Black Entrepreneur State Fair wants to elevate black-owned businesses

The Black Entrepreneur State Fair started in 2020 as a way to boost business for Black-owned businesses. MINNEAPOLIS — The Black Entrepreneur State Fair hopes to boost business for over 60 Black-owned businesses in the Twin Cities. “All of the businesses that are involved in this event are very underinvested, so this is a big platform for economic development for these Black businesses,” said Destinee Shelby, the founder and CEO of Black Entrepreneur State Fair. Shelby said the fair started in 2020, after the Minnesota State Fair announced it would shut down for a year because of the pandemic. Five years later, Shelby said her small idea turned into something much bigger. “These sales matter,” she said. “It really makes or breaks their year. Some of these businesses, this event keeps them afloat.” She said this fair gives these businesses a platform to reach a wider audience and is a place where some people launch their business. Jewel Jones has been coming to the fair for five years to sell her products. She’s the founder and owner of Alkaline Academy, a business focusing on preventative healthcare, inspired by her own journey. “My entire life I was disabled, and literally was...