Entrepreneur Leslie Ann Tarleton is passionate about helping Black women of all ages heal mentally and selling her skincare products to customers through her business, Brown Girls Embrace. When the management at Ward 8’s The Retail Village at Sycamore & Oak announced that its vendors and pop-up businesses would be allowed to sell their wares for programming Black Friday and Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24 and 25, Tarleton jumped at the chance to participate.
“It’s great to get to know other business owners,” Tarleton, 34, said at her booth alongside other pop-up vendors on Nov. 25. “We want people to support us. Small Business Saturday is the one day dedicated [to] us.”
Sycamore & Oak, which opened on Juneteenth (June 19) this year, is a marketplace next to the Entertainment & Sports Arena located in Southeast D.C., on the campus of St. Elizabeths East. It features 13 brick-and-mortar businesses that are owned by African Americans who live in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.
For Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, about 30 pop-up businesses, including Brown Girls Embrace, sold their products to customers.
Supporting D.C. Entrepreneurs in Post-Thanksgiving Shopping
Sycamore & Oak’s post-Thanksgiving Day events reflected commercial activity throughout the city.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser publicly promoted Small Business Saturday, noting the setting up of the Downtown DC Holiday Market on Nov. 17 and encouraging residents and visitors to buy from city businesses. The Anacostia Arts Center located on Marion Barry Avenue SE also had a Small Business Saturday event.
“Local entrepreneurs and businesses power D.C.’s economy, and no matter what you’re looking for this holiday season, you can find it at a small business right here in D.C.,” Bowser, 51, said.
Interim D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development Director Rosemary Suggs-Evans echoed Bowser’s sentiments on supporting local businesses.
“Small businesses are crucial to the success of the District’s economy, and their growth is essential to our city’s continued prosperity,” said Suggs-Evans.
Selling at Sycamore & Oak
Ronell White is the owner of Alkebulan Expressions, a pop-up business that sells products such as bracelets and beads. White’s business was located on the outside of the main building along with several other pop-ups, and he displayed his products on a table covered with yellow cloth.
Like Tarleton, when White, 59, learned of the chance to be a part of the post-Thanksgiving Day activities at Sycamore & Oak, he lept toward the opportunity.
“I grew up on Martin Luther King Jr., Avenue and I am excited to see the area change a lot,” said White, who is the uncle of D.C. Councilmember Trayon White (D-Ward 8). “I jumped at the opportunity to participate in this.”
The Ward 8 council member’s sister, Marshell Barrett, owns a business, Lady Fingerz. Her items, beads and ornaments, were also featured on a table draped with yellow cloth, linked to her uncle’s in the form of an “L.”
“I am happy to be here today,” Barrett, 33, said. “Things are going well.”
Vene Lagon was standing in for her daughter, Yarne Glascoe, the owner of VAYA Beauty, one of the brick-and-mortar establishments at Sycamore & Oak. Lagon said her daughter owns the only Black-owned beauty supply store in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. She said her daughter looked forward to Small Business Saturday.
“We want to make sure people see what we have to offer,” Lagon said. “We offer a variety of products such as wigs, treatment for hair — such as shampoos and conditioners — and for beards, body washes and a kid’s line.”
Next to VAYA Beauty is the LoveMore Brand store owned by Jovan Davis. Davis said selling during the holiday season is critical for small businesses. He said being at Sycamore & Oak is a bonus.
“I like networking with the different vendors,” Davis, 37, said. “It helps me to engage and build my network.”
Keyonna Jones is the owner of Soufside Creative, located next to LoveMore. Jones, 35, sells a variety of products ranging from clothing to paintings. She said Sycamore & Oak has the potential to be a stimulant of business activity in Ward 8.
“I think it was necessary that we set up and have something going on during Black Friday and Small Business Saturday,” she said. “We have the chance to be the small business epicenter in the ward and possibly a new Black Wall Street. For many of us here, retail is a completely new beast.”
