Boston "cash mobs" pop up to support struggling stores
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Mum Mich, a Trinidadian fusion restaurant in Dorchester. Photo: Steph Solis/Axios
Weeks after a burglary at a Dorchester restaurant, a local entrepreneur is responding with a "cash mob."
- The shopping event is the latest effort to support small Boston-based businesses in this economy.
Why it matters: Drives to support small businesses are nothing new, but they've taken on new meaning post-pandemic and under the Trump administration, with some reconsidering whether to shop at big box stores that supported the president's agenda.
The big picture: While boycotts against companies that abandoned diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives continue, some shoppers and entrepreneurs have mobilized by supporting small, independent retailers, especially Black-, Latino- and Asian-owned companies.
Catch up quick: Mum Mich, a Caribbean restaurant on Bowdoin Street, was robbed earlier this month, one of the owners said in a TikTok video.
- The robbers shattered the restaurant's front door and left a mess inside.
Enter Christy Felix, founder of the online business directory The Hustle List.
- Felix, a Cambridge native and entrepreneur, issued a call to the platform's social media followers over the weekend: Show up to "mob" Mum Mich on Feb. 21, (aka, spend money there).
- She's collaborating with Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune on this and three other "cash mobs" on that day.
What they're saying: "We need to be putting our dollars into local thrift shops rather than going to these big box stores, and we do need to put money back into our own communities," Felix tells Axios.
Zoom out: A "cash mob" can range from a small, grassroots shopping event like Felix's to viral campaigns bankrolled by celebrities like Keith Lee.
- They have popped up in recent years in Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Austin, where one helped the nonprofit Torch Literary Arts reach its 2025 fundraising goals.
- Cash mobs can empower organizations "to not just survive challenging times, but to thrive and plan for the future," says Amanda Johnston, founder and executive director of the nonprofit, which supports Black women writers.
Flashback: Felix organized a "mob" at DAC Thrift Shop on Dec. 18, after the owner's niece, a hairstylist on the Hustle List, said the business was struggling.
- Dozens of people from across Massachusetts showed up to shop.
- The event helped keep DAC Thrift Shop afloat and increased visibility. (Some locals thought the space was still home to a computer repair shop, not a thrift store.)
- "Since the mobbing, business has been consistent," said Deborah Cox, or "Ms. Deb" as many call her.
Felix's platform, the Hustle List, has gained steam among Boston-area entrepreneurs who don't have a brick-and-mortar shop — but she's not alone in drumming up support for neighborhood businesses.
- A group of students at Mattapan Tech created a directory in 2025 to promote businesses in the neighborhood. (Of course, it includes Le Foyer, a Haitian bakery and a neighborhood institution.)
- Similar efforts have popped up in recent years, from the Boston Women's Market and Black Owned Bos. to the LGBTQ+ business directory Boston Queers.
What's next: Felix is discussing possible "cash mobs" with other small businesses while helping some on the Hustle List gain visibility on social media.
- "I think people assume that, 'This girl just came out of nowhere and she just has all these connections' … I failed," Felix says. "I tried, I tried again and I persisted."