Pinellas Woman Dedicated To Giving Minority, Women-Owned Businesses Needed Boost

CLEARWATER, FL — It takes more than a great product to build a successful business, said longtime businesswoman Renee Edwards.

"You need the whole package," she said.

That includes robust, effective marketing and social media campaigns, a commitment to excellent service, a recognizable brand or identity, competitive pricing and great presentation.

The business savvy St. Petersburg resident with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy speaks from experience.

She's president of KB Doll House, a woman's clothing store with a worldwide clientele that invites woman to "Come slay the Barbie Way. Sexy, Classy Unapologetic."

Edwards is also president of First Class Adventures Shuttle, a St. Petersburg-based school transportation service with an eye-catching colorfully decorated van that can't help but attract attention.

Running two businesses, Edwards already had plenty on her plate during the pandemic when she came up with an idea she just couldn't shake. She wanted to help other women- and minority-owned business people succeed.

Following the massive layoffs during the pandemic, many people are choosing to take control of their destinies by becoming their own boss and starting cottage industries, making candles, soaps, specialty foods, jewelry and whatever else sparks their interest in their homes to sell at outdoor markets, online and to other retailers.

Unfortunately, these fledgling entrepreneurs don't always have the "whole package."

Edwards, therefore, launched the Saturday Morning Shoppe, an outdoor market she calls "Shopping With a Vibe."

She not only provides minority and women-owned businesses with much-needed exposure amidst the array of outdoor that have emerged in nearly every metropolitan area. She hosts a four-week Saturday Morning Shoppe Vendor Academy in which she trains budding businesses in ways to improve their marketing and social media strategies, customer service and presentation. She also offers her expertise in licensing and permits, customer relations and best business practices.

"Some people don't know how to price for profit or know how to present their booth and products in a way that will get them noticed," she said.

Edwards has now hosted successful Saturday Morning Shoppe events in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Atlanta, Miami and Washington, D.C.

And on Saturday from 3 to 8 p.m. she'll debut the first Clearwater Saturday Morning Shoppe, 801 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

In collaboration with the city of Clearwater and the Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition, more than 70 vendors, mostly Black-, Hispanic- and woman-owned, will converge at Walter C. Campbell Park in Clearwater to provide a day of shopping, live entertainment, competitions, arts and crafts, line dancing and bounce houses for the kids.

Vendors will sell everything from cakes, candles and crafts. Additionally, Edwards has attracted a convoy of minority- and women-owned food truck vendors offers Caribbean fare, barbecue and fried lobster.

"It's a market with an atmosphere of fun, where everybody is included and welcome," she said.

Edwards said she's especially excited to team up with the nonprofit Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition, a network of business owners, community organizations and individuals who came together in 2019 to create the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Area Plan in the largely minority North Greenwood area of Clearwater.

The coalition's mission aligns perfectly with her own, she said: "to create wealth, health, self-sufficiency and resiliency through the CRA" and bring much-needed resources to the at-risk community.

"Minority- and women-owned businesses always get the short stick, so my goal is to put them in the front and help them flourish," Edwards said.

"The response to my markets has been great and immediate. The women are so excited; it's phenomenal. We're filling a need," she said. "To be a part of the development and growth of our small businesses is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done."

Edwards' next project is to help women and minorities become homeowners.

She's teaming up with Raymond James and Suncoast Credit Union and seeking other sponsors to host a series of workshop to show participants how to repair their credit and provide a primer on topics ranging from financing, applying for a mortgage and saving for a down payment.

For more information on how to become a vendor at the Saturday Morning Shoppe, click here.

To sign up for the academy, click here.

The market is free and open to the public, but bring be prepared to buy some must-have items for sale.

Upcoming markets include:

• Women's History Month Saturday, March 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Pete.
• The Spring Break Pop-Up Shop Saturday, March 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
• And the One-Year Anniversary market Saturday, April 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Tropicana Field.