Sipping Sweet Success: The 9th Annual Alaska Black Business Expo

At first, Amiyah recalls, they filled cups from a pitcher, and they tried bottling the lemonade before discovering the pouches via social media. “Everybody really loved the pouches more than the cups and bottles,” she says. “We changed it up quite a bit to see what people were tuning in to, and the pouches were a good fit.”

The clear plastic container vividly shows off six colorful flavors of lemonade. The package almost advertises itself, as expo attendees walk around the museum atrium sipping from curly straws.

The expo is only a few years older than Double A’s Lemonade Stand, and it has grown as steadily. “We started out a little small, and every year it grew bigger,” says Sophia Metters, who helped organize the expo.

Metters is the founder and owner of G.A.P., a graduation assistance program. She set up the nonprofit to “keep kids on track” with everything from workforce readiness to helping pay for caps and gowns. The Hanson sisters participate in the program, too.

Nearly a decade ago, Metters helped launch the Alaska Black Business Expo, which combines a vendor market, seminars, and art exhibits. “It is a Black business expo, but we accept all small businesses,” Metters explains. “We really like to support our community.”

Vendor booths in the museum atrium include jewelry designers, healthcare services, and consultants who can assist other entrepreneurs in turn. One of those force multipliers is Umoja Coworking & Incubator, whose president, Jasmin Smith, serves as the expo’s official host.

Presenting and teaching are among the social skills that Amiyah says she has learned through her business experience. She also obtained food handler certification, of course. Aaliyah says her most important lessons have been money management and how to deal with dissatisfied customers.

The biggest challenge Aaliyah faces is balancing her schoolwork while continuing the business after her big sister goes to college. Nominally, their mother owns the business, but both As are integral to running it.