The Ohio Black Expo is a two-day event founded by Rhonda Robinson and returned for the first time in thirty years! It is a place where thousands of people of all walks of life come together to celebrate different selected Black-Owned Businesses with food, live speakers and bands, vendors and more.
My business, SunJay’s Care, was one of the vendors selected out of over 300 applicants. I create All Natural and Organic Beauty and Personal Care. My mission is to have a space where Self Care is a Priority because we spend an ample amount of time caring for others and life’s responsibilities without stopping and smelling the roses for ourselves. We deserve to take a breather and doing so in the most natural way.
The Ohio Black Expo was my largest and most memorable event thus far. Once my application was approved, I had to pay a vendor fee of $650 to be able to secure my spot. Next on my to-do list was inventory. This was the most difficult part for me because I am comfortable with smaller pop-up shops and I have never prepared for an event of this caliber. It took weeks to prepare due to making the decision to triple the inventory amount that I normally bring (plus, everything is Hand Made).
I brought a large range of the products that I create, such as Organic Body Butters, Candles, Facial Bars and more to give my customers a sweet taste of what SunJay’s Care is all about. At first, it was slow moving, but picked up very quickly and I had the opportunity to see friends, family and even people I have not seen in many years. It was refreshing to see individuals who look like me come together with joy in their hearts and smiles on their faces, especially with as much tragedy happening in the Black Community.
My favorite part of The Ohio Black Expo, as well as other events I have attended is seeing people’s heads turn when the smell of my candles grace their noses from a distance. Their faces instantly light up as they inch closer to my table and it reminds me why I started my business in the first place.
In conclusion, I went home with almost double of the fee that I paid to attend, I met some amazing individuals and if I could go back in time, I would not change a single thing.
