Three very different organizations are coming together to support small business efforts in Opa-locka. Taking place February 9, 2019 from 11am-5pm at the Opa-locka ARC,The Community Fund of North Miami-Dade (CFNMD), Miami-Dade College and Roots Collective have developed a public-private-non profit partnership to create a community marketplace for entrepreneurs in north Miami-Dade. The collaborative will bring together the expertise of a small business, volunteers from a public institution and the network/ support systems from the non-profit to enhance the Opa-locka Small Business Bazaar.The bi-monthly marketplace will bring together small business owners from Miami-Dade to host the largest such event in north Miami-Dade.This bazaar creates a space and audience for micro and small entrepreneurs to sell their products to their local community. According to a study by the University of California in the Sacramento region, for every dollar of sales at a farmers market, twice as much economic activity was generated. Roots Collective, is one of the many small businesses that have received capital to expand their business from the CFNMD. While coming to agreements concerning the loan, both organizations found synergy to improve communities of color. Agnew stated the CFNMD has been an asset to his business. Agnew plans on using the funds awarded to his business to purchase large scale printers as a means of deleting the middle man, thus bringing lower priced services to his customers. We have always sought to focus on communities of color that are oftentimes overlooked. We as a movement understand that Miami is changing rapidly and have made it our mission to build from within before ownership is taken from under our feet," so what better place to host such an event than in Opa-locka.In collaboration with Miami-Dade College, the largest higher learning institution in the state of Florida, the Small Business Bazaar will give students volunteer hours providing technical assistance and exposure to entrepreneurial tracks and real world experiences.
