When Renee Edwards started her own skincare line eight years ago, she was eager to sell at local markets in the Tampa Bay area. But she kept getting denied.
Edwards said many markets had high thresholds to qualify, such as booth rental prices or having to own your own tent.
"Black businesses don't have the capital that a lot of other businesses have," Edwards said. "They don't have the platform. They need the tent, they need the table, they need the signage, they need the Square (credit card payment system), they need all of this stuff."
After being rejected by five different markets, Edwards decided to create her own — one that focuses on lowering the barriers for Black, minority and women-owned businesses.
That's how she started the Saturday Shoppes, which, in addition to showcasing minority vendors, provides training and hosts community events, such as giving away hot meals.
"I allow them to be there just where they are. You don't have to spend $10,000 to set up," Edwards said.
Giving smaller businesses a voice
Saturday Shoppes, Edward explained, is intentional when it comes to giving a platform to smaller businesses that may not have enough resources to participate in a larger market. She said her main goal is to enable business owners to pay their largest bill, whether it is a mortgage, rent, or car payment, with the proceeds they earn from Saturday Shoppes.
"The goal is to get into more stores and more locations and give these vendors the retail power that they need to be able to live in Tampa Bay."
Candy Lowe has the same motto. She runs the Black Business Bus Tour, a quarterly event that brings customers to small brick and mortars across the greater Tampa Bay region.
"It brings awareness to the businesses and it's a revenue-driven event," Lowe said.
Lowe said the motor coach brings around 50 customers to those shops. The proceeds are often enough to sustain the businesses for a few months.
Like Edwards, Lowe offers a training program to help more people become business owners or sustain their current operation. The Youth Entrepreneur Program teaches young children the basics of running their booth at the vendor portion of the Black Business Bus Tour event.
She stressed the importance of supporting Black businesses and the Black community at large throughout the year, and not just during a designated month.
"All of those disparities, all of those roadblocks are there for her [Edwards], for me, and people that look like me all over the country," Lowe said.
PPP and racial disparities
Lowe pointed to racial disparities in lending when it came to the Paycheck Protection Program, loans designed to keep businesses afloat during the financial crunch of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to an analysis from the the National Bureau of Economic Research, Black-owned businesses were "least likely to receive PPP loans from small- and mid-sized banks, where subjectivity was most likely to influence lending decisions."
Lowe also recounted the sudden uptick in support for Black businesses during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement — marked by protests prompted by the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
"My phone rang off the hook, wanting to know if I had a list of Black-owned businesses," Lowe said. "We have communities that have woke up now ... but I think it's important that we continue highlighting them."
Both Lowe and Edwards said they'll continue to give other Black and minority entrepreneurs a platform as long as they need one.
