Statesboro jewelry designer Sharmequa Franklin has been invited to showcase her accessory business, The Artsy Girl, on the national Buy From a Black Woman Inspire Tour presented by H&M.
Hosted by Atlanta-based nonprofit Buy From a Black Woman and H&M USA, the tour is a multi-city pop-up shopping event that seeks to highlight and promote the work of black women business owners. The tour operates in cities around the country, and Franklin will participate in the July 8 stop in Charlotte, NC.
Other stops on the tour schedule include Philadelphia, PA; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and Atlanta, GA.
This is the third year H&M has partnered with Buy From a Black Woman to host the tour, which aims to advance the nonprofit’s mission of empowering, educating, and inspiring black women business owners and those who support them.
According to the organization, the shopping event has driven more than $2.7 million in revenue in the last year alone.
"The Inspire Tour highlights Black Women Business Owners who are finding, owning and living out their ambitions," said Nikki Porcher, Founder of Buy From a Black Woman. "Their stories of triumph over adversity showcase the victories in their communities, which inspires both entrepreneurs and consumers who dare to want more to keep reaching for their dreams."
Franklin’s business is based in Statesboro, GA, where she uses resin and custom glitter mixes to create one-of-a-kind earrings, bracelets, hair clips, and more. She also works with polymer clay and acrylic. She sells her creations online, at local markets, and in several storefronts around the low country.
She first learned of the Buy From a Black Woman organization from another maker.
“I found Buy From a Black Woman through the owner of Copper Brass Paper Goods,” Franklin said. “She is the definition of Black Girl Magic, and as I watched her journey with her business over the years, I was inspired by her brand and how she actively supports and helps black women to build their companies and communities.”
The tour seemed like a perfect fit for her mission at The Artsy Girl, so she applied for a spot on the 2023 tour.
“The Artsy Girl was founded and built on the premise of supporting and lifting others up,” Franklin shared. “I feel so incredibly honored to be selected among so many other creatives and makers across the country to represent my brand, black women, and my community. I feel like I am living out my ‘sparkle energy’ dreams.”
Franklin said she is most looking forward to connecting with other black women at the event and showing her locally loved “razzle dazzle” to new people in a new setting.
“My goal with The Artsy Girl is to inspire others to be their best self, live out their passion, and find a reason to sparkle,” she said. “I have several best sellers, but honestly most of the time, any item that allows someone to find their inner sparkle is a great seller.”
She has created three brand new, exclusive earring designs to sell at the event, and each pair has a name inspired by the tour. The “Check In On Me,” “Journey to Me,” and “Loving On Me” earrings will also be part of her Self Love collection released this summer.
Franklin will pop up with The Artsy Girl at H&M Charlotte on Saturday, July 8, 2023, from 11am-7pm. The store is located at 4400 Sharon Rd., Charlotte NC, 28211.
For more information or to RSVP, please visit buyfromablackwoman.org.