Raleigh’s Black Friday Market is expanding to serve more Black-owned businesses
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Buying Black
From a bake shop, to a craft beer distributor — and America’s second-oldest bank. The N&O highlights six African American businesses you should know, from restaurants to the professional sector. Each represent the vibrant Black business scene in the Triangle.
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Black Friday Market is a Black-owned business that bolsters Black-owned businesses.
The downtown Raleigh department store at 23 West Hargett Street features wares from more than 80 local craftspeople — most of whom are Black.
Products include men’s and women’s clothing, tote bags, pressed juices, candles, jewelry and a diverse art selection.
“Our mission is to connect businesses to more revenue-generating opportunities,” said Johnny Hackett Jr., Black Friday Market’s owner. “It allows business owners to sell their products... in a high traffic storefront in downtown Raleigh.”
The store celebrated its second anniversary in December. Two tumultuous years of pandemic operation have been challenging, Hackett said, but Black Friday Market barrels on, helping its tenants stay afloat.
“We talk with our business owners and a lot of them have been working at home, in their kitchens, et cetera,” Hackett said. “Coming into our space gives them a lot more exposure and helps them start earning more money.”
Soon, Hackett’s company will expand to include a 9,500-square-foot facility at 811 West Hargett Street dubbed The Factory where makers and artisans can rent dedicated workspaces.
“It’s kind of a co-working space, although we don’t like that word,” Hackett said. “Co-working spaces often mean tech, but this is for makers.”
For as little as $50, business owners can buy access to The Factory’s many manufacturing tools for apparel production, printing, ceramics and more. Other pricing models up to $450 a month will offer more regular use of the building’s services.
“What we’ll do here is give the space and the equipment for a lot of small business owners to actually come in and make their products,” Hackett said. “We want to take people from maybe just being online to being in the storefront, to now serving their needs from production to manufacturing as well.”
Hackett projects The Factory will open in April. The site can handle about 60 full-time makers, he said, and countless others with lower-quantity production needs.
The Factory’s services will also include entrepreneurship classes and a place to sell in Black Friday Market.
“A lot of what we try to do is about community support,” Hackett said. “It’s about giving people a chance to get off the ground and connect with customers and overcome barriers to entry that prevent a lot of Black entrepreneurs from finding success.”
Business owners interested in selling at Black Friday Market or working out of The Factory, can contact Hackett and his team at theblackdollarcorp.us.
Black Friday Market
Where: 23 W. Hargett St., Raleigh
Hours: Monday 10a - 6p.m., Tuesday-Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Call: 919-582-9446
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This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Raleigh’s Black Friday Market is expanding to serve more Black-owned businesses."
