Virginia Black Business Directory Expo Coming To Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — The Virginia Black Business Directory is holding its inaugural Virginia Black Business Directory Expo in Fredericksburg on Saturday, with the goal of letting Black-owned businesses across the state network with potential customers and clients.

The expo, which will include a food truck festival, will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds. As of Thursday, the organizers had more than 100 vendors and performers from across the state signed up to participate in the event.

Among the vendors are operators of food trucks and owners of clothing and apparel, legal services and many other Black-owned businesses in Virginia. The outside event will follow social distancing guidelines, with masks required for participants.

"The Virginia Black Business Directory is dedicated to supporting and encouraging initiatives that will strengthen our community," the organizers said. "With this expo we envision a community of Black Owned Businesses that have a platform to market and highlight their brand."

General admissions tickets to the event are free of charge. Attendees can also buy a $25 ticket that comes with an event swag bag. People who donate more than $25 will receive a special gift available for pickup at the expo.

Event organizers, Ernisha Hall and Tracey Hall, said they want the expo to serve as a place for Black business owners to promote their services and products and for attendees to learn about many of the Black-owned businesses in the state.

In January, the Halls launched the Virginia Black Business Directory, an online platform that lists Black-owned businesses in Virginia and the Washington, D.C. area. In early September, they organized the inaugural Fredericksburg Black Restaurant Week, which ran Sept. 1-7 and proved to be a big success.

The owner of Piggy’s Baby Cakes told the Free Lance-Star that she will be better prepared for the expo than she was for the food truck festival held at the end of Fredericksburg Black Restaurant Week.

Shuvonne Berry told the newspaper that she brought an assortment of 350 cupcakes for sale at the Sept. 6 food truck festival in Stafford. Berry said she sold out of cupcakes in an hour and a half for an event scheduled to last four hours.

For the Virginia Black Business Expo and Food Truck Festival, Berry told the Free Lance-Star that she will have at least 1,000 cupcakes to sell at the event.

For more information about the expo, visit the Virginia Black Business Directory website and Facebook page.

RELATED: VA Black Business Directory To Hold Inaugural Expo In October