Black-owned market offers ‘taste of other cultures’

The Centra Cultural Collective will mark Black History Month at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market on Sunday with its fifth annual Black-owned Market.

Dawson Wall
Kicker

For Black history month, attendees and vendors alike will gather to share their culture as the St. John’s Farmers Market will host a returning event: the annual Black-owned market.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the event in St. John’s.

The market is a Black History Month celebration meant to showcase entrepreneurs in the Black community inside and outside of Newfoundland.

The event will be held at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market at 245 Freshwater Road on Sunday, Feb. 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission will be free.

“I see it as a way to celebrate the diverse culture in Newfoundland,” said Nicole Obiodiaka, founder of Centra NL, a non-profit organization with the goal of supporting and creating events for people of diverse cultural backgrounds.

The market is focused on selling a variety of goods made by a wide array of vendors.

The market is sponsored by companies such as TD Banking and Fortis Inc.

These sponsors have been helping with event funding and venue spaces since the first year of the market.

“The food section of the market is very busy,” Obiodiaka said. . .”People often ask for more.”

Handmade clothing items such as jewelry are also a popular commodity and sell out first.

“Jewelry is what people flock to the most,” Obiodiaka said.

While the market is Black-owned, it is not limited to Black vendors. One of the vendors, SmachnoUA Bakery, offers Ukrainian cuisine.

“Chicken flips, perogies, and honey cakes are popular,” said Liliia Nikishyna, the owner of SmachnoUA.

Both Nikishyna and Obiodiaka estimate that the usual turnout for this event is 350-700 people, with larger attendance being closer to 1,000 attendees.

“I get around 100 customers in one day during the market,” said Nikishyna. “It sells out quick.”

Obiodiaka says the event is and always has been “a place to get a taste of other cultures.”

In addition to food, the market will also have games and other items for sale such as clothing from a variety of different cultures as well as wigs.