NORTH CHARLESTON, SC (WCBD) – Dozens of vendors turned out for the first annual Spanglish Small Business Expo, an event that organizer Roxma Massie says she put together to help Latino-owned small businesses across the Lowcountry get off the ground.
Massie worked as an accountant for 25 years when she lost her job and decided to start her own business.
Massie said, “Through that, I saw the opportunity to create a Latin bazaar market and through the market, I saw the need in the community, the Hispanic community is growing a lot.”
She says her business has struggled and she realized that many other Latino businesses around her have also struggled.
“I created this exhibition to make people aware that we need help. With pop-up shops you can’t network, but we work tirelessly,” Massie said.
One of the challenges is the language barrier: “I want to help companies that have the language barrier, but let’s work together to overcome it,” Massie said.
The expo is a way for these companies to connect with each other and also for the community to rally around them.
“For me, as an immigrant in this great nation, I wanted to show my support for the Spanish community,” said small business owner Rose Newman.
Newman started her own photography business and says events like these help businesses like hers get more exposure, and she says she’s grateful for the opportunity to showcase her work and build her brand as a small business owner.
“I keep asking people how they want the next generation of their family to remember them. It’s the same here, we are immigrants and we want to leave an impact on this nation,” Newman said.