First-ever BLK Market event showcases Richmond’s diverse Black-owned businesses

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The first BLK Market event was held Saturday with the goal of showcasing a variety of art, food and vintage items from Richmond’s Black-owned businesses.

On Saturday, March 9, from noon to 4 p.m., For the Culture will host the first BLK Market at Red Bird Social, 100 N. 6th St., to showcase Richmond’s Black-owned businesses. did.

According to a spokesperson for the event, For the Culture is a collective of Black employees of Arts & Letters Creative, a Richmond-based creative advertising agency. They founded BLK Market to celebrate Black excellence and creativity in the Greater Richmond community.

Alana Robinson, director of marketing and design for For The Culture, said BLK Market is a collaboration to bring together a diverse range of Black businesses in Richmond and showcase their great work.

“We wanted to showcase Black people who are doing great work with collecting and vintage and things that aren’t traditionally seen, and give them a place to bring them together and really thrive,” Robinson said. said.

For the Culture spokeswoman Lauren Hudson said the event took six months to plan.

“It started at the end of the summer. We brainstormed different ideas about how we could work with the Black community in Richmond and how we could contribute to enriching it, and BLK We settled on the market,” Hudson said. “And yes, we started reaching out to vendors, put all the pieces together, and here we are.”

Robinson said Richmond is a large community with many vendor fairs and markets, but none like BLK Market, which showcases Black businesses not only during Black History Month but all year round, he said.

Saturday’s BLK Market featured a variety of items available for purchase from Black vendors, including vintage books, handmade pottery, paintings, and custom tea blends. Lily Pearl and Buttermilk & Honey also provided food and drinks at the event.

Robinson said the event was a labor of love with the goal of moving part of the community forward, as Richmond is the area she loves most. Hudson agreed, and she said she expects the market to continue to grow.

“We hope it grows. We hope that we learn a lot in this first year. We hope that we get the word out. We hope that we continue to do this for many years to come.” We can, and maybe it’s going to get bigger and bigger and bigger spaces,” Hudson said. “And more participation from the community.”

Vendors interested in participating in future BLK Market events should email blkmarket@artsandletters.xyz.