Each edition of the Green Book solicited information from its readers regarding the businesses which served them. Wikimedia
7. Although many businesses excluded Blacks, many others did not
There were of course businesses which provided goods and services to Black patrons, if there were not there would have been no Green Book to list them. Many were owned and operated by Blacks, and catered exclusively to Blacks. The Green book listed hotels, restaurants, theaters, country clubs, campgrounds, and parks which accepted Blacks among their users. It also listed barber shops and beauty parlors, tailors and shoe stores, taverns and pool halls, and of course, gas stations and mechanics where cars could be serviced. Nearly all of the businesses were on a cash basis in those pre-credit card days, those which would accept personal checks were often identified. In the Deep South, many banks refused accounts to Blacks.
In most of America’s cities with significant Black populations newspapers emerged which were oriented toward their audience, and they began to endorse the Green Book and other similar guides. As mentioned, the Esso Company sponsored the book, sold it in its gas stations, and recommended purchasing a new copy annually. Esso also provided company produced maps which corresponded to the Green Book by the 1940s, and the book included photographs of Esso stations owned and operated by Blacks. In contrast, throughout the 1940s, Shell stations were considered to be hostile by most Blacks, developing a reputation – deserved or not – for refusing service to Black customers.