Black on the Block, the touring marketplace for Black-owned businesses, sets up in Charlotte on Sunday, November 8, 2026. Founded in Los Angeles in June 2021 by sisters Lanie and Char Edwards, the event has grown from a local pop-up into a monthly series that travels to cities across the country.
Key Takeaways
- Black on the Block holds its Charlotte marketplace on Sunday, November 8, 2026.
- Sisters Lanie and Char Edwards founded Black on the Block in Los Angeles in June 2021.
- A 2025 partnership with Live Nation Urban expanded the event to seven cities, including Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, and Washington, D.C.
- The founders say the marketplace generated more than $4 million in consumer spending with Black-owned businesses in 2025.
- Black on the Block Community Outreach, the brand’s nonprofit, offers vendor fee grants, training programs, and funding for Black entrepreneurs.
Black on the Block Sets Up in Charlotte This Sunday
Black on the Block arrives in Charlotte on Sunday, November 8, bringing its mix of Black-owned vendors, food, music, and community gathering to the Queen City. The event is built around one idea: give Black-owned businesses a shared, high-traffic space where customers come specifically to find them.
Local business leaders are backing the stop. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce has described the event as a chance for Black-owned businesses to generate revenue, grow their customer base, and build visibility, and it has encouraged the community to turn out. Visitors planning to attend should check Black on the Block’s official channels for the venue, hours, and entry details.
Black on the Block Started as a Los Angeles Pop-Up in 2021
Black on the Block began in Los Angeles in June 2021, as small businesses were recovering from the disruption of the pandemic and in-person shopping was returning. Lanie and Char Edwards understood the vendor side of that market firsthand. Both ran their own clothing brands, Lanie with Cosier and Char with Upstreet Kid, so they knew how hard it can be for a small brand to get in front of customers.
The sisters built an event where Black-owned businesses were the entire lineup rather than a few booths in a larger market. The format took off in Los Angeles and soon began drawing interest from other cities, turning a local pop-up into a recurring series.
A 2025 Partnership Turned the Marketplace Into a National Tour
Black on the Block’s expansion moved faster in 2025, when Live Nation Urban partnered with the founders to take the vendor festival to seven cities: Arlington, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles for a Juneteenth festival, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Charlotte. The Edwards sisters described the partnership as a shared win for vendors, attendees, and the Black on the Block community, giving them the resources to reach new markets.
The marketplace now runs as a monthly traveling event that draws thousands of attendees, and its stops have included Dallas, Houston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Charlotte, and Atlanta. In June 2026, Black on the Block returned home to mark its fifth anniversary with a Juneteenth festival at Los Angeles Center Studios, bringing together more than 150 vendors, performers, and community members.
Why a Traveling Marketplace Matters for Black-Owned Businesses
Black on the Block’s model addresses a practical problem for small businesses: getting in front of enough customers at once. A single well-attended market day can introduce a brand to more shoppers than weeks of online posts. For many vendors, a booth is also a low-commitment way to test products, meet customers face to face, and build a following before investing in a storefront.
The founders say the marketplace generated more than $4 million in consumer spending with Black-owned businesses in 2025. That spending reaches a business community that has grown steadily in recent years, with more than 200,000 Black-owned businesses with paid employees now operating across the United States. Events like Black on the Block help connect many of the smaller brands in that pipeline with customers who are looking for them.
The touring format also spreads that access across regions. Instead of asking vendors to travel to one large annual festival, Black on the Block brings the marketplace to them, so a Charlotte vendor can sell to a home crowd while being part of a national brand.
Black on the Block Community Outreach Supports Vendors Beyond Event Day
Black on the Block’s work continues after the booths come down. The brand set up Black on the Block Community Outreach, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to provide vendor fee grants, training programs, resources, and funding for Black entrepreneurs. The vendor fee grants address a common barrier: the cost of a booth can keep newer businesses out of the markets that could help them grow.
Five years after its first Los Angeles pop-up, Black on the Block has become a moving marketplace and a support network at the same time, and Sunday’s Charlotte stop puts that model in front of another city’s entrepreneurs and shoppers.
FAQs
When Is Black on the Block in Charlotte?
Black on the Block holds its Charlotte marketplace on Sunday, November 8, 2026. Venue, hours, and entry details are available through Black on the Block’s official website and social channels.
Who Founded Black on the Block?
Sisters Lanie and Char Edwards founded Black on the Block in Los Angeles in June 2021. Both also run their own clothing brands, Cosier and Upstreet Kid.
What Is Black on the Block?
Black on the Block is a touring marketplace that showcases Black-owned businesses alongside food, music, and community programming. It runs monthly events in cities across the United States.
Which Cities Has Black on the Block Visited?
Black on the Block has held events in Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Charlotte. Its 2025 expansion schedule also included Arlington and Detroit.
