Like many during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tenaya Rankin was looking for a way to distract herself from what was going on in the outside world.
She began experimenting with making enamel pins, featuring inspirational and lifestyle messages that promote Black and African American culture in America.
“It’s basically getting all the ideas out of your head and onto paper,” she said.
On Saturday, Rankin sat at a showcase of black-owned businesses with products from her business, the Purrfect Ten Swag Shop, behind a center court table in the Francis Scott Key Mall.
According to her, this is her second vendor event and she has promoted her work primarily through her online store.
She hopes that trade shows for black-owned businesses will help companies like her connect with people and help people find products they can relate to.
August is Black Business Month, and events like Saturday are a way to show support for the community, said Marvin Thompson, CEO of Marketing Solutions and Events, which hosted the showcase.
Opposite the Rankins table across the mall fountain, Joyce Henry of Heritage Creations sat behind a table filled with pillows. Many of them featured photos of performers such as Kendrick Lamar, Missy Elliott, Marvin Gaye, and Beyoncé.
She started making pillows for some friends.
About six years ago, I started going to expositions on Saturdays in my spare time.
“Of course, the pandemic has given us a little more time than we used to,” she said.
For Joyce Kwamena-Poh, her business, NKU Shea Butter, is also “very, very part-time,” but she enjoys making her own products.
“It’s both a business and a hobby,” she said.
Kwamena-Poh from Ghana started making body and hair butters about 13 years ago.
She also makes jewelry, bringing in beads from Ghana to make bracelets, key chains and more.
Bracelets can be made quickly, but waist beads and more intricate items take longer.
Malik Adisa-Ajene began researching holistic medicine in the mid-2000s, combining various herbal remedies.
Last November, he began regularly selling Spiritual Pathways Holistic Healing products and went to shows in the Frederick and Prince George County area of Washington, DC.
Prior to that, he said, he was focused on his website.
My interest in holistic medicine began in 1995 when I became ill. While doctors were trying to figure out the cause, Adisa-Ajene transitioned to a more vegetarian diet, eventually going full vegan.
He wanted to find ways to stay healthy other than taking a lot of prescription drugs, so he learned about nutrition and herbal remedies.
As more information about holistic health becomes available, there is growing interest among people who want to take responsibility for maintaining their own health.
Frederick, where Adisa-Ajene was born and raised, has become a more productive market for holistic health in recent years.
“I’m recovering, but I still have a long way to go,” he said.
Follow Ryan Marshall on Twitter: @RMarshallFNP
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