SALT LAKE CITY — Californian Laura Aguilera had no intention of stopping by the Zions Bank Eagle Emporium as she wandered downtown Salt Lake City, but a pair of angel wings caught her eye.
No, the wings are not part of a heavenly vision but part of a costume given by Lavarro Greer to promote his business, Heaven’s Best Flavored Butter. His wings flutter slightly as he greets passers-by with a smile and his brand’s slogan: “Made by cows, wrapped by the hands of angels.”
Greer’s business is one of two dozen Black-owned businesses participating in the Utah Black Chamber’s Main Street Marketplace, which is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through April 8 at 102 S. Main. Although Aguilera was initially drawn to Greer’s angel wings, the market as a whole also left an impression.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “I think it’s a wonderful thing to have a space for Black businesses and Black entrepreneurs.”
Greer has been sharing her homemade butters – from pumpkin pie to habanero pineapple – with family and friends for years. He started his business, however, after moving to Salt Lake City to help with the COVID-19 relief efforts. He said the exposure from participating in the market is good for business.
“A lot of people didn’t know there were so many up-and-coming or thriving African American businesses in Utah until this point,” he said. “I think it’s important that the Black experience be recognized so that people can feel the culture of African Americans. Many people do not have African American friends or have not visited African American businesses, so they have the opportunity to see that not only are we running future and thriving businesses but that we love Utah and we love the people. resident
Marj Desius, founder and CEO of Blooming Biz & Mind, agrees that Black businesses in Utah need more exposure. Her business consulting agency focuses on minority- and women-owned brands.
“One of the biggest struggles with Black businesses is you feel like you’re not seen. … Black businesses in Utah just want to be seen and want to be seen for their expertise,” he said. “If we have this kind of events, we don’t want only Black people to come in; we want everybody to come in. We want you to see that, ‘Hey, hello, we’re here. Can you use us, can you respect and respect our skills and the effort we put together to do something and be part of the community and make the community a better place?’”
Photographer Tabarri Hamilton, who recently started doing photography full-time, agrees that it can be difficult for Black businesses to break through the noise. He added that there are resources like the market through the Black Chamber that are important in his navigation of growing a business and being a single father.
“If it is called the Black Chamber, there are many people who are hurt by it, but it is to help. We’re just a small part of it here in Utah,” he said. “We have a lot of products and a lot of things to offer, too, so it’s big. For me, how I see it is to get more eyes on our products.
For 21-year-old Daejon Young, the market has become an opportunity to increase income for his clothing brand, Ysa Amani.
“It’s crazy because I started my business a few months ago and I’m selling in the middle of downtown,” he said. “The traffic we get on Saturday is unbelievable. I made $400 a day. For my brand I sell stuff online, but I’ve never seen $400 in one day. I think that’s awesome. “
Ebony Fayne, owner of health and wellness company Karicka Soul, said the market allowed her to make connections with other business owners.
“We became a family,” he said. “Sometimes being Black in Utah, you meet people, they stay for a while and they go — which at first I saw as a negative because as much as I love people, I get attached to people. … It changed my perspective on that and I was able to embrace every opportunity to meet and be within the community.”
