Eatonville holds first monthly street market to empower Black-owned businesses

More than 35 Black-owned businesses lined Kennedy Boulevard in Eatonville Saturday for the town’s first night market. The inaugural event, 1887 Night Market, is about celebrating community and history. “I brought out my son to show that where I’m from and how we as Black people are coming together to create memories and history,” an Eatonville resident said. 1887 First hosted the inaugural event. The founder, Julian Johnson, finally had a chance to see his two-year vision come to life. “We’ve been here for so long, and nothing has been going on; everything has been stagnant,” Johnson said. ” just addressing some of the immediate issues – food scarcity, no produce.” Everything from artwork to clothing, food and live entertainment was on display. “I have stuffed chicken and waffles and vegan spicy balls,” the owner of Hot Taste Vegan Goodness said. “It is very important for us to get African American or Black-owned businesses out into festivals like this so that people can know that we’re a flourishing people, that we have a lot of great business ideas.”One of them being Three Odd Guys Brewing from Apopka. “We’re always creating more and more beers constantly,” founder and owner Trod Buggs...