As Black History Month approaches, the Anchorage community prepares for the 10th Annual Black Business Expo and Summit on February 1 and 2. The event will feature over a dozen vendors and celebrate the contributions of Black entrepreneurs, promoting economic growth and innovation. Organizer Jasmin Smith is excited to mark this milestone.
“The first year we did not have any vendors. We actually just had businesses convening for training. And it was in a very small room with probably ten entrepreneurs. So to go from one small room with ten people in attendance to having over 50, 60 vendors and having the whole Anchorage museum, that’s a huge step for us in accomplishment in our event journey,” said Smith.
This year’s Expo will feature a star-studded lineup of speakers and guests, and events aimed at celebrating Black business excellence. Smith says the community should be prepared for an action-packed weekend.
“They should expect to be tired because we have events happening all day, every day. We have some great panelists coming up who embody Black excellence, business excellence, and will talk about their entrepreneurial journey,” she said. “Then, after the expo portion, we’ll have performances and an afterparty fundraiser with Talib Kweli.”
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Anchorage Museum
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Locally, Smith hopes the event will help attendees see the diversity and power of Anchorage’s Black business community. For small business owners like Missy Simms, the Expo provides a valuable platform for visibility.
“It’s actually my fourth time gathering for the Anchorage Black Business Expo,” said Simms, who owns Sweet Creations Lollipop Boutique, a candy store in Mountain View. “As a small Black business, it helps promote us in the community and share our business with other people around town.”
Simms, who started making candy for parties and baby showers in 2018, opened Sweet Creations in December 2020. Simms says events like the Expo are crucial for building relationships with customers and staying relevant in the community.
“It’s been a long, hard road, and I’m always learning new things,” she said. “The Expo brings attention, and it’s great for letting the community know I’m here.”
While planning the event is always challenging, says Smith, this year’s Expo holds particular significance.
“There’s always definitely pressure because you want to do a good job and you want every year to be something bigger and better than last year. But this year, it feels even more intentional than it normally does because of everything happening in the world. We want to celebrate our community, our culture, and do it inclusively,” said Smith.
The Expo was born out of Smith’s desire to provide Black entrepreneurs with a platform to share knowledge and support one another.
“I wanted there to be more opportunities for us to work together. We do a lot of celebration in terms of food and dancing, but not enough education around financial literacy, economic empowerment, or generational wealth building,” said Smith. “We focus on one aspect of the culture and forget the business and inventive side of it.”
As the Expo celebrates its tenth anniversary, it continues to evolve as a vital resource for Black entrepreneurs in the Anchorage community. Whether attending the fireside chats, exploring the vendor booths, or enjoying the performances, attendees can expect a weekend that honors both the past and future of Black business at the Anchorage Museum.
