Black business owners in Oakland highlight need for courage during pop-up event for entrepreneurs

The holiday shopping season is in high gear in the Bay Area. But, between the pandemic and the rise of online shopping, many retailers are having a hard time staying in business.  

On Sunday in Oakland, a gathering of Black business owners highlighted the need for courage and imagination to make it in today’s challenging economy.

A Black Santa Claus welcomed visitors to the 7th annual Black Sunday Holiday Shopping Experience pop-up event for local African American entrepreneurs. But according to Cathy Adams, president of the sponsoring Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, just because the businesses weren’t huge doesn’t mean they were inexperienced.

“You’ve got smaller businesses like this that are not in a commercial building, and they’ve been in business for, like, twenty years!” she said.

One of those was the event’s decorator. Cathyfara Brown started out making simple balloon animals, and now her company creates balloon masterpieces that are in high demand during the holiday party season.  

“I just wanted to make sure that I learned correctly, but I was never intimidated,” said Brown. “And this business has just given me strength to know that whatever I put my mind to, I can do it.  And it’s just taken me further than what I ever thought I could do.”

Della Edwards had the courage to listen when inspiration whispered in her ear.

“And this idea said to put a dress on an apple cider bottle.  And I’m like, what?” Edwards said.

But from that was born her “Chic Champagne Coats,” a stylish decoration resembling a party dress or tuxedo that slips over a bottle’s neck, turning it into a one-of-a-kind gift.

“So, I went to Walmart,” said Edwards, “bought a hundred bottles of apple cider and started playing with these dresses and then started selling them in the grocery store parking lot.”

And “New Orleans Bill” Washington was selling his spicy potato salad in major stores when the pandemic began hurting sales. So, he pivoted to producing and direct-marketing seasoning kits instead.

“They simply add the potatoes to the kit and a dab of mayonnaise. And that’s it. They have my creole potato salad which I have been selling to the stores for about 25 years,” Washington said.

It takes brains, guts and creativity to make it in today’s changing marketplace. And business coach and strategist Dr. Lynette McElhaney said that has been a historical strength of the Black community.

“Over time, I think some people have lost the confidence,” she said.  “There’s been a big push around getting a college degree and going to work for someone else.  But we find that entrepreneurs are born every day in the African American community and it’s one of the ways that we can survive economic downturns.”

The business environment is changing rapidly, and like the dinosaurs of old, those who cannot adapt quickly probably won’t survive. But African Americans have always had to rely on their own drive and ingenuity and, even in this economy, that makes them quick to react when opportunity comes knocking.