Thursday's event aims to celebrate Black history and create a Black future.
“Heritage and future, and our ability to connect and impact that, is very, very important,” said Aisha Pettway, executive director of community partnerships at the Hartford Yard Goats Foundation. Ta.
This is the third time Hartford Yard Goats has partnered with The Sto to host the Black-Owned Business Expo.
“It not only exposes businesses to our community, but it also exposes our commitment as a stadium in this community and helps influence what their businesses become in the future,” Pettway said. said.
Sto is a play on the word store and was co-founded in 2021 by Jennifer Wilder.
“I wake up on Saturday morning and they tell me to clean the house before mom and dad come home from 'The Sto.' So 'The Sto' can be anything.” Co-founder Jennifer says: Wilder said.
Wilder's mission is to help Black entrepreneurs gain visibility and customers, while building a network where businesses rely on each other for support and growth.
“We're building a community of dope creators. They're people who are true innovators in their fields. The idea is that we start sourcing from each other and lifting each other up. '' Wilder said.
The expo is free to the public and will be held from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. The first 150 people will receive a free tote bag. More than 60 vendors are participating, including Socks by GeeGee, Red Label Cosmetics, and Wilder's own mobile bookstore, Big Red Book Truck.
“I'm bringing bookstores together and changing the narrative about the affordability, accessibility, and abundance of brown books that represent all of our greatness,” Wilder said. .