NORFOLK, Va. — Candles, handmade leather products, s'mores...
You could make the case that every store inside Selden Market has something you wouldn't be able to find anywhere else.
The small business incubator space in Downtown Norfolk is undergoing a $1 million renovation that's scheduled to finish later this year. In the meantime, it's searching for entrepreneurs to fill a handful of vacant spaces.
A few blocks down Main Street at the Norfolk State University Innovation Center, several current and future small business owners are learning the building blocks of success. This week marked the second of eight weeks of classes as part of the latest Align Business Series training Norfolk's next generation of creatives.
"As the Director of the NSU Innovation Center, I am proud to continue our ALIGN: Small Business Series, an initiative made possible through valuable partnerships with Selden Market, the Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center, and Prodigy Capital Consulting Group," said Dr. Akosua Acheamponmaa, Director of the NSU Innovation Center in a statement. "Together, we are dedicated to equipping local entrepreneurs with the skills, resources, and mentorship they need to thrive and drive economic growth in our community."
”Someone in this class will be able to launch and open in Selden," said Byron Edwards, General Manager of Selden Market.
The series is required, Edwards says, for any business looking to get into Selden. Attending entrepreneurs are getting lessons on everything from branding to finance.
One of them is Kierra Underwood.
Underwood's idea to put a book in one hand and a drink in the other already has wheels and is making its mark in Hampton Roads. Her business, Literature & Libations, might be most notable for its trailer filled with books highlighting Black authors.
She says she visits several locations in the area, but that it's her goal to get a liquor license and open a space inside Selden. Though Underwood says her background is in corporate buying, she knew more financial training will go a long way toward long-term success.
“Often times, we see small businesses pop up and then they’re here today, gone tomorrow," Underwood told News 3. "When I create this, because it’s so community-centered, I want to make sure that we have the longevity to be able to stay.”
Edwards says even after the series finishes, Align offers support for ideas getting off the ground.
“You get a business consultant and then you can launch and grow," he said.
And the hope is that these small shops in Selden will eventually grow out of their spaces in the market and open a storefront on the street.
Amale Tre Focacceria and its assortment of fresh-made Italian focaccia bread recently left the market and is preparing to open a space at the foot of the city's Wells Fargo Building this month.
“The goal is of course to have you really be able to open a business on the street, even outside of Selden Market that you feel confident in and can last a long time," said Careyann Weinberg, Director of Economic Vitality for Downtown Norfolk. “[Small businesses] are what give a city character. That’s what gives the tourists, the locals, everyone this sense of purpose and place.”
Now it's a question of who and what will be the next to make their mark.
