Together we are stronger is the philosophy behind the BlackBiz Sip & Shop event on Saturday evening at Southside, St David’s.

BlackBiz is organised by Cyniqua Anderson of Just Dreams Events, an event planning and decor business.

“I wanted to do something for Black History Month,” Ms Anderson said. “That was where the idea started. I thought what can I do in the Just Dreams space to celebrate our Black culture, and at the same time promote my own business?”

She invited other small businesses to take part in the event and showcase their products.

“We can introduce people to other Black business owners they may not have known existed, and we can help people who do not know how to get their products out there, to do so in a community space. In small business, collaboration is one of our strongest assets to work with.”

She held her first BlackBiz Sip & Shop earlier this month with 18 different vendors.

“The first event went fairly well,” Ms Anderson said. “It started off quiet, but towards the end it got busier. From the vendors I spoke with, all were pleased with the crowd we got for the first week. But we definitely could build a better crowd. A lot of shoppers that missed last week were looking forward to this week.”

This time around she will have at least 20 vendors such as Gadget Lady, Uplift Bda, Lovingly Made and Loquats and Honey, among others.

There will also be a fun castle for the children. She is working on getting food vendors.

Ms Anderson wants the Saturday event to have a block party feel.

She hopes to hold the BlackBiz events at least once a month.

Just Dreams Events is located in the white building directly behind the Bermuda Gymnastics Association at 35 Southside, St David’s. Ms Anderson took over the space, formerly a racquetball court, in February 2021, and officially opened last June.

Although the space needed some work when she first saw it, it was a dream come true.

“It seemed like it was exactly what I needed,” she said. “We used to be located in St George’s in a little spot in Wellington but we outgrew the space. I was walking over myself.”

The new building gave her space to store all of her equipment in one place and hold events.

“Having a dedicated venue space that we could use for events was like finishing off the package, providing a one-stop shop for clients,” she said.

When she took over, she refinished floors, upgraded the air conditioning, added a bar area and put French doors on the building to make things brighter. She can now host 60 people seated or 100 people standing, and there is room outdoors also.

Now that pandemic restrictions have eased, interest in Just Dreams Events is growing.

“I have probably received more inquiries to see the space in the last month compared to the last three months,” Ms Anderson said. “All of a sudden, everyone wants to have a party. That’s great for business. I love it.”

BlackBiz Sip & Shop will be held from 5pm to 9pm on Saturday. The bar will be open until 2am.

www.justdreamsbermuda.com