Downtown Partnership's Shelonda Stokes: BOOSTing Black retailers

By tom hall,

Malarie Pinkard-Pierre, Rob Sivak, Teria Rogers

Published August 10, 2022 at 12:30 PM EDT

Shelonda Stokes is president of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, which is administering the BOOST program to support Black-owned retail businesses in downtown neighborhoods. (photo courtesy DPOB)

Now, we're happy to welcome back to the show Shelonda Stokes, the president of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, to talk about the BOOST Program for African American retailers… She joins us on Zoom along with two entrepreneurs who are benefiting from the BOOST program:
Bryan Robinson is the arts space proprietor of The Black Genius Art Show.

LaTonya Turnage is the founding owner of Elite Secrets Bridal Boutique.

They also join us on Zoom.

Bryan Robinson, founder of the Black Genius Art Show; LaTonya Turnage, founding owner of The Secret Elite Bridal Boutique (courtesy photos) — Bryan Robinson, founder of the Black Genius Art Show; LaTonya Turnage, founding owner of Elite Secrets Bridal Boutique (courtesy photos)