The Urban League of Greater Madison will officially open up the Black Business Hub and host its annual Unity Picnic this Saturday.
On Aug 24, the Black Business Hub, 2353 S. Park St., will finally fully open after over two years of construction. The building has technically been open for months now, with businesses holding their own grand openings, but now invites the community out to check out the space in an official unveiling. Alongside the grand opening, the Urban League will hold its 10th annual Unity Picnic after the Black Business Hub ribbon cutting.
“We wanted an economic ecosystem on this side of town to be able to help people who are starting up a business, folks that have an existing business, folks that are looking to expand their business, but also to have it be the type of entity that would also have an ecosystem for growing different types of businesses,” said Dr. Ruben Anthony, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison.
The Black Business Hub’s slow roll out over the past two years has seen multiple additions to create its envisioned economic ecosystem. A mix of offices, coworking space, retail shops along with a weekly pop-up market have provided multiple avenues for small businesses to find space and grow.
The vision will continue to manifest as more businesses are opening up their shops soon and the addition of a commercial kitchen next week. The kitchen will allow for 40-50 memberships and, Dr. Anthony hopes, will provide a space that small food businesses can utilize.
“We’re betting on these businesses. We’re vested in these businesses, and we want to cover whatever it takes for us to help them set up successfully,” Dr. Anthony said.
Following the ribbon cutting to officially open the Black Business Hub, the 10th annual Unity Picnic will be held. The event will feature food from BP Smokehouse and Kipp’s Catering along with live performances from DJ M. White, Kinfolk, Yancyy and Leotha Stanley and a chance to meet Bucky Badger and play football with Wisconsin Badger athletes.
Both events are free to attend. The ribbon cutting will start at 12:30 p.m. and overlap with the Unity Picnic from noon-5 p.m on Saturday, Aug. 24.
