

Dr. Key Hallmon Created A Village To Help Entrepreneurs Level Up In Business & Community
Dr. Lakeysha "Key" Hallmon is one woman who is serious about advocating for black entrepreneurs. She's the founder and CEO of The Village Market, and she cultivates events to provide a platform for socially-conscious, black-owned startups and entrepreneurs to get support, build community, and showcase their products and services.
As a social entrepreneur, speaker and curator, Hallmon uses her gifts of tenacity, smarts and bold confidence to rally behind small business owners, kidpreneurs and nonprofit leaders.
Carol Rose
"I started the village before the marketplace. I was teaching classes [on] entrepreneurship and holistic health at a coffee shop on Marietta Street in Atlanta," Hallmon recalled during an interview with xoNecole. "I was dealing with a community of entrepreneursâsome business owners working a 9-to-5 on the sideâand from those classes, I would choose about 10 businesses that had a great deal of promise. We were a very small community that met inside a coffee shop once a month."
From there, the community grew, and Hallmon wanted to find a way to meet a common need among the entrepreneurs. "Those classes were the kick-start to everything. Being the researcher I am, I asked, 'What else do you need? Do you need to feel more confident in starting your business or in scaling and growing your business?' They [said they] needed a place where people could shop with them and know that they are here in Atlanta, so I started the market. At my first event, we had 31 small businesses participate and about 300 to 400 people came out. We had a lot of passion and no website or Instagramâjust word of mouth. From there, it literally began to be the thing that people became excited about. Today, we offer them the highest level of customer service and entrepreneurs feel seen, guided, and heard."
The Village Market, helmed by Hallmon and her all-female team, is now held quarterly in Atlanta and features more than 50 vendors offering an array of products and services, from apparel to home goods to beauty products. Attendees can also enjoy live performances, a kids zone, and art installations. Hundreds of entrepreneurs vye for a spot at the market and the variety of products and services they offer are diverse.
Carol Rose
"Vendors have to apply. We do this partly because at this point, we get a great deal of [applications]," Hallmon said. "We then start our selection process, choosing the best of the best. [As a participant], you also agree to be trained and sign up for workshops and webinars. I wanted to have something that would be more than a marketplace, so entrepreneurs get to work with other entrepreneurs. We have a partnership with Google for our Saturday School and all of these are offerings we have for any business in the village. For the market, the communities get to see the businesses, but the businesses already began to form relationships with one another over the course of three months."
As part of the market experience, attendees can also enjoy plant-based food at the Village Cafe and get a taste of healthy eats. "We feature between 13 and 15 plant-based culinary artists, and the food is so good! I get so excited because âŚ. some of [the attendees'] first experiences with plant-based food are from the Village," Hallmon said. "My goal has always been not to impose my lifestyle on others but to expose our community to other options. They may like something different and expose it to [their families.]"
Her venture into plant-based foods and holistic living began years ago with her mom, who, at the time, was battling lupus and cancer. Hallmon wanted to support her mother's journey to manage the illnesses and get well.
"We were learning a lot together at that time. She just wanted to be betterâfeel better. I was learning some things, and we began juicing together," Hallmon said. "My mother still transitioned, but I do know that the quality of her life changed. Everything that I support for the community is so that people can feel better and feel loved. It's what I wanted for my own mom. No one should be ashamed of what they don't know or about the foods they eat. We can meet people where they are."
Hallmon also credits much of the motivation behind her belief that education empowers, and opens doors, to her mother. The graduate of Tougaloo College, a historically black institution, continued her academic excellence in an effort to make her mom and family proud and went on to earn her master's and doctoral degrees, graduating from the University of Mississippi and Liberty University, respectively.
Carol Rose
"My mother was a high school dropout and earned her GED. She'd say, 'This is good for me, but it's not good enough for y'all,'" Hallmon said, adding that her mom wanted her and her sister to put education first and value the opportunities education would bring. "It was a no-brainer for me. [As a youth], I did well in school. I was an athlete and an avid reader. I'd read books by Maya Angelou and Toni Morison. I would try to find women who had the Dr. in front of their names and figure out how they got it. I once asked a counselor, 'How do I get to have 'Dr' in front of my name?' and he said, 'That's not something you'll ever probably get to do.' I didn't know why he'd say that to me considering I was a pretty good student. [When I went to] Tougaloo College, all of my professors had doctoral degrees and were black. It opened me up and felt so real. I wouldn't stop. I wanted to take the torch further."
She would later become an English teacher and then a Department of Education professional, and she uses those experiences today, as a full-time entrepreneur and consultant, in the work she does with entrepreneurs in the Village.
"There's a privilege that comes [with education] where people will pull the chair out for you at the table and believe that you're supposed to be there. I understand that," she said. "And because I know there's a certain privilege that comes with my education, I don't lose myself because of that opportunity. Every opportunity my education allows me to get, I'm bringing my community with me. When you can speak differently about your business and connect it to research and data, people listen to you differently. You have a different level of respectability. Getting my doctorate is probably one of the best things I've done for my family and my legacy."
"Every opportunity my education allows me to get, I'm bringing my community with me. When you can speak differently about your business and connect it to research and data, people listen to you differently."
That legacy intertwines with what the Village Market stands for, empowering black entrepreneurs through education and offering a community and customer base that will help them thrive, evolve, advance, and someday, pay it forward.
"The reason I created the Village Market: I tell everyone we operate in excellence. That's a hard part to always live up to, [but] I put my company up there. I need people to understand that if we put ourselves up to a level of excellence, you can trust every business that has come into The Village Market to showcase."
For more information on The Village Market, which will be held in Atlanta, GA on November 29-November 30, visit https://www.thevillagemarketatl.com/.
Featured image courtesy of Carol Rose.
Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushingâŚand that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyneâs Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and youâll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, âItâs not what you do, but how you do itâ? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you arenât doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush canât reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. Thatâs because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesnât let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, youâll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly donât want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, youâll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession â a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Blac Chyna Opens Up About Her Initial Fear To Share Her Spiritual Journey With Others
Watching Angela âBlac Chynaâ Whiteâs transformation in real-time has truly been a sight to see. It wasnât that long ago that she announced that she was reversing her cosmetic surgeries in an effort to go back to who she was before the world came to know her as Blac Chyna. In previous interviews, she stated that she was dissolving her facial and lip fillers, removing her breast implants, and getting a butt reduction, as well as removing the dimple piercings that enhanced her fame and controversial tattoos.
In a recent Tamron Hall interview, the mother of two said that she has âfully recoveredâ from the procedures. She is also celebrating one year of sobriety and opened up about being worried about how her new journey would be received by others.
âIâve been in the entertainment industry for so long, right, and of course, like, you know, coming out, Iâm like young, Iâm gonna do wild things as we all have,â she said.
â...I feel like by me being vocal and showing everybody you can change your life and things can get better, like through myself, that right there is an accomplishment, and thatâs a part of freedom, too.â
But as she started on her journey, many people have shown her grace, which is something sheâs grateful for. âAnd then the fact that people have been showing me grace, itâs like amazing,â she said. âAnd I feel like when I did it, I just did it. It was more so like spiritual thing and I feel like people see that, and Iâve always been like my authentic self, so what you see is kinda what you get with me, and thatâs just kinda what it is.â
Chyna, who recently received an honorary doctorate from Sacramento Theology Seminary and Bible College, has also repaired her relationship with her mom, Tokyo Toni. The social media celebrity surprised her daughter on the Tamron Hall Show. Prior to the sentimental surprise, Chyna dished on the reconciliation and having a better understanding of her mom.
âI must say, some of the things I have to take accountability for because, like my actions. As a mother, you donât want to see your daughter doing certain things âcause itâs like it doesnât matter what my past was or what weâre going through, I didnât raise you that way,â she admitted. âSo, itâs like, okay, maybe I was a little bit wrong. Maybe I was acting out a little bit. But I feel like as we grow older, I kinda see more, and I understand more.â
Chyna will be starring in season two of Fox's reality competition show Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
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Feature image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images