On November 10th, 2023, the MELANnaire Marketplace joyfully cut the ribbon for the opening of their holiday market. Dozens of Black-owned businesses under the leadership of the MELANnaire Marketplace secured an opportunity for businesses to share a storefront at one of the region’s largest and heavy trafficked Mall St Matthews, 5000 Shelbyville Rd, Louisville, KY.
The Marketplace, created by Nachand Hyde-Trabue, is a place for Black entrepreneurs to sell their products during the holiday season, network, feel safe, and have fun. The Marketplace will join over 130 stores and several dining options at the mall.
“When you walk into our storefront there will be displays showcasing Black-owned businesses and their merchandise and/or product” says Trabue.
She created the MELANnaire Marketplace at the height of the pandemic and social unrest following the death of George Floyd and Louisville’s Breonna Taylor. With protests in the city and the uncertainty of when the world would reopen. Louisville’s Black community felt broken and businesses were losing their retail spaces and some had to close their doors.
Trabue is an entrepreneur, author, non-profit executive, brand strategist, and certified life coach. She saw the need and understood supply and demand from working in corporate America for many years. She created this platform that’s given new and existing businesses an opportunity to showcase, sell, and start the generational wealth process that so many African Americans/Black communities never get a chance to thrive in.
According to the Louisville Metro Government, Blacks make up 23.4% of the population and make up 2.4% when it comes to owning a business. The MELANnaire Marketplace is working to better that statistic by finding entrepreneurs who have great concepts, and/or products but not the revenue to sustain storefronts and/or full-time staff.
As the community continues to heal, Trabue even faced tragedy. Losing her 23-year old son Makel Coleman, also an inspiring entrepreneur on June 26th to gun violence. Since that tragic loss, Trabue is doing all she can to help her city by creating spaces for dialogue, understanding, education, and economic development in honor of her son.
“We have really taken a lot of business owners from West End, and from the small town area who are really trying to scale up their businesses, it’s gonna make a big impact. And it’s gonna make things different on how people turn around to do business throughout the actual holidays,” she said to WHAS.com. Trabue references the West End, it’s a prominently Black community in Louisville where residents feel forgotten when it comes to opportunities. To date, the city and some major corporations are trying to change that narrative alongside Trabue and other Black leaders.
The spectacular event was participated in by local businessman Shawn Summerville and the holiday kick-off offered the perfect opportunity for shoppers to join in the festive spirit of MELANnaire and partake in an exceptional shopping experience while showing support for various outstanding Black-owned businesses, including Summerville’s Ebony Greens LLC™ fashion line.
“We were delighted to have family and friends join us for the ribbon-cutting, contributing to the making of this MELANnaire Marketplace Holiday Storefront Grand Opening—an unforgettable celebration of unity and success,” remarked Summerville.
Summerville’s Ebony Greens fashion line is Inspired by authentic cultural prints and heritage graphics, the apparel is not only stylish but also functional and a joy to wear. The apparel line includes fair trade procurement of authentic prints from small business merchants in underdeveloped African countries. His company’s mission is to spearhead a movement of minority golfers who embrace the apparel while enjoying the sport of golf. Ebony Greens aspires to be recognized as a premier Black-owned golf apparel enterprise and carries a wide variety of products. Summerville’s Ebony Greens is sold in Mall St. Matthews which is less than a mile away from Louisville’s Top Golf facility and just miles away from one of the top golf courses in the region, Valhalla Golf Club where the PGA Championship will be held in May 2024.
The MELANnaire Marketplace this season showcases a community of Black-owned businesses empowered to sell their products including golf gear, clothing, jewelry, candles, home goods, haircare, and much more, all under one roof. Visitors are welcome every Friday and Saturday (11am-8pm), and Sunday (11am-6pm) until January 2. In the past, the MELANnaire Marketplace has also opened its doors during Black History Month, Juneteenth and the Kentucky Derby among other weekends throughout the year. They invite Black businesses in the region to come be vendors and/or visit Louisville and support the MELANnaire Marketplace. For more information or to sign up for future events visit Interested vendors may sign up for information on future events at https://melannaire.com.
