Vicki Morris, along with the help of other organizers, held the first Huntsville Black Business Expo in November of 2021 to “Help bring the two worlds of Huntsville together.” Her mission was to take her expertise in helping small businesses in the Huntsville area and highlight black owned small businesses while also providing a family friendly environment to do so.

“I do a lot of things with the small business community at large. Whether that’s woman owned, Latino owned or whatever demographic, I’ve just always been involved in that field. With the Black Business Expo, I wanted to introduce a lot of the things I was bringing to the general small business community and introduce them to the black business community,” Morris said

The 2021 expo was a success with more than 30 vendors on site and hundreds of attendees from all races and walks of life gathering at 228 Holmes Ave. downtown in the old Times building. All attendees were able to enjoy the event at no cost.

The second Black Business Expo is returning this Summer with an updated target date in late July or early August. The second expo was originally scheduled to take place on Fathers Day weekend, but Morris and the other organizers decided to postpone the event in order to accommodate the many potential attendees who would not be able to attend on that busy weekend.

Morris has an extensive background in marketing and owns her marketing company, Face to Face Marketing. In an interview with HBJ, Morris emphasized that the expo is not only an opportunity for vendors to exhibit their products and services but also a way for the black business community to network and collaborate with each other and the community at large.

“We don’t want to just have an expo that centers around shopping, vendors, food and etc… We want to have an expo that really focuses on helping the small business owner by creating an environment that encourages collaborative relationships and establishes a sense of community that will help the future growth of small businesses in Huntsville, one coffee meeting at a time,” stated Morris.

Those interested in participating in the Black Business Expo as a vendor can find more information at their website http://blackbusinessexpohsv.com.

Photo credits: Mike Moore Photography.