SPOKANE, Wash. — Community members and Spokane business owners came together Saturday to showcase all they have to offer and deepen connections within the community at the Carl Maxey Center’s annual Black Business Expo.
Spokane’s MLK Center was filled with rows of tables showcasing 40 different black-owned businesses for this event.
“I have my business cards now, I think it’ll spread the word a lot more about my business,” said Leilani Knypstra with Pop ‘n Pose.
Businesses ranged from budget planning to homeownership to a photo booth company owned by 13-year-old Knypstra.
“A lot of businesses have given me tips and a lot of different ways to make my business more successful,” she said.
The Black Business Expo is not just a chance for the community to come and learn about all the different businesses here in Spokane, It is also a chance for these businesses to communicate and learn from each other.
“I am a black-owned business and this is great to be able to meet with other people,” said Kassaundra Woodall, owner of Don’t Sleep On Me. “That’s why I kind of join in the MLK Center because we’re all here supporting each other and that’s what it’s about. That’s what community is about.”
The ultimate goal of the expo is to connect business owners with new resources and opportunities within the community to help businesses flourish.
“I think that it allows for collaboration but also just getting to work. People don’t know what’s here so it’s really just good to connect,” said Milton Carson with Take Up the Cause, Black Home Ownership Spokane.
You can find a link to the resources showcased at the event here.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
