The 85 South Show with Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly and Chico Bean - #BlackMarket - Support Is A Verb with Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon of Village Market with Chico Bean and Karlous Miller!

Episode Date: January 3, 2022

The Village Market is a spot in Atlanta that supports all Black businesses! It's a dope shop that has all kinds of Black products located at Ponce City Market. She's an educational doctor that explains some of the details of building Black Business. #Supportisaverb is a movement that supports taking action to support Black Business. Dr. Hallmon explains ways that Black people can overcome the hurdles of growing Black Business!https://thevillagemarketatl.com/Hit Our Website for more info: https://www.85southshow.com/Get our custom merchandise: https://85apparelco.com/Subscribe To our Channel: bitly.com/85tubeFOLLOW THE CREWKARLOUS MILLER - https://www.facebook.com/karlousm/DCYOUNGFLY - https://www.facebook.com/DcYoungFly1/CHICO BEAN - https://www.facebook.com/OldSchoolFool/Director - JOE T. NEWMAN - www.ayoungplayer.comProducer CHAD OUBRE - https://www.instagram.com/chadoubre/Producer - LANCE CRAYTON - https://www.instagram.com/cat_corleone/It's Jon - https://www.instagram.com/holaj_o_n/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. I knew I wanted to obey and submit, but I didn't fully grasp for the rest of my life what that meant. For My Heart Podcasts and Rococo Punch, this is The Turning, River Road. In the woods of Minnesota, a cult leader married himself to 10 girls and forced them into a secret life of abuse. But in 2014, the youngest escaped. Listen to the Turning River Road. road on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts welcome to pretty private with ebonye the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free i'm ebeney and every

tuesday i'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you every tuesday make sure you listen to pretty private from the black effect podcast network tune in on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. The Black Market is an initiative created by 85 South Media to highlight, amplify, and showcase leaders, entrepreneurs, and educators from our community. The show tapes monthly at our studio in Atlanta, Georgia. To submit you or your organization for consideration, go to 85Southshow.com,

backslash, black market. Welcome back to the 85 South Show. That's what you're saying? That's what I'm saying. So you said I should be like, I'm Carlos Miller, and then you'd be like, I'm Chico Bing. And then we be like, this is another black excellent spotlight, courtesy of the 85 Southsville.

Okay. J-O-N, turn the black excellent music down a little bit. That's the music for black excellence. Yes, everything is that. Because it sounds like something going on, but you don't know something going on. So that's why we got, you know, excellent black business on with us today.

That's what we got. Lovely. Introduce yourself to our business. other people of the 85. Yeah, well, like on this part, we like when people be like, look, I'm this, and then I do that. I want to do it in my own way.

Yeah, how about that? Okay. Yeah, we were just giving you, like, what people have done in the past. Indeed, I got it. I am Dr. Lakeisha Hallman, Dr. Keene, founder and CEO of the Village Market ATL. Okay.

Okay. First thing I love is your name is Dr. Lakeisha. Right. Absolutely. I want to go to Dr. Lickie. What kind of doctor are you? Well, that would be education. So I have an EDD and educational leadership.

Okay. I'm just going to make you my doctor for all my doctor's shit. Let's do it then. Dr. Lakeisha, everything I need. My toe hurt called Dr. Lakeisha. Don't you love people who went to college, act like you know what the abbreviation mean? Yeah, I got a BDD and a PPL. I broke it down.

I broke it down. So what exactly is, you know, your business? What does it consist of? Yes, I support the Village Market was launched in 2016. We support businesses from ID8. so people with big ideas and help them stand those ideas up and turn them into profitable businesses.

So we reached hundreds of businesses from Atlanta all the way to the Bahamas. Wow. Started here in Atlanta. What was the motivation? What made you say this is the route that we're going? Real conversation.

I'm originally from Mississippi. Look at that. Yeah, right down the street from my way. Oh, that's what it is. Yeah, shout out to Bayesville. So I was excited to get to Atlanta for a number of reasons. But what I heard, Atlanta was the black mecca. And that's true.

But then what I found out, that black businesses were struggling just like they were in Mississippi. So how are we in the black mecca struggling in the Mississippi Delta struggling? And so what I found out is that, yes, we're creating businesses, but those businesses aren't growing, meaning we're not making enough money to scale to really build generational wealth.

So I created support as a verb, meaning get out here if you really about it. I like the campaign. Support is avert. Put an action behind it. You got to go do something. Now what have you found is the biggest thing that the biggest hurdle that new black businesses have to, since you've been doing this in 2016, what would you say is the biggest hurdle that most early black businesses face when they start off? I think the barrier that we can control is how black people choose to support black businesses. So if we can know that the businesses are there, support consistently, then those businesses will have the cash flow that they need to sustain. Now, if you ask a business, any business, their say

is capital, or I don't have the resources I need, and those things are true. But to get cash injected into a business, you just need somebody to buy from you. Yeah, we've got to strengthen the network, too, also. Absolutely. The network and making sure that when you support black, it's not from a reaction. It's not because we're mad. because unrest is going on, but this is just what we do. So when we always talk about Black Wall Street, Black Wall Street was a lifestyle. It wasn't a community that was built in a moment.

It was a community built to sustain. And so if we go back to that, go back to our roots, then we won't have to worry about generational wealth or where we won't be because we'll have something standing every day. Yeah, that makes sense. How has social media helped or hindered your process? Oh, it helps a lot.

Helps a lot. Absolutely, because it doesn't, It doesn't matter where you are, anyone from anywhere the world can tap and like and share your business. Right. And if you ship from all over the world, people can support you from all over the world. So I think social media is a gateway. Now when social media hurt businesses is when you may have a bad experience... Niggers.

Who the fuck's never had a ringtow? Niggers? That's nigger excellence. That's not black excellence. That's what that is. Yeah, this is all you ain't heard of years. Is it old to? Yeah, it's got to be.

But continue. Yeah, so when social media hurts black businesses is those situations where you have a bad experience with a black business. We go on and we do the tweets or we do the up and then that goes viral. Imagine if we put that energy every time we had an amazing experience. Stop that shit. Stop that shit. Like you ain't never had to take nothing back to Walmart. Right.

With no receipt. Makes sense. I get on my nerves with that shit. Why do you think that is? Why do you think black people have such an expectation for service that is above and beyond from our people where we don't necessarily expect that from the other? It depends on how deep you want to go. We want to go back to slave trade, and we know that is literally beaten out of us to really uplift and push us to the highest.

And so that suppressed mindset is generational. Now, from just 2021, why is it that way is it because I don't think we've seen it enough to understand internally that if you win, I win. And so when we adopt that mentality that everybody eats, everybody win, if you're successful, if I'm successful, then we're much more likely to support. But we can go back and take it to slavery, or if we take it back to 2021, we just need to create more systems that you understand it. If I win, everybody wins.

That's exactly why we launched this whole initiative to reach out to some black-owned businesses and some people who are active in the community who are doing stuff that, you know, like I said, strengthen the network. Support is avert. So we wanted to open up our platform and have some people come through and speak their peace and let people know where they are and what they got going on and what they're selling and, you know, just try to open it up a little bit. So that's why we launched this whole black business initiative. Your entire identity has been factored. your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness the way it has echoed and reverberated throughout your life impacting your very legacy.

Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the profound and powerful stories I'll be mining on our 12th season of Family Secrets. With over 37 million downloads, we continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their guests. courageously told stories. I can't wait to share 10 powerful new episodes with you, stories of tangled up identities, concealed truths, and the way in which family secrets almost always need to be told. I hope you'll join me and my extraordinary guests for this new season of Family Secrets. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember Vibe? It changed the internet.

internet forever, and it vanished in its prime. I'm Benedict Townsend, and this is Vine, six seconds that changed the world. The untold story of genius, betrayal, and the app that died so that TikTok could thrive. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming, we're breaking down what made Vine iconic. Listen to Vine on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And in your space, we see that you have an actual storefront that people can come into where you have a bunch of different black entrepreneurs displayed.

What made you have the idea to do that? It's kind of like a Walmart for black businesses, if you think about it. Absolutely. That's so hard. A lot cuter, though. We're real cute at Palm City Market. So, I mean, COVID hit everybody, but COVID hit black businesses in a way that one and every third black businesses was subjected to close this year, just,

due to the pandemic alone. I know, my weed man work at Walmart. See? He got the job, though. He got the job. And that's all he do. Like, he don't sell weed when he's off. Straight Walmart, yeah.

But with businesses closing, I just decided to take that risk, open up and then create the storefront and punitive market that represents 29 different brands. Wow. And so what that means, 29 different brands will not close. When you walk in, you're supporting 29 different black families. Let's get it to a hundred. We're going to get it to 100.

We're going to get it to 100. But the village market itself has circulated $4.2 million in the city of Atlanta's two black businesses. Don't want to get that. Don't tell the haters that. No, the haters need to know. They need to know that support the verb is real. Don't tell them a number. Yeah, that's crazy.

I mean, and that's one thing that I know about black entrepreneurship is that our dollar circulates the least in our community. And out of every other people, you know, their dollar circulates five to six times within their community. Menaz, just as soon as we get it, it's like, here you go, brother. So do you think that that's something that you strive with having a storefront, so it's actually a space where people can come in and see that their money is working for them and it's going back to black people, or is it just something you did, you know, because you just wanted to be different?

No, no, it's a really good question. So everything I do is intentional. Right. And so I do think we have to have teachable moments to show people what circulation really means because we hear those numbers, but we don't really get it. So if you only buy a t-shirt from a black brand, and that's the only black business you support it for a whole month, that's circulated outside of our community.

But when we open a storefront, I hired black contractors. So the paint on the wall was painted by the hands of a black man. The concept designer was a black woman. And from contractor to contractor to contract, everyone that comes in a store that is profitable are all black. So it circulates several times. But when we think about circulating the dollar is who cuts your hair, who puts the roof on your house, who cuts your yard, who is your dentist, who is your doctor, who is your teacher. That's what circulation is.

Dan, while you were saying that, I don't know about three Hispanic people, they're getting all my black hair. I was like, the roof, the yard, the dentist. Yeah. Dr. Ortiz, and she's good. Well, yeah, she's my doctor now. I tell you that much all the way. So what are some of the products that you have in the store? What are some of the brands that are inside of the market?

It's a good question. We have a plethora of brands. So we have muted homes. They have amazing home goods. Like you would never see. If you think West Am, think Black West Am. This company has done incredible things. We have hairbrella, who was most recently on the View.

She has an umbrella for your head. You have to see it so it can make sense. But it's incredible. several flares there by Chris Classic, tons of hoodies, children's books, furniture, fine art, fine art that is priced at $20,000 to $30,000. And so we partner with exceptional companies. So it's elevating what black excellence is. My job is to raise the caliber of what people think when they think about shopping black.

What's the process of getting the products in the store? Number one, operating in excellence. So as an application process, it goes through the hands of several merchandisers. I'll partner with a number of people to screen these applications to set up interviews because I don't want to create a store that's going to fail. I want businesses to be able to grow beyond the village market, beyond punts. So if we make the application process extensive, teach what it truly means to be in big box retail. If we close, these businesses can go on and open their own thing.

The process is you have to complete an application. You have to make sure you have product picks. You should already have a website and then be prepared to have an interview with myself with my team. And I ask hard questions. I ask real questions about community building. Ask me one. I got this product.

Ask me. Do you have a ringtone? That'd be the question right there. I'm ready. Do you still use ringtone? Hold up. She's about to get me in there. I got a product.

All right, go ahead. I want to see you. All right. You ready? I'm ready. you have right now okay yeah bought but i bought it's a black own company that's good you gotta like it's yours shout out to jackie long all right but yeah okay this is me i'm trying to get this in here so you created this product how does the message feed the community because if you think

about what the hoodie says it ain't nothing like a pretty bitch bringing you some money see on the hoodie see the bitch is not a person see bitch is life so it's nothing like being successful it's basically what I'm saying, but I'm speaking to the people who used to hearing it a certain way. That's good. You did that. That's the hand clap. You did that. I can make that work right there, Colos Mela.

How do you make that work? Because life is what? A bitch. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, but it ain't nothing like a pretty bitch bringing you some money. If you win it. Exactly.

Come on. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother. goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness, the way it has echoed and reverberated throughout your life, impacting your very legacy. Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro, and these are just a few of the profound and powerful stories I'll be mining on our 12th season of Family Secrets. With over 37 million downloads, we continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories.

I can't wait to share 10 powerful new episodes with you, stories of tangled up identities, concealed truths, and the way in which family secrets almost always need to be told. I hope you'll join me and my extraordinary guests

for this new season of Family Secrets. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember Vine? It changed the internet forever, and it vanished in its prime. I'm Benedict Townsend, and this is Vine, six seconds that changed the world.

The untold story of genius, betrayal, and the app that died so that TikTok could thrive. From overnight stars to the fall that no one saw coming, we're breaking down what made Vine iconic. Listen to Vine on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And these interview processes that you go through, like, is this something that you found works for your specific company? Or do you think this is something that you want to spread out and tell people that this is something

that can be useful for all black entrepreneurship? Absolutely. The thing is, it can be useful for any entrepreneur. My target is black people. And so beyond what we opened at Ponce City Market, we just launched a nationwide program, elevate, to support black businesses. We're not in a store.

but business owners who have an idea. And they're the solepreneur. 96% of black businesses are the sole operator, meaning it's just that one person who is working social media that is shipping out their products and then taking care of their families. So we launched Elevate to make sure that this program really helps businesses be able to grow their revenue,

grow their operations, so there are no excuses of why we don't get PPP. But there's no excuses while we're not getting in for real estate and being able to compete. So beyond the marketplace, our programming, I think is probably one of the most impactful things I've ever done. So where can people reach you and start the process?

Somebody serious about their business that's going to see this, and they're going to want more info. That's what I've been waiting to see. No, see, look, I'm telling you, it's going to work. And that's the type of energy we need. You need to think it's going to work. And so when people want to learn more about the village market, if folks got an idea and just need a community, need a village.

You go to village market atl.com. Everything is there. You can learn about the storefront at Punts. You can learn about the elevate program. And you can just see all the work that we've done for the last couple years. You ever had to tell somebody no because this shit was just too wild. I was just thinking that, bro. I was like, how wild are you willing to get?

Okay, all right. Now look, check this out. Check this out. I'm telling you, look, I got the hat. It's a hat that comb your head when you wear it. we say no we say no with love and we explain we love though

we love though every time because this is us who we're saying no to do people like keep coming back like okay I know you ain't like it around I was it was a hat and now it's just a headband massage your forehead when you wear it how about that a massage your headbag you wear it when you got a headache

yep you don't got to take no medicine all vegan all natural it's the vegan part for me and I I was like, come on then. See? Oh, there you go. That's what you got to do. That's what we're coming with.

We got lemon pepper sea malls. That's what we're doing. Lemon pepper, buffalo flavor, sea malls is what we bring it. I know y'all love the sea mall. We got all-flavored sea malls, baby. I got these microwave cauliflower bites. But this is beautiful, man. We love to see it, you know, because as black entrepreneurs ourselves, we all, like we said,

you know, everything that we do, we want to feed back into the, black community. Like last year, you know, I did this, grew this shit out. Now, that's definitely giving back to the black community. Yeah, all the way, but I did a thing where all of the black-owned hair companies that make stuff that grow your hair back could, you know, send it in, and I just promoted it, and a bunch of them have been doing well from that. And it didn't grow back in the front, but the rest of that shit is going great. So, you know what I mean, it works. And for us, we were thinking, like, since you have a space, is it possible for us to get some odd stuff in your space? Because we got a lot of products. Let me tell you,

All have a great team because that's already done. Oh, word? Already done. Look at it. Look at it. They give you something? You got some? They hooked you up?

The thing is, I like to buy. I don't have to be hooked up. Support to me is being able to invest in your business. Same way I want you to invest in mine. See, that's the way you do it. That's the slick way of saying, yeah, don't get me shit free. You ain't getting shit free when you come see me. Absolutely.

That's a commercial right there. I don't get me shit free. I don't even want you to buy it, though. It's just something about Dr. Lakeisha. Right. having your shit on it just hit different right that's what it is but what if you had to run out and like really go do some doctor shit like just grabbing it you never know right now it's a

uniform I agree so we gonna give it to you you know I appreciate that support you but we got to have you something I'm coming down there to black soup all type of insane I know they got all the type of stuff I enjoy buying yeah candles and I feel like if I don't buy some real shay butter from a real black person then it's not real shay butter yeah that's the only thing that last on black skin, you lose lotion, you'd be ashy right after you wash your hands, that shape butter stick to you. That's true. What about the beers? We've got beer

carrying there as well. I got my own. Oh, okay. Yeah. I might have to talk to you about getting it in there, too. Talk about it. Yeah. I agree with that. You know what I'm saying? We can come down there. How big is it a space? Is it a large space or is it more intimate? It's intimate. It's about 1,600 square feet. Let me ask you this. Is it an online retail space, too, also? We have both.

Okay. No barrier. So, look, drop some social media at so the people can know how to get in touch with you. Yes, the Village Market ATL or the Village Market Retail on both platforms. So Village Market ATL or Village Market Retail on all platforms. You know what? We should have a fish fry in the back of that. That's what I was just thinking.

Summer coming up, we got to get with you and organize our outside flea market. I mean, it'll be cauliflower fish. Fish ain't vegan? Not vegan. That fish ain't vegan? I mean, we'll put vegan food on this side We're going to be cross-contamination down, you know what I mean? So it won't be cross-contamined. It'll be both, like, meat down here and then, like, leaves down here.

Yeah. Okay, that's good. We're going to have the lemon pepper sea malls for everybody. We're going to make sure we get something. One more time, drop it. The Village Market. Yes, the Village Market ATL and the Village Market Retail. That's what it is.

Black woman, we are proud of you. Continue to be excellent and great. Thank you for coming and rocking out with us. We appreciate it. I'm about to make up a theme song for this segment right here. Black people, Italy. You had to wait for the beat to come on.

Fuck the beat. Got it. Thank you for coming through, man. Thank you all so much. Thank you. Right here on the 85th shop show. Dr. Lakeia. I knew I wanted to obey and submit, but I didn't fully grasp for the rest of my life what that meant.

For my heart podcasts and Rococo Punch, this is the turning, River Road. In the woods of Minnesota, a cult leader married himself. to 10 girls and force them into a secret life of abuse. But in 2014, the youngest escaped. Listen to the Turning River Road on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebene, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebeney, and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you.

Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. This is an IHeart podcast.