We had the good fortune of connecting with Takiela Langley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Takiela, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Our thought process behind starting The Melanin Makers’ Market was to fill a gap that we saw in our local craft fair market. We saw the lack of representation of people-of-color makers at the craft markets, and we wanted to solve that problem.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets The Melanin Makers’ Market apart from others is our attention to detail, our focus on our vendors, our professionalism, and the fact that we really want to see other POC makers turn their passions into profits. When we first started, it was not easy to get people’s attention in a social media environment where so many other businesses are jockeying to be seen, but we stayed the course and created content that gained the trust of our viewers and followers. We’ve learned that a good connection is worth more than advertisement! Our tagline is “Bringing the Melanin Back to the Marketplace”. We want our people to remember who we are. We are producers and makers, not just consumers, and we have to get back to that mindset in order to achieve the freedom and financial stability that we crave.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Brunswick, Georgia is a coastal town, so we would definitely take them to St. Simons Island to hang out on East Beach, grab some fresh seafood from Iguana’s Seafood, and chill on the pier.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We are grateful for being seen by Vanessa of the Golden Isles Development Authority very early on in our business. She has helped us to make some great connections with valued members and organizations within our community; connections that have helped to push our market forward.

Website: https://melaninmakersmarket.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaninmakersmarket/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Melaninmakersmarket/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlana is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.