BBN Collab: Women-Owned Pop-Up Shop Recap

Am I alone in feeling like the holiday spirit is running a little behind? I still don’t have a Christmas tree up, but I surely have been shopping! Luckily, there have been pop-ups galore, which have allowed me to support some wonderful small businesses in my community. The latest one I attended was hosted by The Boss Babe Network. Mariah and crew’s events are always a premium experience so I couldn’t miss out on the invitation!

The Women-Owned Holiday Extravaganza was hosted at the 10 East Arts Hub on the Near Eastside of Indy. This was my first time at this venue and it was perfect! There were boss women lined up throughout the space, a bar setup in the back (more on that in a minute), plus DJ Grapevine was holding it down on the ones and twos. It was a WHOLE vibe vup in there! Now let’s getting into the damage!

There was such a wide diversity of products available at this event. Sometimes larger pop-ups intimidate me because there will be five candle sellers, four boutiques, two turtle doves. You get what I mean. This had a manageable volume of merch as a shopper where I could truly support almost everyone there based on who I was shopping for or at least learn about their businesses. (Tip: Even if you don’t make a purchase, shout the business out if they had something that caught your eye. Someone else may purchase!)

My Haul

1. Repurposed Black Enamel Channel necklace from Small Batch No. 3

2. Black Girl Joy Notebook Print by Faith Blackwell Photography (featuring the lovely Idalia!)

3. The infamous Rich Bitch Oil from Bohemian Virtue (It has real dollar shreds in it!)

4. Stemless Wine Glass from Boss Babe Network

5. Crown Care Hydrating Hair Tea by Naturally Adira (Check out my #BrittBuysBlack post here.)

6. Two-piece Dream Come TRUE set by My TRUE Brand (It’s so comfy, y’all!)

7. Cute Christmas Socks from Bella Curve Clothing Boutique (BSquared is an ambassador!)

8. Signature Body Butter from ROJOrganics (So good that I met up that week to get a bigger one!)

9. Protect Candle and Ascend Bath Salt from Three Dope Souls (They both smelled so great!)

10. The ABCs of HBCUs book sold by Black Worldschoolers Mobile Bookstore

Now everything pictured above isn’t it! Bella Bee-tique was in the building with her fabulous outfits—and ring light on deck! There was also custom resin creations from Jazz Creatrix! A beautiful chill scene created by Poshnic Experience. On top of that, there were food and beverage vendors! Sip and Share Wines was in the house. Ruby (a boss in her own right) poured me a lovely glass of the Manifest chardonnay created by her aunt to enjoy while I shopped. Taste Budz Indy also pulled up on us with her food truck. Oh, and there was a gift wrap station powered by Mariah’s cute little helpers! Literally, what else do you need in a shopping experience? This was a great way to spend my Saturday afternoon.

Thanks again Boss Babe Network for hosting another event that amplifies Black-owned and women-owned businesses! My stocking is surely stuffed, and this helped me spend my Black dollars in my own community for the holidays!

‘Tis the Season to #ShopSmall and #BuyBlack!

Britt

Boss Babe Brunch Recap

A few Sundays ago (I’m working on consistency y’all), I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Boss Babe Brunch hosted by Mariah Oliver owner of Behind the Scenes Marketing. It was my first brunch event since the city had started opening up, and honestly it felt so good to be out again. I put on my new dress from my latest New York & Company clearance haul, co-washed my hair—I even wore heels, y’all! The purpose of this event was to bring together women entrepreneurs across Central Indiana to network and be inspired (plus the added bonus of bottomless mimosas). I had an opportunity to meet women who had blogs (Here and Here), were launching podcasts, starting nonprofits and a wonderful baker who established her business in honor of her mom. I even had the pleasure of attending with my own boss bestie, Brittany from SnapsxStyles Media. When I tell you there was nothing but good vibes swirling around the room from start to finish. We enjoyed being around one another to learn and affirm each others’ passions. There was even an enlightening moment where we caught ourselves playing small with our endeavors. It’s crazy how women can become conditioned to humble brag. It showed me I need to be more confident in telling folks I’m a blogger. I blog, so there you go.

The Boss Behind the Brunch and Myself

BSquared

Brittany of SnapsxStyles and myself
at the photo booth.

One of my favorite elements of the event were the fabulous speakers that were there. They truly are phenomenal women in their own ways, and I appreciated them being vulnerable about their journeys and providing powerful advice to help us all continue forward as bosses. Jeannie Lee Lake is the only Black woman running for Congress in the state of Indiana. She shared the power of trusting God to provide for what He’s calling you too. He will blow your mind with the gifts He’ll give you to overcome the challenges you face. Shayla Pinner insight affirmed that it’s ok to walk away from the present work if you’re not passionate anymore and explore a career change, even if others don’t understand you journey. Angela Freeman is a powerhouse who you can tell lives freely as her authentic self in professional spaces, and I loved her energy. She was a microbiologist turned patent lawyer (wow), who is the epitome of what grind looks like, all the while emphasizing the power of networks. Last but surely not least was Sonal Sheth Zawahri. Through her life transitions and experiences she spoke the importance of standing on what you know is right, and not staying down when difficulties arise. She also introduced us to her framework of STRETCH (can’t wait to get her workbook). Plus, she’s a very energizing and motivational speaker. Long story short—these women had me in the feels, positively.

I know times are scary right now, but don’t close yourself off from networking with folks who could potentially put you in the position to live your dreams or better yet you provide a needed resource for someone else. I’m grateful that Mariah stayed with her vision and things calmed down just enough to make this event possible. It was definitely the encouragement I needed to keep up with my boss swag.