By James Wright Jr.
Washington Informer
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
https://www.washingtoninformer.com/
While the winter holiday season is a busy time for everyone, for District businesswoman and philanthropist Juanita “Busy Bee” Britton, the pace of her work is feverish.
Britton, 62, is hard at work preparing for her 34th Annual BZB Shop Til Ya Drop Gift and Art Show that starts on Nov. 29, the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday. In order to prepare, Britton is conducting meetings, making phone calls, and checking in on the scores of vendors that will be at the marketplace at Shiloh Baptist Church’s Family Life Center in Northwest D.C.
“We want the visitors to the BZB Gift and Art Show to have the full shopping experience and community experience,” Britton said. “This is not just about coming in and buying something only. This is about building community. The only thing we charge for the admission is a smile.”
Billed as the “largest African American department store on the East Coast,” for over 34 years, every holiday season — minus the two years missed during the COVID-19 pandemic — the BZB Gift and Art show has brought exhibitors and artists together in a strong display of artistry and entrepreneurship.
“You can buy furniture, home decorations, fine art and craft art,” Britton said. “Of course, we have vendors who sell clothing, some of which is traditional African style. There seems to be an explosion of understanding of everything African these days.”
The Shop Til Ya Drop marketplace will be open on Nov. 29-30, Dec. 7, 14, 21, 23 and Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Origins of Shop Til Ya Drop
Britton said she noticed the idea of a mass marketplace for vendors of African descent while visiting the Brixton neighborhood of London in 1990.
“I have never seen so many Black people, artisans, in one spot,” she said. “There are a lot of Caribbean people in Brixton. The ladies and men were wearing and selling beautifully crafted clothes. To me, I was like ‘wow!’”
Britton said she wanted to replicate the Brixton marketplace in the Washington D.C. area and worked toward doing that by consulting family members, friends, and other interested parties. Throughout the years, the site of Shop Til Ya Drop has grown substantially and sometimes the venue has changed from Shiloh to places like the city’s convention center.
Britton said to be a vendor in her show, one cannot just walk in.
“I talk to every single person who does my show,” she said. “I ask them questions like ‘do you understand marketing’? I want vendors to understand that this is a community of artisans. I want them to understand that we support each other and when we shop with each other, we will be successful.”
Being successful in business is one of the reasons Juliette Nelson, through her business NURILENS, a conservation-oriented glasses manufacturing and retail company, decided to participate in Shop Til Ya Drop.
“In 2022, one of my customers suggested I look into BZB, and I did,” said Nelson, 34. “I did one weekend in 2023 and BZB helped me reach my target audience. I did almost 50% of my sales for the entire year at BZB.”
Sunah Blu is the owner of Sunah Blu Body Butter Inc., a firm that sells natural skin care products. She is looking forward to vending in the Shop Til Ya Drop marketplace each day this year.
“I have known about this for years and now I get the chance to participate,” Blu said. “This is my chance to connect with the community. We want our customers to meet us, learn how to take care of their skin and smell great.”
