CHATHAM — Thousands of neighbors gathered on the 75th Street corridor Saturday to attend “Spend in the Black: Resurrecting the Black Dollar,” a day-long celebration of local businesses officials dubbed “a family reunion with financial impact.”
Rev. Charlie E. Dates, who serves as senior pastor at Progressive Baptist Church and Salem Baptist Church of Chicago, and Ald. William Hall (6th), hosted the first “Spend in the Black” last year to help circulate dollars in the community and uplift Black entrepreneurs.
Shoppers spent more than $1 million on goods and services at last year’s event — surpassing expectations by more than double, Dates previously said. Saturday’s “Spend in the Black” promised over 100 Black-owned vendors and and an opportunity to learn more about Black-owned businesses in the city.
As rainy skies cleared for a bout of sunshine Saturday, kids shot hoops and artist DJ Yancy bumped house music down the block. By the afternoon, some businesses were already sold out of goods and food trucks were running low on food, “a good problem to have,” Hall said. Beloved Beverly restaurant Sanders BBQ was one of many businesses to sell out of items.
With hours left to go, the event had seen over 4,000 people pass through and was on track to surpass last year’s attendance, Hall said. Officials were still calculating final sales as of Monday afternoon, Hall said.
Ald. Desmon Yancy (5th), also known as DJ Yancy, plays at “Spend in the Black.” Credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club Chicago
Me and My Bears Mobile was one of the first businesses to greet guests as they entered the corridor. The mobile build-your-bear experience brings the fun to parties and events, “so you can skip the mall, because we come to y’all,” said co-founder Chinyere Okafor-Conley. Lines of children waited for custom stuffed dinosaurs and teddy bears, each paired with an outfit.
“We build more than just bears — we build memories and moments,” Okafor-Conley said Saturday. A former educator, she also offers lesson plans while kids build the bears.
“We use our bears for symbolic purposes to build literacy, money management skills, self confidence and friendship. We’re bigger than just a bear building company,” she said.
Me and My Bears Mobile was excited to return to the event this year after having “a ball” last year, Okafor-Conley said. The family-owned business was able to spread the word that they will soon have a storefront in Wrigleyville at 948 W. Newport Ave., Okafor-Conley said.
“It’s all family, like a block party,” she said. “People are stopping by, even if they’re not buying, to show their support and say they’re happy to see us. That’s even better than buying sometimes — the feedback that you get from your brothers and sisters.”
Me and My Bears Mobile, one of the vendors at “Spend in the Black,” will soon open a storefront in Wrigleyville. Credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club Chicago
Another familiar face at Saturday’s event was Abena Boamah, founder of hanahanabeauty, a skincare brand known for its body butters made with ingredients sourced from Ghana. It was Boamah’s second time at the event after an “amazing experience” last year, she said.
“Blackness is not a monolith, so being able to be on 75th Street around so many different types of Black people, around community, that’s what hanahanabeauty is about,“ Boamah said.
While new customers stopped by, Boamah also saw people from last year, she said. By the early afternoon, hanahanabeauty was sold out of its Glow Butter and only had several products left, Boamah said.
“They just got to keep this going,” Boamah said. “I just love seeing Black people outside and happy. I love that people are making money. It’s so important to be stewards.”
Hanahanabeauty founder Abena Boamah sold out of her brand’s “Glow Butter” before the Saturday event ended, she said. Credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club Chicago
New vendors this year included Forever Wedded, a Black- and woman-owned wedding planning business.
Founders Angela Boyd and Emmanuella Carter launched their business last year to “take the stress out of wedding planning,” Boyd said. Among other services, Forever Wedded partners with licensed therapists for premarital counseling “with the hope that we can help you create a firm foundation that’ll last forever,” Boyd said.
Saturday was a chance to “get our name out there to build up our portfolio and do more weddings,” Boyd said. “We really want to get the message out there that marriage is important to us and it’s meant to last, so however we can help, we can make it happen.”
Twisted Eggroll owner Nikkita Randle sells eggroll dinners to hungry customers. Randle will open a storefront in Chatham later this year, she said. Credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club Chicago
Saturday’s shopping event was “a reminder of what’s to come on 75th Street” and a day to support the existing businesses on the corridor, Hall said.
Twisted Eggroll sold meals with a side of macaroni and cheese to lines of hungry attendees. The business was “booming,” said owner Nikkita Randle. She recently finalized the purchase of a long-vacant building at 653-657 E. 75th St. after months of planning, and is expecting to host the restaurant’s grand opening this year, Randle said.
Guests discover the Annie Lee room at The Woodshop Art Gallery, 441 E. 75th St. Credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club Chicago
The Woodshop Art Gallery, 441 E. 75th St., saw an uptick in traffic Saturday as new customers discovered the shop, said owner Brian Dantignac. The business has been in the community for 52 years, providing neighbors with custom, handmade frames and vibrant art pieces.
“This event builds new relationships between our business and customers from different areas that didn’t know we existed,” Dantignac said. “We need to be able to acquire the resources to open the businesses that we want to in our community and across the city.”
Brian Dantignac, owner of The Woodshop Art Gallery, has sold custom frames at the Chatham shop for 52 years. Credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club Chicago
“Spend in the Black” will return for another year and “keep going until we can’t go no more,” Hall said.
“What I’m most excited about is that this is a signal and a sign that when people come together to spend their money, we can build for the future and we can build forever,” Hall said. “I want to encourage everyone to stay committed after ‘Spend in the Black’ to spend in neighborhoods with Black-owned businesses because that’s the only way that neighborhoods survive.”
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:
