Taped to the corner of Julian Reefer’s computer monitor is a small white name tag. The paper’s edges have curled over time, but the black words printed across it remain bold: “Julian Reefer, Founder of Blackville.”
Blackville is an app Reefer created to help close the wealth gap in the U.S. by making it easier for people to find and support Black-owned businesses.
He received this tag at an e-commerce conference in 2023, during one of the hardest years of his life. That year, his financial consulting job ended, and around the same time, his fiancée, Vanessa Chambers, found out she was pregnant with their first child.
Money was tight, and the couple decided to move out of their luxury apartment in Brooklyn and back into Reefer’s childhood home on Long Island.
“I put (the tag) on my monitor for inspiration,” Reefer said. “It made everything feel real, tangible. It felt validating.”
Today, Reefer is a Bethlehem resident, financial professional and an entrepreneur. He’s returned to the finance industry and works for American Express in New York City, commuting during the week and spending weekends in Bethlehem. Blackville has also allowed him to explore his creativity and to celebrate what makes each entrepreneur different.
“Entrepreneurship is uniqueness,” Reefer said. “It’s what you bring to the table. Every entrepreneur has a unique story, and it’s celebrated.”
His brother, Khyle Reefer, said Julian Reefer’s penchant for creativity and individuality began when he was a child.
“He was always a creative,” Khyle Reefer said. “I didn’t think he would pursue any sort of business routes because he was always that person who liked poetry and drawing and was a really good singer when we were kids. It’s cool to see how he morphed that into entrepreneurship.”
The same creativity Khyle Reefer saw in his brother has stayed with Julian Reefer.
He studied accounting at St. John’s University in Queens, New York, completing a five-year program that earned him a bachelor’s degree in 2015 and a master’s degree in 2016.
Julian Reefer began his career in New York City, working for financial companies including Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP and Citibank.
He was living what he described as a dream life, in a luxury Brooklyn apartment with his fiancée, Vanessa Chambers. The building featured amenities including a movie theater and a bowling alley.
Then came the changes in 2023: job loss, a big move and a child on the way.
Julian Reefer applied for finance jobs but struggled to find one in a tough market. The couple moved back to his childhood home on Long Island to save money.
With work scarce, he took a job at Lowe’s. He said the experience taught him gratitude and reminded him every opportunity serves a purpose.
“The moral of everything that I learned was just the importance of being grateful for what you have and being open to different things, because different opportunities can serve you in different ways,” Julian Reefer said. “While I knew that the hourly job at Lowe’s wasn’t where I wanted to be, it served its purpose.”
Chambers said that gratitude spoke a lot about his humility.
That mindset, he said, came from faith. He said faith played a major role in helping him navigate uncertainty. Believing in himself and staying grateful helped him maintain perspective when things felt unclear.
Faith in himself also supported him as he built Blackville.
“There’s definitely a degree of faith you need when you’re building something of your own,” Julian Reefer said. “Everything’s uncertain, but I believe I’m capable, and that belief has gotten me to where I am right now.”
Although Julian Reefer was struggling, he said he remained grateful for what he had. He said he was never homeless or hungry, and he had his family by his side.
During that downtime, he watched “Trigger Warning,” a documentary where rapper and activist Killer Mike attempts to rely solely on Black-owned businesses for three days.
The documentary highlighted how difficult it was to find Black-owned businesses and inspired Julian Reefer to create Blackville.
He said the app is more of a movement than a marketplace.
Chambers said Julian Reefer’s passion for building Blackville has been clear from the start and shows his dedication to bringing his ideas to life. Most nights after his 9-to-5, she said, he would log back on and continue working on the app.
That dedication is reflected in the product.
Apple recently approved Blackville for the App Store. Julian Reefer continues refining it while connecting with business owners and developers to ensure it provides the best experience for users.
He’s also expanding his mission through The Uplift, a podcast and online community he created to highlight stories of Black entrepreneurs and allies. What began as a side project has grown into a space for honest conversations and connection.
He travels to events such as Invest Fest in Atlanta, interviewing founders about their journeys and challenges. The conversations help him build connections and share real experiences. They also provide insight he’s using to strengthen Blackville ahead of its launch.
He plans to keep connecting with entrepreneurs and collecting feedback until he feels ready to launch Blackville, which he expects to happen within the next year.
He said gratitude throughout his struggles sustained him and helped shape who he is today as both a founder and a person.
“I think the biggest thing for me was gratitude,” Julian Reefer said.”Gratitude as a suit of armor, despite your circumstance.”bu