THUNDER BAY — Event co-ordinator Liliane Breiland, owner of The African Boutique Thunder Bay, said each of the business owners has their own stories to tell, and the market on Feb. 23, from 7-11 p.m., is the perfect place to come out, meet the entrepreneurs and learn about Black-owned businesses in Thunder Bay.
The two-day event, which is a celebration of Black History Month, will continue with a gala dinner on Feb. 24, from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m., with music, dancing, poetry, skits and a four-course a-la-carte meal prepared by Na'Madams African Cuisine and Thunder Bay African Restaurant. Participants also have a chance to take home a door prize.
Breiland said it is an opportunity to experience African and Jamaican culture and cuisine that will take place in a "traditional atmosphere" with music.
"It'll be like you're shopping (and dining) in an Afro-descent market," she said.
Since she arrived in the community in 2016, Breiland has seen "tremendous" demographic growth from the Black community. An established clothing designer and producer, Breiland calls herself a Cameroonian who moved to Thunder Bay with her husband and five children.
"When I moved into Thunder Bay, I realized the city was empty, and as a business person, (I thought) you should be in business, and that's why you have no competitors yet," she said. "That was one thing that motivated me to start a business."
Compliments from people in the community about her clothing were also a driving force to opening her clothing business.
"They loved what I was wearing," Breiland said.
"It's very flamboyant and colourful. I had people coming to compliment what I was wearing, and that threw me into design, and that's how I started my business inside the Goods and Co. market. I make designs, I draw the dresses, and then I send them back home, and they get made."
The production of new clothing designs goes hand in hand with fashion shows that Breiland frequently hosts. Her next fashion show will be at Goods and Co. on April 13.
The Tuwii Black-Owned Business Market on Feb. 23 is a free event. Tickets for the gala dinner are $100 and are available at The African Boutique, DentyMax African Food Market, Thunder Bay African Restaurant, online through Goods & Co., or by calling 807-630-6698.
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