In 1937, Snow F. Grigsby noted that there were 48 grocery stores, 97 eating establishments, and 27 drugstores all owned by blacks in Detroit. These businesses had a combined annual payroll of over $304,700 (equivalent to $6,995,405 today).

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By 1942, black-owned businesses in Detroit included five artists, 25 barber shops, 71 beauty shops, two bondsmen, seven building contractors, two corsetieres (corset makers), four chiropodists, 25 dressmakers and shops, 10 electricians, four employment agencies, two dairy distributors, 12 coal dealers, 13 confectioners, 36 dentists, 30 drugstores, 15 fish and poultry markets, 10 hospitals, five flower shops, three furriers, 14 garages, 12 hat shops, 20 hotels, nine insurance companies, three jewelers, 16 laundries, 14 manufacturers and distributors, 24 moving and express companies, 18 music teachers, 112 clubs and societies, 33 real estate brokers, 57 restaurants, 11 shoe repair operators, 49 tailors, cleaners, and dyers, three upholsterers and furniture makers, six variety and art shops, five beauty schools, 18 engineers, three newspapers, 85 lawyers, 151 physicians, two business schools, and three nightclubs. By 1943, it was estimated that black Detroiters had over 3,000 small businesses or enterprises.

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