Black Business Expo a Juneteenth/Father’s Day double feature

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Small black-owned fashion lines hit the runway Sunday night at the Premier Hall, in celebration of business ownership in the community.

“I have so many (businesses) that were here tonight,” said Shawanda Johnson, owner of Fame Studios and creator of the ‘Fame Fashion Show’ .”We celebrated, and wanted to put (them) on a platform, and be able to represent them for our culture.”

The event highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship for those of color, especially fashion designers.

“If we step behind these designers our city can blossom even bigger,” said Johnson. “Even bigger than the docks downtown where a lot of Caucasian people are at.”

Johnson said black owned businesses need more support.

“We don’t have a platform enough in the city or recognition or support sometimes that we need to do positive things.” Johnson said. “We’re always in the news or the media for negative or ‘rachet’ things, as you would call it. We have more to offer and more to showcase, and that’s what tonight is all about.”

“It’s very important that we all just support each other, shout eachother” said Nicole Overtun of Rags-to-Riches. “If I have something at my store, they should tell them to ‘hey, you know Nikki the Barbie, she has that’ and I do the same.”

Sunday night was the Fame Fashion Show’s 16th annual.

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