Housed in the walls of Milwaukee’s Sherman Phoenix, visitors can find everything from food to yoga, to clothing and barbershops.
The collaborative space holds over 25 Black owned businesses with even more entrepreneurs coming every month during their Black Out Saturday pop-up marketplace.
“Being a part of a place that has so many different businesses, it opens so many more doors,” shared Darrell Pate, co-owner of Two Kings Barbershop inside Sherman Phoenix.
Wanda Williams is one of dozens of small business owners who show off their work during the monthly pop-up event. Her business, Natural As Can Be Products, focuses on clean skin care.
“People are really supportive in this community of entrepreneurs and its fun being here,” said Williams. “Everybody is so nice, it’s just fabulous. I love coming here.”
The creative space has products like authentic merchandise from Ghana with Mama Kala African Experience. The creator, Pansy Williams, says she started the shop to provide a link to African Americans and their culture.
“We bring the products back here from Ghana to give everybody a glimpse of what everybody would see if you were in Ghana. All the colors, all the vibrance, the cultural heritage the symbols, all of that.”
Wynter Bates owns All One Love Clothing Design, which was born during the pandemic to offer designs geared toward the Black LGBTQ community.
“All One Love focuses on the experiences of both of those groups, you know myself being both of them and I just wanted to give a platform to those people so that they can see themselves in someone or something,” Bates told TMJ4.
Owners there tell me that having a space to support other black businesses offers new, important ways to collaborate.
The Black-out pop-up marketplace takes place on the third Saturday of every month at Sherman Phoenix. The next one is happening on February 18th.
There are over 25 full-time businesses located in the building. You can learn more about them here.
