By Shirley Hawkins
Contributing Writer
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — A mobile marketplace that spotlights Black farmers, food producers and chefs — is marking National Black Business Month this month by holding its second annual Black Business Scavenger Hunt.
Prosperity Market is using the scavenger hunt to promote Black-owned businesses throughout Southern California.
“Our goal with Prosperity Market as a whole, and specifically the Black Business Scavenger Hunt, is to highlight L.A.’s Black businesses, encourage consumers to shop, and most importantly to show unity and shared commitment to supporting our community,” said Properity Market’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Carmen Dianne.
Some of the participating businesses include Sip & Sonder, Hilltop coffee shop, 1010 Wine and Events, Grilled Fraiche, Sole Folks and Hotville Chicken.
“While Prosperity Market primarily focuses on food, the Scavenger Hunt gives us an opportunity to feature Black entrepreneurs in industries outside the culinary world,” added co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Kara Still. “We want to elevate the visibility of these establishments so that we can keep valuable dollars circulating within the Black economy.”
To honor Black Business Month, which is observed every August, Still and Dianne have partnered with more than 50 Black entrepreneurs across food, fashion, arts and entertainment to develop clues to encourage participants to discover and support local shops, cafes and galleries operated by Black entrepreneurs.
The scavenger hunt is being co-sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank and the Black Co-operative Investment Fund.
Participants will search for clues on the Prosperity Market website and then visit the various businesses that will take Angelenos through the cities of Inglewood, Compton, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Pasadena and the San Fernando Valley.
To play, participants must follow @Prosperity.Market on Instagram. They can earn points by visiting participating businesses and then take a photo using the Prosperity Market’s virtual photo booth.
Participants will post their photo on Instagram, tag @prosperity.market, and use the hashtag #PMBizHunt2022 or email their photos to admin@prosperitymarketla.com, if they are not on Instagram.
Prosperity Market will release a master treasure map and word bank of Black-owned businesses that will remain active throughout the month of August.
Each business the participant visits is worth one point. For the point to count, the participant must take a photo at the business using Prosperity Market’s virtual photo booth. They can find the photo booth QR code at participating businesses.
Participants also can earn extra points by making a purchase at each of the participating businesses and showing their purchase in the virtual photo booth photo.
If a participating business has a Nipsey Hussle mural, participants can earn extra points by taking a photo of the mural. using Prosperity Market’s virtual photo booth.
“Participants must go to the Prosperity Market website and all the clues are there,” said Prosperity Market’s public relations consultant Skyler Okey. “Clues also will be available in the Prosperity Market newsletter and on Still and Dianne’s Instagram page. You can also sign up for their text message blast to receive clues in their text messages.
“There will be a cumulative count throughout the whole month of August,” Okey added. On Aug. 27, the person who visited the most business locations will win a prize.”
The prize winner will be honored at the Obama Sports Complex at 5001 Obama Blvd.
Historian John William Templeton and engineer Frederick E. Jordan Sr. created National Black Business Month in August 2004 to “drive the policy agenda affecting the 2.6 million African-American businesses.”
Black business owners account for about 10% of U.S. businesses and about 30% of all minority-owned businesses. According to the U.S. Census Bureau that amounts to approximately two million companies owned by African Americans. Nearly 40% of Black-owned businesses are in health care and social assistance, repair and maintenance, and personal and laundry services.
