Business Is Beautiful At Black Wall Street

The sky hanging over the New Haven Green may have been hazy Saturday, but to anyone attending the Black Wall Street Festival it was clear that this was the place to be. 

Over 200 vendors dotted the lawn and lined up along Temple and Church Streets to offer a stunning variety of products and services — some to help treat your body, mind, soul, and spirit, some to help you look and feel good, and some to simply help you have fun under the summer sun. 

Presented as part of a week-long celebration that also included a film festival, an investing summit, and a fashion show, the opportunity for Black entrepreneurs to showcase their products and talents was organized by the Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism in partnership with The Breed Entertainment, a New Haven-based music production and entertainment company. 

What began three years ago with 35 vendors in Temple Plaza has had its home on the Green since last year. This Saturday, it also saw its crowd grow and grow as the day went on. 

“What’s up, New Haven?” shouted emcee Frank Brady from the stage not long after the festival officially opened at noon. ​“Welcome to Black Wall Street!”

“The energy is right. The vibe is right. The weather is right.”

DJ Ton the Don kept the music flowing out and over the lawn, offering ​“Insane” by Summer Walker to the small crowd starting to set up their chairs and blankets in front of the stage for the entertainment ahead. Others immediately made their way down the Temple Street side of the Green for something to fill their bellies and quench their thirst. 

That’s where Cerella Griffin was set up with her sweet teas and lemonades ready for the tasting and purchase, offering tiny plastic cups for those interested to sample four kinds of fruit-flavored lemonades and three fruit-flavored sweet teas. Based in Hamden, her business — known as Cerella’s Sweet Teas — has been operating and vending for a couple of years, but this was her first time at Black Wall Street.

“I’m so excited,” she said with a big smile. ​“Last year I was away, and I was upset to miss it. Everyone said it was a beautiful experience.” This year she delayed her annual trip by one day so she could participate. Though her full-time job is for the Department of Social Services, she said, ​“this is my baby.” 

In celebration of this event, she was offering a summer special — mango lemonade — featured prominently in the center of her decanters in all of its golden orange glory. It tasted like sweet sunshine and made me want to get on the mic and tell everyone to try some. 

Food trucks and tents were also set up nearby. Perennial New Haven favorite Sandra’s Next Generation was there dishing out its famous fried chicken, soulful savory sides, and sweet treats, the scents permeating the air and enticing passersby to stop and see what was up. Sandra herself was there dancing with her crew and making sure everyone had what they needed. ​“I’m happy to be here,” she said with a smile. If you have not had a chance to try Sandra’s, let me tell you how good it is: it is so good that it was my request for my last meal before major surgery two years ago. Go get some, and do not forget the cornbread. 

The R&B kept coming and so did the attendees, checking out tents and talking to the entrepreneurs about what they were offering. Sip Uplift Vibe was as popular for the bowls of candy as their product: a line of vegan-based lip glosses housed in wine glasses and wine bottles created by Shy Floyd, who with her sister Kadesha talked and laughed with visitors. Shy said she ​“emotionally manifested” the product after a visit to a winery. The New Haven-based company — also known as SUV — produces around seven shades, including their most popular colors, Skin (a natural tone), Mysterious (a clear shade with shimmer), and Luscious Red (a classic solid red). 

“We’re super excited to be here,” said Shy, who up to Saturday had only done private events. 

Synovia Gorbea was also a first timer for the festival, sharing her body care products under the name SynLuxeBar. Body butters, oils, bath soaks, and sugar scrubs with names like Tropical Temptation and Goddess Glow are made by this Naugatuck-based company with the tagline ​“making self-care a priority.”

“Everybody works full time and don’t have time for themselves,” said Gorbea, who hopes to offer people something they can use at home if they can’t make it to a spa. She had me try some of her lavender oil, which she said was ​“soothing, calming, and decreases anxiety” (something we could all use, yes?) and also offered me a take-home sample of her Unicorn Magic body oil, which she said ​“reminds me of Skittles.”

Gorbea also expressed her excitement at being a part of the festival.

“It’s a great community,” she said. ​“There’s no nonsense. People support one another. It’s amazing. I love it.”

According to Adriane Jefferson, director of New Haven’s Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism, at only one hour into the festival she had already heard expressions of gratitude from so many. 

“I literally have goosebumps seeing what we have been able to create,” she said. ​“I’m overwhelmed in a good way.”

She talked about the ​“energy” and ​“eagerness” felt ​“from the minute we got here,” the ​“level of excellence” involved, and how the whole week had been ​“amazing,” noting that the numbers for this year had far exceeded previous years. 

Jefferson also noted that a festival ​“can be diverse and make money,” even though in the past there has often been a myth saying otherwise.

“We are busting that myth,” she said. 

Meanwhile up on stage the music kept on keeping on, with New Haven-based musician Jeremiah Brown offering up his piano-accompanied versions of ​“Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley and Ben E. King’s ​“Stand by Me” as the crowd in front of the stage got bigger and more attendees lined the walkways to see and hear what was up. Even some of New Haven’s youngest performers got a turn as the Elm City Choir offered a couple of pieces that got some of the loudest cheers, especially when they began to sidestep and clap along. Many on the crowd joined them in joy and praise. 

Ali Hayden offered faith-based products as part of her stationery company Supplied By Ali, including workbooks, planners, and booklets with ​“encouraging words” — many geared toward adolescents and young adults. She said it was her first time in New Haven and her first Black Wall Street Festival as well. 

“So far, so good,” she said with a big smile. ​“I’m enjoying it. Connecticut needs more community-based events like this. It’s really nice.”

The HSL Project was also all about reaching out to and connecting with the community. The Hartford-based apparel company was participating in its first Black Wall Street Festival too. HSL — which stands for ​“heavy on the self-love” — was started by Matthew Boland around three years ago with the hope of spreading mental health awareness through apparel. He said in a couple of hours they had already had ​“a lot of engagement” and that people were ​“excited” when told what the company was about. 

Boland began the company after experiencing personal loss and struggling with his mental health, even though he had been working in mental health for years, which helped him realize that the community needed to talk about it more. 

“In the Black and Brown community, it’s not talked about enough,” he said. ​“A lot of things that could have been talked about were swept under the rug. There’s a need for this.”

He also discussed how it’s not just health issues like hypertension and diabetes that can be passed down; it’s anxiety and depression as well.

“We are brand-heavy on self-love because it starts with you,” he said.

Tents were also set up with information about education — like ACES Wintergreen School and Southern Connecticut State University — as well as insurance, physical therapy, and the City of New Haven Livable City Initiative. You could even register to vote at the Registrar of Voters table. And it was all going on until 8 p.m. with an afterparty down the street at CITA Park — who also had a VIP area at the event — with even more fun promised. 

It was truly a something-for-everyone kind of day with smiling faces, swaying bodies, and strong connections between families, friends, and community members from one end of the Green to the other. The Black Wall Street Festival is not just a tribute or a celebration: it is also a step forward toward a brighter, healthier, and more prosperous future.