‘Elite Eleven’: Black-owned Annapolis businesses honored for longtime service

In the 1970s, Howard and Betty Fuller took an opportunity to buy a small package store on Bestgate Road in Annapolis. Shoppers could get anything there — canned goods, beer and wine, cleaning supplies and more. State workers would frequent the store’s lunch area for sandwiches and salads, too, said Ife Thompson, the Fullers’ granddaughter. Nearly three decades later in 2003, the Fullers’ small white store was dilapidated and needed a rebuild. The couple set out to secure a loan but ran into difficulty getting funding, Betty Fuller said. Although local banks declined to give the Fullers a loan, Harbor Bank, a Black-owned bank in Baltimore, loaned the couple money within 48 hours, Fuller recalled. Today, the Fullers own the whole strip at 710 Bestgate Road, which includes H&B Fuller Wine & Spirits, Capital Cleaners and a 7-Eleven store. The Fullers’ story was one of many shared Tuesday evening at the Michael E. Busch Library in Annapolis, where 11 Black-owned Annapolis businesses were recognized for their resilience and contributions to the community. The celebration capped off the library’s four-part Black History Month series honoring the history and heritage of Annapolis’ Black community, with panels that delved into the city’s African...