COLUMBIA, S.C. — One group of local business owners couldn't wait until Juneteenth to celebrate the history of Black-owned businesses in Columbia.
Dozens of local entrepreneurs gathered together Tuesday at 1208 Washington, the historic venue in downtown Columbia, for Juneteenth Extravaganza, a two-day summit where those in attendance were hoping to learn more about how to promote and supercharge their businesses.
The event was also a tie-in to Wednesday’s premiere of a new documentary on what’s known as "Columbia’s Black Wall Street," a region in downtown Columbia that operated decades ago during segregation and provided business opportunities to Black business owners.
Tuesday’s summit featured successful speakers from the worlds of business, film, television, even health and beauty products, who sought to inspire other business owners to take chances and to not fear failure.
Ayesha Driggers is the Director of Columbia’s Office of Business Opportunities. She said events like these are essential for the community.
"It’s important to the city because as we move forward, we want to make sure that we honor those legacy businesses that are coming forward, but also to make sure that we encourage our creatives, so those that are in the film industry, those artists, those, television actors, we want to make sure they know they also have a place in the history of our city."
The event also included plenty of networking opportunities, panel interviews and various workshops focused on the essentials of starting and running a business. Topics included business law, the importance of accounting, and how to best incorporate ethics and integrity into a business.
Driggers said her office is available year-round to support Columbia-based businesses, even if they're just getting started.
"We can help with the planning phase on how to get started on their business. How to create a business plan, and just having that discussion on what free resources are available," she said.
The Juneteenth Extravaganza summit wraps up Wednesday evening with a red-carpet premiere of 'Columbia's Black Wall Street' at the Nickelodeon theater, followed by a party at the Columbia Museum of Art, featuring a concert by Kenny Lattimore and Susan Carol, among others. The premiere starts at 5:00 p.m.