When Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon founded The Village Market ATL in 2016, she was a former educator who felt inspired to help local Black entrepreneurs make their mark on the world. What started as a support system to facilitate businesses in her home base of Atlanta to connect with customers soon turned into something bigger. Today, the organization has helped funnel over $5.3 million dollars to Black-owned businesses across the nation and beyond. During the pandemic, the organization even opened its first retail location in the form a special co-op called The Village Retail. Dr. Key’s philosophy is simple: when you buy local and through sources like The Village, everybody wins.