An event to celebrate and promote local Black-owned businesses is scheduled for this weekend in downtown Springdale.
The Northwest Arkansas Black-Owned Business Expo will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26 at The Apollo on Emma Avenue in Springdale.
The annual event is organized by locals Jasmine Hudson, J’Aaron Merchant and Sierra Polk. The group first got the idea to highlight Black-owned businesses after moving to the area and looking for familiar and culturally-relevant health care facilities, hair salons, places of worship and other services.
After seeing a need for some type of directory, the group launched an Instagram account called Black-Owned Northwest Arkansas (@blackownednwa), which serves as a curated guide to local Black-owned businesses, and has since grown to over 11,000 followers. A website directory is also available at BlackOwnedNWA.org.
The expo on Saturday will include local vendors, food, music, and is free and open to the public (register here).
Masks and social distancing are encouraged for all guests, regardless of vaccination status.
