TODAY IS MARKET DAY at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza
Melanin Market LA is a flea market for Black-owned businesses and vendors, as well as fellowship with an array of customers in the community.
The Melanin Market LA was created by founders Kris Hilbler-Smith and Jay Funtila, in January of 2019. Their goal was to created a venue to satisfy the needs of both Black consumers and entrepreneurs. It can be difficult to find merchandise that is made specifically for African Americans. Most retail stores have a small inventory of products that have Black faces or incorporate Black culture. And for entrepreneurs who do not have a brick and mortar store, it can be difficult to get their products to African American consumers. The Melanin Market LA aim to serve both of those needs.
“We have all type of vendors at our market,”Hilbler-Smith said. “We have food vendors, food trucks, body care, local clothing designers, t-shirts, children’s clothing. There’s a plethora of things that our people are talented at, and that’s what we want to portray at our market.”
Melanin Market LA next to the Crenshaw Farmer’s Market
(in front of the Cinemark Theatre) & Taco Bell.
For future events, check out their events calendar
Melanin Market LA EVENTS CALENDAR
This market also gives people who are just starting out in entrepreneurship an opportunity to learn proper business practices.“There are businesses that are up and coming just like we were,” Funtila said. “We work together with those businesses to figure out the process of what is needed to be able to present at one of the markets. There were certifications that we weren’t aware of that we had to do research on. Many people who wanted to participate did not have that knowledge, so we shared that with them. So we’re all growing together.”
