CEO of A+X Puzzles Amanda Wilson has become the first Black woman to have her puzzles sold in Target stores across the U.S. Wilson launched the company a few years ago and will now have her puzzles available in 1,750 Target locations according to Atlanta Black Star. The announcement was made on August 8th and Wilson talked to CBS Pittsburgh about the exciting news.

“We are the first Black puzzle company to be in a big-box retailor,” Wilson said. “So this is a monumental moment.”

“They help with fine-tuning those motor skills, facial recognition, concentration and shape recognition as well,” Wilson said. Wilson noticed a lack of diversity in the industry before giving birth to twins. She started creating sketches for the puzzles while the twins were in the NICU.

Wilson said that the puzzle industry has grown by over 200 percent in 2020 amid COVID-19 lockdowns while consumers looked for things to do while they were stuck at home.

“My business very much so benefited from that growth even before I was talking to Target,” she said. “Puzzles are really one of those things that you can do with the entire family and it gives everyone a break from social media and technology and it’s just nice to be able to concentrate with your family on completing something and then you feel good when it’s all done.”

Wilson says she was able to get in contact with a Target representative on the professional networking website LinkedIn. Then one year later the company reached back out and gave her some feedback on the product.

“I never saw myself as someone who would make history, but I did. I am proud to say that I am the first Black puzzle company in a major retail store. It is an amazing feeling,” she told Because Of Them We Can.

“I hope my company inspires other burgeoning Black businesses to keep striving towards their goal. Being the first and only carries weight, and I hope to bring along more businesses in the gaming industry with me. The main advice I will give is to stay prepared. There will be a lot of questions, and people will doubt you but stay the course. No one is you, and that is your power,” she said.

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