Jacksonville’s Melanin Market made its debut as the first official setup at a popup marketplace. Beach Body Butter (BBB) was a guest vendor at the Sisters and Survivors event and also featured as the moisturizer for the Sisters of the Sea at the 2024 Super Girl Surf Pro contest. However, on November 30, 2024, BBB proudly appeared under its own tent.
Whether setting up or breaking down, we always helped each other prepare for the day. The two-hour setup was enough time to prepare the tent, the table, and the premade bags, and still quickly walk around to film the other vendors setting up. After the market opened at 12:00 pm and patrons arrived, I barely had a moment to sit down.
At one point, I left the table to purchase a bag of hot chocolate from O and M Coffee. When I returned, a customer teased me, saying I didn’t want to make any money. He had brought his wife back to smell the body butter I had let him sample. She was able to try both fragrances and learn about the seven ingredients that give BBB its amazing smell and soothing texture.
Later, another vendor and I were taking photos of each other in front of our tables. A customer walked up, and she kept snapping photos of my interaction with a young man. He smelled the Miami body butter, and I placed some in his hand, instructing him to rub his hands together. He followed directions, smelled his hands, and took a deep breath, enjoying it so much that he almost left his toy behind.
I enjoyed conversing with the customers. They asked questions, and I answered them. That’s what I’m doing with the new store and the survey—answering questions. Fill out the survey and pass it along, so I’ll know if we are ready to inventory large jars. Then come join us at our new store in the Pecan Park Flea and Farmers Market. Years from now, you can tell your community your “I remember when” story.