WS Chronicle

“Buy Black” seems to be the slogan of the summer for many African Americans around the nation. With more focus on Black people spending money at Black-owned businesses, the only issue now is making the community aware of who and where these businesses are located.

Blackonomics, created by Jasmine Stover, is one of the creative ways people have brought more attention to Black-owned businesses. Blackonomics is a gathering of Black-owned businesses created to allow the community to shop and for the business owners to get their products seen. Stover will hold another Blackonomics event on Aug. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, in the field next to Hooper Funeral home, located at 1415 14 St. NE.

“I wanted to support Black-owned businesses, so I made it a point to try and buy everything that I needed from my friends, rather than going to the store,” said Stover about why she created Blackonomics. “It caused me to go from one side of town to the other, or having to wait a long time to have it shipped to me. I wanted to create a space where everybody could come and support all of their friends in one setting, so I created Blackonomics.”

Stover held her first Blackonomics event on July 4 of this year. It took her two weeks to put the event together and she feels it was a complete success, she said. She credits Marva Reid for mentoring her and providing inspiration to Blackonomics.

“The first event was absolutely amazing, and I want to say that we had 350 to 400 people come between 10 and 2 o’clock,” she said. “It was a steady flow and I got a good response from it. All of my vendors made a lot of money to the point where I received monetary thank you’s, so I know they did well.”

Along with the vendors on site, there was a theatrical performance by the Royal Curtain Drama Guild and a discussion panel on how the music industry impacts the community.

With the first event being such a success, it was a no-brainer for Stover to bring the event back. With the overwhelmingly positive response, Stover has had to create a waiting list for vendors to participate. Her goal is to bring Blackonomics to the community every month, so everyone gets an opportunity to showcase their products and talent.

“One of the really cool things about Blackonomics is that it’s not just a vendor experience, we also offer memberships that help keep Black businesses sustainable,” she continued.  

Stover assists new business owners with filing for an LLC and offers a membership packet that includes monthly consulting as well.

“I just want to provide the resources to learn about business and keep the business sustainable,” Stover said. “I tell everybody that it’s easy to start it, but can you keep it?”

Stover said the Aug. 8 event will focus on young entrepreneurs. She feels they are the future of the business world and wanted to provide a platform for them.

“I wanted to showcase them, so they can keep going and know they have a place and a meaning in their community,” she said.

Stover, the self-proclaimed “proud Winston-Salem native,” said she feels the city has a lot of “untapped” talent that no one has ever heard of. She says if Winston-Salem is the City of Arts and Innovation, then those are the things that should be placed in the forefront.

Buying from Black-owned businesses is one of the steps that should follow the protests, Stover said.  

“We are going from protesting to actually making moves and learning what we want to demand,” she said. “I just believe in educating yourself on your culture, politics and law to learn what we need to change to get a leg up. I am just excited to bring people together for change.”

For more information about Blackonomics, please visit www.thirstyinc.org/blackonomic%24.