Urban businesses hope pop-up mall in downtown Louisville helps replace pandemic losses

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After taking a financial hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, urban business owners hope to recover some of the money and customers they've lost because of the shutdowns. And some of them are hoping to get a boost at a pop-up mall inside Manhattan on Broadway.

For the last several months, Manhattan on Broadway CEO Nachand Hyde Trabue said she's heard from a lot of Black business owners who are barely surviving the pandemic.

"A lot of the Black business owners didn't get a chance to receive any type of help or assistance, and a lot of them are struggling," she said.

To help, Trabue is opening the doors to Manhattan on Broadway for the last three Saturdays in February.

"This is our Derby City area," Trabue said as she walked through the venue. "So we are going to have them all throughout this area, and we're going to have vendors on both sides."

Starting this Saturday, Manhattan on Broadway will host the Black Businesses Matter Pop Up Mall for Black History Month.

One of the vendors will be Krystal Ray, owner of A Dollaree Boutique. She said business was good after two years with a storefront in the middle of Jefferson Mall, but the COVID-19 pandemic was a game-changer.

I had to close my store down," she said.

She then pivoted to selling custom masks and T-shirts on social media to survive.

"I started doing Facebook Live jewelry parties, and that's how I made it through the pandemic," Ray said.

She's one of about 25 vendors hoping to generate their own paycheck protection program and some new customers at the pop-up mall. Ray has a pretty big following online, but she appreciates the face-to-face contact with her customers.

"These type of events are very important to me, because you get to see different people, network," she said.

Trabue said the pop-up mall will include local vendors, selling a variety of goods and services.

"We have artists, we have artisans, we have creators, culinary," she said. "We have it all."

The pop-up mall will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 6, Feb. 13 and Feb. 27, at Manhattan on Broadway, 716 East Broadway. The pop-up mall will also showcase youth, pandemic-birthed and existing entrepreneurs.

Safety precautions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be enforced.