BALTIMORE — Baltimore Peninsula (formerly Port Covington) will be the latest host for BLK ASS LOCALS, a new collaboration of black-owned business organizers and creatives.
The Peninsula, in south Baltimore, will hostBLK ASS FLEA MARKET in partnership with The Locals, from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 15. The event will display more than 50 local businesses. It will also feature live sets from three local DJs, an open bar sponsored by a local black-owned bartending company, art installations and live painting by Creatively Mindful, and food and drinks by local vendors.
Blk Ass Flea Market has existed since 2021, but this year's event is a new collaboration between the Baltimore Peninsula, Bronte (of The Locals Baltimore) and BAFM co-owners Brianne Mobley and Sola Ekunseitan.
"We have everything from kids' clothing to food vendors to accessories, home goods, candles. Literally everything that you can possibly find at your local Target will probably be at this market, but things that you literally probably couldn't find anywhere else - so, very unique items, handmade items. We're also going to have a kids' corner, so people can bring their kids," said Bronte.
The event will feature more than 50 Black-owned businesses, live DJ sets, an art installation and live painting curated by Creatively Mindful, in addition to plenty of food and drink provided by local vendors. The BLK ASS PHOTO EXPERIENCE will be creatively designed by Roe Vision and portrait photography will be provided by Jah Alexander.
"We're super excited to have such a large, welcoming space. The space is huge and we have the ability to kind of do everything that we've all been wanting to do at our markets, so I think we're all really excited about that... There's a little bit of everything happening at this event. It's a full-day market, so definitely a day of different activities and shopping, of course."
Chenire Carter, director of community and experiences at MAG Partners LP who is working on behalf of the Baltimore Peninsula development team, said the event is "something that is super near and dear to our hearts."
She said "diversifying Baltimore Peninsula is what my whole main objective and mission is." The event gives the Peninsula "all of these local and minority-owned businesses" and lets the development team figure out what the new space means to different people.
"We always say that Baltimore Peninsula is just more of the city to love. We're not separate from the city," Carter said. With the BLK ASS LOCALS event, "I think the city at large is going to be introduced to some amazing vendors that they may not have known before."
Mobley said her mission is to specifically highlight Baltimore-based brands, creatives, artists and makers, and while previous events have included vendors from other areas, this will be BAFM's first time highlighting just Baltimore
"We love Baltimore so much and it was just a no-brainer in this collaboration with Bronte, because she is hyper-focused on Baltimore brands. So it was just like, yeah, let's just do this and blow it up and make it as big as possible."
More information is availablehere.
