut down, adding more reason to keep her idea a reality because it could be a pillar of support that helps drive consumers to check out these small enterprises.

“We really wanted to come up with methods to protect and serve one another as women in the community,” Cook said.

The excursion is open to all and visits local businesses to endorse residents offering products and services to the Philadelphia community in addition to celebrating “strength and unity.” After gaining regional and national traction, the tour has grown popular with people from diverse backgrounds.

The special outing now accommodates customers on a city-like bus with the Starfire, who has been a part of the Sisterhood-Sit-In: Trolley Tour from the beginning.

“I love being the conductor, the voice, stopping traffic yelling, ‘The sisterhood is here, we’re here, make way for the sisterhood,'” they shared “It’s theatrical, it’s performative, it’s intentional and it just facilitates joy.”

They added, “My job is to make sure that you have the best time ever, and also be the voice, tell the stories of these businesses, be the connector that is just the overall conductor of each space.”

Starfire went on to say the outing is also a bonding experience that provides an atmosphere that’s fun and empowering whilst fostering organic connections.

“It’s a time when you can come together, relax, celebrate your sisterhood-ness,” they said. “I like to say we’re doing the sisterhood shimmy cause we’re sitting pretty, and the brotherhood bounce — it’s a time for commerce, connection and community.”

Each year, the tour has a different theme, and “Sitting Pretty” is this year’s. It’s meant to honor “the wisdom of our elders, the resilience of our middle generations, and the vibrancy of our youth, creating a powerful narrative that spans from boomers to Gen Alpha,” according to the company’s website.

The three-hour voyage will take guests on a ride to visit eight businesses: Harriett’s Bookshop, Yowie Boutique, Modest Transitions, Trunc, Amazulu Collections, Juiced by B, Coffee, Cream, along with Dreams and Sweet Nina’s.

“We are excited about being a part of this tour,” Nina Perry Bryan, the founder of Sweet Nina’s said. “Philadelphia is a wonderful city to visit, this is the month for women and there are so many African American businesses out there.”

For more information and to secure tickets, visit the Sisterhood-Sit-In: Trolley Tour website.