BUSINESS BUZZ
BuyBlackNB by Steven Froias
JUNETEENTH
When the BuyBlackNB Juneteenth pop-up market returns to the Rotch Jones Duff House and Garden in New Bedford on Juneteenth (Sunday, June 19), it will represent something more than an opportunity to discover local Black-owned small businesses, individual entrepreneurs, and craftspeople.
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t will also reflect the stunning achievement that is BuyBlackNB itself. BuyBlackNB began its journey as an online platform in 2020 highlighting the area’s many Black-owned small business and creative endeavors. It was launched as a website that featured over 75 Black-owned businesses: buyblacknb.com. Since then, BuyBlackNB has expanded into a physical presence by hosting a series of pop-up markets in New Bedford featuring the names on its website. The largest of these were the Juneteenth market last year in 2021, also
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at the Rotch Jones Duff House. Clearly, something clicked away from the computer mousepad, as BuyBlackNB became a brand in and of itself and a huge success. It was so successful that the concept was even moved to Fall River this past spring for a Spindle City pop-up event. It, too, proved to be a hit.
Taking action
BuyBlackNB was founded by life-long New Bedford resident Justina Perry in 2020. She was, she says, galvanized into action after what she saw happening to Black bodies
June 2022 | The South Coast Insider
around the nation – crystalized by the muder of George Floyd. Upon launching BuyBlackNB, Justina Perry stated, “In supporting local Black-owned businesses, we are working to close the racial wealth gap, strengthen our local economies, foster job creation, and celebrate Black culture.” BuyBlackNB.com offered shoppers an interactive map to help patrons discover the businesses it listed in its directory, and it has continued to add new ones since 2020. There was no fee for these listings, as Justina explained, “The work is a labor of love for people, places, and products that make up the New Bedford community.” With some funding from sources like Wicked Cool Places of New Bedford Creative for the New Bedford Economic Development Council, BuyBlackNB
developed the pop-up markets as well as other online special projects. Those include a Black-owned Holiday Gift Directory and a "Black in Business" virtual series to highlight and support Black entrepreneurs and aspiring business leaders. "HERstory: A Celebration of Black Women,” produced in association with the New Bedford Historical Society, began in February, 2021.
The Juneteenth pop-up market
Now, back by popular demand, BuyBlackNB will once again hold what’s becoming its signature event: the Juneteenth Pop-up Outdoor Market at the Rotch Jones Duff House and Garden Museum. On Sunday, June 19, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at 396 County
