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Growing up, Kiyanna Handy could always be found by her mother’s side, scouring vintage stores and estate sales for hidden gems. But years later, while shopping secondhand with her wife, Jannah Handy, she noticed something big missing from the shelves.

“We didn’t really see Black history reflected consistently enough for us,” Kiyanna said. “And we had to do a lot of work and labor to find objects that represented our own stories.”

The couple wanted to change that, so in 2014, they opened BLK MKT Vintage, an antique shop specializing in objects that portray the Black experience.

“Our business is Black history,” Jannah said. “With BLK MKT [Vintage], we really try to use history to shape our contemporary and our future.”

Over the past decade, Kiyanna and Jannah have collected everything from political pins to 200-year-old hand-drawn maps of Africa. As they put it, their “favorite items today” include family photographs and a Pullman Porter hat, uniform shirt, and dish towel.

“I think that reflects the beauty of our work,” Kiyanna said. “We are sometimes dealing with very, very rare ephemera that tell macro stories about Black folks and communities, and we are also dealing with objects that are very niche and have a lot of familial and sentimental value.”

Through reclaiming historical Black keepsakes, Kiyanna and Jannah hope to inspire others to cherish and preserve their own antiques and life stories.

“If you start to value the things that are around you, you’ll start to value the experiences that you’re having, the impact that you’re leaving, and ultimately who you are,” Jannah said.

As the duo heads into their eleventh year running BLK MKT Vintage, they have a message for aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere—especially those in the E&J Family: Don’t be afraid, and be true to yourself.

“When we were starting [BLK MKT Vintage], there were moments where folks would be like, ‘are you sure that people even value Black history to the point that you’d be able to live off it?’” Jannah said. “Just don’t let that noise distract you. Stay intentional and focused.”

Kiyanna also added, “Your path is multitudinal and not singular. Don’t buy into the idea that you have to do one thing forever.”

Want to support BLK MKT Vintage? Check out the online shop, and be sure to grab a copy of Kiyanna and Jannah’s book, BLK MKT Vintage: Reclaiming Objects and Curiosities That Tell Black Stories.

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