To honor Juneteenth and its impact in the Black community, Black Bells Boutique, owned and operated by Grace Bell, is hosting a pop-up networking event that will have 60+ Black business owners, with more than 50 being owned by Black women.

The goal of this event is to help grow and stabilize the Black economy in Baltimore, as well as support the community and local businesses while celebrating a moment in history that will never be forgotten. Black Bells started in Baltimore a little over a year ago and has been growing and making connections ever since.

“To me, this event means reunifying the Black community,” Bell said. “The event is about unity, love, and strengthening the community. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with so many great Black business owners from all over the U.S. We have business owners from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Virginia, South Carolina, Maryland, D.C., Atlanta, Texas, and California, and possibly a few other places as well. Not only are the business owners Black, but the venue for the event is Black-owned as well.”

Black Bells has community clean-up and giveback events, including their annual Easter Egg Hunts in both Baltimore and Philadelphia. Black Bells’ most recent event was an Easter Egg Hunt and small business pop-up event. The event had a great turnout, with 15 vendors and over 100 customers.

Many small business owners are unable to afford the cost of maintaining inventory and the overhead cost of a storefront. Black Bells has reduced this barrier by allowing a marketplace for many small business owners, sponsoring small Black-owned businesses, and creating an environment for small businesses to succeed.

“Black Bells have been connecting small businesses in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and D.C.,” Bell said. “We have been offering small business owners the platform to expand and grow. We use our platforms to promote small business owners’ products as well, by having unboxing and other live reviews. We also have a variety of vendor’s markets, where small business owners are able to sell their products and expand their clientele. “

“We partnered with a small business owner in Chicago and taught her the ropes on how to host successful pop-up shops,” Bell said. “Black Bells is bigger than pop-up events, it is about investing in our communities. Remembering why we do what we do keeps us grounded and motivated.”

The event takes place Saturday, June 19th at 2900 Liberty Heights Ave from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.