Louisville, Ky. — MELANnaire Marketplace, a local shop that helps Black entrepreneurs jumpstart their businesses is hosting an event called “Meet The Brand,” where they have Black businesses from around the country come to MELANnaire to showcase their products, fostering opportunities to help showcase their products to a bigger audience.

Damiun and Natalie Raines are both entrepreneurs. The two came from Atlanta, to showcase their products for Meet the Brand at Mall St. Matthews.

Natalie said, “In Louisville, it’s hard to actually find these pieces of jewelry. So, I wanted to bring them the pieces they’re actually craving here.”

The event, hosted by MELANnaire Marketplace, gives opportunities for Black businesses around the country a chance to have a bigger platform that not all niche businesses get.

Damiun said, “A lot of small businesses are not really represented compared to the big corporations, so an opportunity like this is very special.”

Lashawn Marshall, one of the team members with MELANnaire Marketplace, says opportunities like this give business owners confidence to showcase their products in new areas.

Marshall said, “What we like to do is have them leverage this opportunity so they can be in any other location. Once they see themselves here, they realize they can be anywhere.”

It also helps young entrepreneurs like 19-year-old Montez Graham Jr. get out of their comfort zone by throwing them into a real-world business situation.

Graham said, “It really puts me on the spot of being a true businessesman and really having customers coming in and out of the store, me talking to customers, me meeting customers and telling them my story.”

Saturday is Small Business Saturday. MELANnaire Marketplace is partnering with an event at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center in West Louisville. That will run 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.