A shop-and-drop marketplace held in Montgomery County, Maryland, focused on dropping dollars in local minority owned businesses. This event focused on Black small business owners.

The one-day market place had many resources and workshops for the business owners, and allowed visitors to shop.

Ansen Elvis, an owner of Elsen Oils said his the business lost a lot of money once the pandemic hit.

“Right now we’re sold in a few Whole Food Stores in Maryland and D.C., we have a few other small retailers and we have a kiosk at Raegan National Airport and what we had to do because of the pandemic, we shut down the kiosk for about nine months so obviously sales went down,” Elvis said.

Elvis pointed out the importance of having an event for Black small business owners.

“Small businesses and being African American, it’s very difficult to grow your business and your brand,” Elvis said.

Owner of Woven Purpose Shantel Thompson Davis was furloughed when the pandemic started and she actually launched her women’s apparel lifestyle brand today.

“I had a lot of time on my hands, and it’s always been a dream of mine to own my own business — I work in the retail industry already,” Davis said.

Davis said the event was essential for minority owned business to increase their access to resources and information.

“We don’t know, we’re not connected and I think it’s just amazing to work amongst other minority business so that we can have that information flow,” Davis said.