Post 21 was created by a mother-daughter duo who for years wanted a comprehensive marketplace that focused on modern and design-forward products from Black-owned businesses. While discovering some of their favorite vendors was always an exciting process, they felt strongly that there was no reason these products shouldn’t be household names. So, they said, “Let’s create the place we want to shop!”
The name Post 21 was inspired by Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, one of the United States’ most prosperous Black communities until May 31, 1921, when 35 city blocks were set on fire, killing 300 people and injuring 800. The innovative, sophisticated, and game-changing ideas of “Black Wall Street” entrepreneurs, a drive that cannot ever be burned down or driven out, continues to live in Black entrepreneurs today.
We see today and every day since May 31, 1921, as Post 1921. Standing on the shoulders of those who have come before us, we are ready to do what we have traditionally done—in a new and exciting way!
Previously, consumers didn’t have a platform online to find a collection of high-quality products from Black-owned businesses. We have created a marketplace that puts a spotlight on Black-owned brands. It is filled with design-forward products you will want to give to yourself and others.
Starting the business
I never saw myself as an entrepreneur. But after talking with my mom and realizing that what we needed and wanted was missing from the market, I knew this was my calling. I wanted to build the place I wanted to shop. So that’s what we are doing. As a wife and mother, I am constantly buying things for my family. In doing that I wanted to be able to support small Black businesses, and I wanted that all in one place.
What is the inspiration?
As soon as I found out I was having a daughter, I knew I didn’t want her to see me just being a mom; I wanted her to watch me build. I was raised by a single mother, and I wanted my daughter to know and see women can do it all. I was also taught to intentionally support my community, and I wanted to figure out how to do that with the current landscape. When I was young, we did that by finding Black doctors and going to local shops. But now we shop online, and I wanted to build the place I wanted to shop, a place that shows Black people are not monolithic.
Shout out to Mom
My mom deserves all the credit in my story. She raised three kids, one with autism, as a single mother in Los Angeles, all while holding a demanding corporate job. She showed me what hard work and sacrifice looked like for a woman. She put me through college and supported my art dreams. When I had a daughter, I was blessed to be able to stay at home and love on her daily, but I knew that I had to show her that same hard work. While I was pregnant with my second child, my mom brought the idea of Post 21 to me. She wanted to create a beautiful place to “shop Black,” and she wanted me to run with it. We haven’t looked back.
Combining art and business
I’ve always been an artist/creative director. When I started this business, I looked at it no differently. I used what came naturally to me to build what I envisioned, and leaned on my partner (my mom) to fill in the gaps. Business and art are different, but I am looking at them the same—and that, I think, is what is setting us apart. I am proud that during a pandemic I learned how to build this platform and create a marketplace that did not exist. We launched June 1, 2020, and have received immense support. It was not easy, but we knew it would be worth it—and we were right.
Discount
We are offering a 10% discount to all D23 Gold Members on all items at our Downtown Disney location. Discount does not apply to our website.
For a limited time only, show your D23 Gold Membership Card and receive a FREE D23 Gold Member button. While supplies last.
For more information about Post21, click here!
