Words by Abby L. Johnson | Photos Parker Thornton & Eric Morales
“My goal is to assess where people are and create a framework form them to grow up and out.”
Black Makers Market founder Ericka Barnes has a deep respect for working with your hands. The creative entrepreneur and community advocate was raised on a farm in far East Austin. She recalls selling bushels of peaches roadside with her family as a child, her first foray into small business.
Ericka’s early exposure to the entrepreneurial spirit planted a seed nurtured by her desire to express herself. As a young woman attending school in Boston, Ericka channeled her vision into a craft, both useful and beautiful: crochet. She started with beanies out of necessity (since her Austin wardrobe wasn’t suited for northern winters) and then expanded into crochet earrings.
Her handmade accessories created quite a buzz so, after returning to Austin, she decided to give the pop-up markets a try. But after being away for eight years, Ericka realized she had returned to a changed landscape. She recalls, “I was feeling like an outsider in my own city.”
Despite not feeling seen in the existing vending options, Ericka persisted. “This is something that I was born to do. I want to get my stuff out there. People who really dig me, dig me and appreciate it. So if I could show up as myself, a fuller version of myself and do what I’m called to do, then who knows where this could take me?” she says.
She knew she wasn’t alone in wanting a space that centered Black creators, and there was an obvious dearth that led her to conceive Black Makers Market.
It was important to Ericka to kick off the market in East Austin. Her family has been part of the community since emancipation. “This is in my soul,” Ericka grins. The first in-person market was held at the African-American Cultural Heritage Facility in 2019.
Ericka recalls the outstanding success story of Black Pearl Books. Following the 2020 watershed moment in the Black Lives Matter movement, Ericka’s platform boosted the reach of her vendors. “People were looking for black businesses to support in Austin…Within weeks, [Katrina Brooks] was featured in Beyonce’s Black Parade Route, she was featured by O Magazine, and all these things started happening. Overnight, she went from 200 followers to maybe 10K,” says Ericka.
“It’s incredible. I’m sure they would have had a glow up of their own. They’re amazing. But to see the impact of just creating a platform for such deserving, talented, community-centered people blew my mind. I knew we had something, and we had to keep going,” she continues.
Not only does Black Makers Market create an inviting space for Black creators to share their work and supplement their income, they also teach business skills and provide mentorship so that the growth doesn’t stop at the market. “I built this community as a member of it,” Ericka emphasizes.“My goal is to assess where people are and create a framework for them to grow up and out.” Ideally, the members aren’t dependent on the organization in a year or two but are successful on their own.
Ericka sees a through-line from her early days at the roadside fruit stand all the way to supplementing her own family’s income by selling her crochet goods. “As I got older and looked back, I just realized that universally families will do what they need to do to survive,” she says. With the market running for nearly six years now, Ericka has ambitions of bringing it to more cities in Texas and beyond.
blackmakersmarket.org
@blackmakersmarket
Woman-led Solidarity in the Creative Community: Thriving artistic communities are not cultivated in a vacuum, and these local business owners know that well. Each woman-led endeavor is a key piece of the creative ecosystem that centers on elevating individuals for the betterment of the collective. From fostering inclusive environments to providing practical educational opportunities and sharing insider knowledge, it is by standing together that everyone has a chance to shine.
Giving Back: Black Makers Market is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. As such, Ericka offers free booths to 25% of the makers in the market with the goal of making the leap into small business a little less daunting.
[…] Better Together: Platforming the Community with Black Makers Market […]