“Our booth stayed packed all weekend and the love was unreal, thank you to everyone who showed up for us.”
WHERE COMMERCE MEETS PURPOSE
A Legacy of Excellence: From ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ to WeLoveUs.shop
Before there was a year-round WeLoveUs.shop marketplace, there was ESSENCE Festival of Culture™, where hundreds of our vendor partners and entrepreneurs annually connect in-person with Festival-goers in New Orleans.
SOKO MRKT, inclusive of Beautycon, the Food & Wine Festival and the Community Center at ESSENCE Festival are the premier live destination for Black-owned commerce. These thriving community marketplaces inspired the creation of WeLoveUs.shop. Today, these two commerce powerhouses live under one umbrella, ensuring that the legacy of ESSENCE Festival continues to drive economic equity every day of the year.
SOKO MRKT powered by ESSENCE® is more than just a space. In partnership with the New Voices Foundation, we are investing in Black entrepreneurs by providing them with learning and networking resources to help them create relationships with customers, other entrepreneurs and key contacts that last long after ESSENCE Festival.
There are four main vendor opportunities:
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SOKO MRKT™: The general marketplace for retail, apparel, and handcrafted lifestyle goods.
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Beautycon™ @ ESSENCE FESTIVAL Edition: The destination for beauty (haircare, skincare and color cosmetics) brands.
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ESSENCE Food & Wine Festival™: The location for culinary brands serving foods and desserts to be enjoyed onsite by Festival-goers.
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Community Center: Dedicated to registered non-profit organizations driving advocacy and social change.
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“ESSENCE Fest brought us closer than ever to our 1,000 books sold goal, and closer to the kids we write for.”
“ESSENCE Fest gave us the space to celebrate sisterhood, style, and new collaborations.”
“ESSENCE reminded us why we do this, it’s about the people, not just the products.”
“ESSENCE Fest filled our booth with joy, curiosity, and love from start to finish.”
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SOKO MRKT UPDATES
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