NBC Connecticut is the proud sponsor of the Black Wall Street Festival, which is scheduled for August 16 in New Haven.
The one -day festival shows black and brown business owners and helps aspiring entrepreneurs to get their business on the way.
Before the event, we play companies that were successful through the festival.
“In the past, I drove the entire state of Connecticut, even the Tri-State area, in pop-up shop to the pop-up shop, organized various events and sold clothing from my truck until I could collect enough capital, and I am here. I went out of one route today,” said Rashaan Boyd.
Boyd, a native New Haven, is a clothing designer. His luxurious streetwear brand “A Hustler's Vibe” was opened two years ago in the Edgewood Avenue.
“I had people who I met in the Black Wall Street. After I got into my business after the week. After week, an overflow stormed into my facility. 'Hey, I met you on Black Wall Street!'”
He learned how to reduce costs, how to teach yourself, how to operate a sewing machine instead of storing this work.
“I went on YouTube, learned how to thread a sewing machine and the rest was history.”
Making his clothes is something that Boyd said he has been doing it since his child.
“I grew up in a house with a parent, the times were hard and my mother always had to put clothes on Layaway,” he said. “One day I thought I want these things, but my mother can't afford it. Let me try to be together to put the shirt together.”
He carried this shirt to school and got so many compliments that he decided to do more.
“I originally started the idea with just 12 T-shirts and sold out 12 T-shirts in one day that converted 12 welding suits and 24 welding suits, and it just went on and down,” said Boyd. “After that there was no review.”
He is now greeting customers in his shop and online shop in which he sends articles all over the world.
“I had orders like Australia, South Africa, places like this. When I see that orders come in, I am how 'How are you found me?'”
Boyd grew up in a few doors from his shop in Edgewood Avenue. He said it was a moment in full circle to open his business in this neighborhood.
“[It’s] A current circle in which I can actually flow back to the community that flows into me as a child and simply makes a change. There were not too many people like me, black, brown, colored people who grew up shops, ”said Boyd.
He attributes the Black Wall Street Festival for a large part of his success.
“In the first year in which I visited the Black Wall Street, I was next to 25 providers. It was a great event, I sold all of my products. In the following year I went back and they moved the event to New Haven Green. This time I was next to 200 providers.
He returns year after year and not only brought him to customers, but he taught him how he can bring his shop into the ground through grants and loans.
“It not only enabled me to make money, but also enable me to learn the things that I did not know as a small business owner here in New Haven,” he said. “Many people enter into the money without knowing that they can use the money of other people to finance their business.”
Boyd said for him, it's not about the money.
“Children walk over every day, they just can't believe that this is my place. 'You are sure that this is yours? How do you have that?' Now I have the opportunity to set these children, have little mentoring meetings and only offer them other options, ”said Boyd. “It's not just about the money, it is also about the effects I have on my community. The children to show that there are other ways to show children – never let people say what they cannot do, show them what they can do.
He encourages other business owners to take part in the festival and use everything they have to offer.
“People try to start a company out there at all business owners there when they have a small company if they try to find a way to win this customer, or get the thing rolling, get the sparks going, the Black Wall Street is the place.”