4 minute read
COVER STORY
Prosperity Market Scavenger Hunt
Kara Still and Carmen Dianne are the founders of Prosperity Market, a roving farmers market that spotlights Black farmers, producers and chefs.
By Oliver Grynberg
Prosperity Market’s Black Business Scavenger Hunt returns to Los Angeles this August, offering the perfect way to explore the city while supporting over 50 Blackowned businesses. Prosperity Market, founded by Carmen Dianne and Kara Still in June 2020, is an LA-based mobile and pop-up farmers market that brings fresh and local produce to neighborhoods with limited grocery access, while providing a platform for a marginalized community of black farmers and producers. The choice to start the market during COVID-19 was an easy one. “It didn’t feel like a decision; this is the problem, this is how we think we can fix it, let’s do it,” Dianne said. LA has the most food-insecure residents in the country, but California produces the most food. Prosperity Market works to dissolve this confusing disparity while bolstering the Black economy hit hardest by the pandemic. The Scavenger Hunt, which started in 2021, was a natural progression of Prosperity Market’s original mission. “The market in general is about creating a platform for Black businesses to create economic mobility,” Dianne said. “The scavenger hunt is a fun way to do that and incorporate more businesses of all categories.” To participate, one can follow Prosperity Market on Instagram or check their website daily in August for clues about participating businesses. Follow the hints and keep track of the businesses you visit by snapping a photo or using an in-store QR code to log points. Participants with the most points have the chance to win prizes and be announced victorious at Prosperity Market’s farmers market on Aug. 27. Whether you’re in it to win it or excited to check out some delicious food and innovative retailers, the hunt is a unique way to explore LA,” Still said. “There are so many people that are from LA or have been here for a long time, and there are so many places that they don’t even know exist." She hopes to invigorate the city by showing residents that “there is newness in a place they’ve been for a long time.” One of the businesses handpicked by Still and Dianne to do this is Uplift Us Marketplace, a giftshop and retailer in Culver City that carries a unique and modern collection of clothing, trinkets and homewares. Owner and founder Kristel Jones is excited for her business to be involved again. “The exposure is great for us, it was a no-brainer,” Jones said. “The Scavenger Hunt is a really clever idea. It’s hard for small businesses to pay for advertising and exposure, so it’s great and we absolutely need more of it.” Vendors and customers alike have already been affected by the work of Prosperity Market. “We absolutely see the impact, we see the businesses that are vending with us grow every month,” Dianne said. Still added, “There are people who come to every market we do.” The scavenger hunt already has expanded and developed a following after one year, but for Prosperity Market this is just the beginning. “As our team grows and our capacity grows, we’re going to evolve this into some really fun and exciting things that I’m sure people haven’t seen yet,” Still said. Capping the hunt at 50 business was also a difficult task. “We would love to have more businesses, but all the things required to make it happen is why we capped it,” Dianne said. As a result, Prosperity Market offers a word bank at the bottom of their website that lists many other Black-owned businesses in LA that aren’t participating, and in the future they hope to remove limits on the number of participants. With the thorough solutions and evident impact that Prosperity Market has already introduced in communities across LA, this year’s Scavenger Hunt promises to be a meaningful and fun way to explore the city and support an incredible network of black businesses. And remember, this is all about surprises. “You may not know that there are Black-owned businesses in Hollywood or Pasadena, this is just a fun way to see what is in your neighborhood,” Dianne said.
Prosperity Market LA
prosperitymarketla.com Instagram: @prosperity.market
Uplift Us Marketplace
upliftusmarketplace.com 6000 Sepulveda Boulevard, Culver City Instagram: @upliftusmarketplace
Throughout August, Prosperity Market is hosting a Black Business Scavenger Hunt that will take Angelenos on a journey across Santa Monica, Culver City and other cities to discover and shop LA’s Black-owned businesses.
While Prosperity Market primarily focuses on food, the Scavenger Hunt offers the opportunity to feature Black entrepreneurs in industries outside the culinary world, also encouraging consumers to shop and show unity and shared commitment to supporting Black business owners.
