JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — While many rush to big box stores for Black Friday, others like to spend it supporting small local businesses.
Dozens of vendors sold fun, neat handmade items at the Jax Melanin Market on A. Philip Randolph Blvd. Friday.
”I’m hoping to sell everything out here today,” Naturalee YahYah’s Myrna Wright said. It’s her third year at the Melanin Market. She started Naturalee YahYah a few years ago, creating and selling scented soaps, body scrubs, and luxurious oils.
The Melanin Market’s mission is to create a platform that highlights minority-owned businesses’ products and services. Organizers say the event offers minority businesses a platform to connect with consumers they may not otherwise reach.
Wright told Action News Jax she loves the Melanin Market and says it’s a place for small business owners to get their products out into the community.
”It’s mostly Black vendors out here and a lot of times we don’t get a chance to get a building, so this is a great outlet for Black businesses to come out and market their products,” she said.
Next to Wright were her daughters: one, who crochets yarn into art, and another who etches uplifting words into wooden products like earrings and plaques. ”It’s all about making women feel good when they wear my products,” Amanda Batts, owner of Earffirmation said.
Batts says it’s a team effort: her sister who crochets adds her touch to Batts’ woodwork. Like her mother, Batts has been coming to the Melanin Market for a couple of years now. ”It’s all about just supporting small Black businesses,” Batts said. It’s quickly becoming a family tradition for them.
The Melanin Market is open until 7:00 p.m. Friday evening.