As part of Black History Month programming, Wilkes University’s Multicultural Student Coalition (MSC) hosted a Black-Owned Business Pop-Up Shop on Thursday, Feb. 19 in the SUB Concourse, bringing together students, faculty, staff and local entrepreneurs for a day centered on economic empowerment and community connection.

Held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the event featured a range of Black-owned businesses offering handmade goods, apparel, baked treats and self-care products. The pop-up created an opportunity for attendees to support small businesses while learning about the personal stories and motivations behind them.

The event aligned with MSC’s broader goal of highlighting diverse voices on campus while fostering meaningful engagement beyond traditional programming. By inviting local vendors, the pop-up extended Black History Month celebrations into the surrounding community, encouraging attendees to shop locally and build connections with entrepreneurs of color.

Among the vendors present was Lady G’s Creations, a small business rooted in family, resilience and remembrance. Owner Ihiyisha Simms shared that the business began with a deeply personal mission.

“Lady G’s Creations was born in 2020 amidst the global pandemic,” The company stated. “What started as an at home bake sale to raise money to donate to the Lung Cancer Alliance organization on behalf of their mother Gladys who lost her battle in 2018 morphed into a small business selling items giving you a taste of home.”

Simms explained that the original bake sale was held on the anniversary of her mother’s passing, with the proceeds donated in her memory. Encouraged by friends and family, she continued baking as a side hobby while working full time. Eventually, the support she received pushed her to take the leap into entrepreneurship.

“My name is Ihiyisha Simms, and my business is Lady G’s Creations,” Simms said. “Back in 2018 my mom passed away from lung cancer, and I decided on the one year anniversary of her death to do a bake sale out of the house to donate that to lung cancer alliance. And then from there, I did a bake sale again and then after doing it the second time, a lot of friends and family was like, that I should just continue to bake stuff.”

Simms officially established the business in 2021, and what began as a passion project has since grown into a full-time career.

“And then in 2021, I got an LLC for the business, and then from there, it has continued to grow, and now I’m actually doing it full time,” she said. “Last January, I got laid off from my job of 18 years in corporate America, and it wasn’t necessarily a hard transition of getting laid off and then knowing that I already had this set up, I transitioned into this. And it’s been growing and putting more time and effort into and making it blossom now.”

Simms emphasized the importance of spaces like the Wilkes pop-up, noting how events centered on minority-owned businesses foster collaboration and community support.

“Oh, it’s amazing,” she said when asked how it feels to run her own business. “I definitely love the community too. I definitely love coming to events like this, because you can see other businesses that are of color and see that they’re thriving. And also just, you know, quality product. It’s not something that’s just thrown together. But I also love networking and meeting new people, especially doing this full time. I’ve been meeting vendors and connecting and just, you know, building each other up in a community like this.”

Another vendor, JAZRAEWear, brought a streetwear-inspired clothing line rooted in personal history and cultural identity. The brand draws inspiration from New York City and everyday experiences growing up in urban neighborhoods.

“We took an idea and turned it into a brand,” the company shared. “Our first design, (CHILLIN ON THE STOOP IT’S A NEW YORK THING), came from friends gathering in front of the building apartments we grew up in. Born and raised in NYC, hanging out on the stoop was the place to be. I wanted to bring the essence of a New York tradition to the world.”

The business carries emotional significance for its founder, who named the brand after a family member and continued building it despite personal loss.

“I started this company in 2022,” the owner said. “It’s named under my daughter: Her name is Jazmine Reyes, so we just cut it short to JazRae. I started it with my brother, but he passed away in 2023. And I just continued to design my own stuff.”

For JAZRAEWear, the Wilkes event marked an opportunity to expand into new spaces and audiences outside of its typical New York base.

“We are mostly based out of New York. So this is brand new to us. In New York we do a lot of events like this. They just emailed me,” the owner said.

In addition to Lady G’s Creations and JAZRAEWear, the pop-up featured several other vendors offering candles, self-care items, henna art and handmade products. Together, the businesses created a marketplace atmosphere where students could browse, shop and learn directly from entrepreneurs about their journeys.

Events like the Black-Owned Business Pop-Up reflect a growing emphasis on experiential programming at Wilkes, where cultural celebrations are paired with opportunities for education and engagement. Rather than focusing solely on performances or lectures, the pop-up encouraged direct support of small businesses while highlighting the importance of representation in entrepreneurship.

For students, the event offered more than just shopping, it provided insight into the challenges and rewards of building a business from the ground up. For vendors, it created a platform to share their stories and connect with new audiences.

As Black History Month continues, initiatives like MSC’s pop-up demonstrate how campus organizations can celebrate culture while supporting economic empowerment. By bringing local entrepreneurs into the university space, the event fostered meaningful dialogue, strengthened community ties and highlighted the creativity and resilience behind Black-owned businesses.

The MSC Black-Owned Business Pop-Up served as both a celebration and a reminder: behind every product is a story, and through events like this, those stories are given space to be seen, heard and supported.