Prosperity Market makes a return to Malibu Village

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Carmen Dianne (left) and Kara Still co-founded Prosperity Market as a platform for Black farmers, food producers and chefs. Contributed photo.

Female-owned operation is organizing a pop-up at this Saturday, March 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

​​After a successful event at Malibu Village a year ago, Prosperity Market returns to close out Women’s History Month as the female-owned organization will host a pop-up at the Malibu Village on Saturday, March 26, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Our market was so well-received by the Malibu community last year, and the Malibu Village team and their shops and restaurants are such supportive hosts, so we are excited to return,” Prosperity Market co-founder Carmen Dianne said in a press release. “We are happy to bring our amazing vendors, delicious foods, and handmade goods back to the beach.” 

Prosperity Market is a mobile farmers market and food truck all in one. All of the vendors are LA-based Black entrepreneurs, including urban gardeners, chefs, teenage vegan bakers, natural wellness product creators, and more. The market and several of its makers have already gained regular celebrity clientele like Issa Rae, Tabitha Brown, and Alicia Silverstone.  

Founded and established by Carmen Dianne and Kara Still in 2021, Prosperity Market is a mobile farmers market featuring Black farmers, food producers, and chefs, and travel throughout Los Angeles bringing curated farmers market products curated by Dianne and Still.

“We make it easy to support local, Black-owned businesses while creating healthy food access that disproportionately affects our community,” Dianne said. “Believe that by focusing on our local food system, not only can we feed our neighbors, we can also create a substantial economic impact.” 

Prosperity Market is also fundraising for a custom mobile trailer. The back of the trailer would be a mini farmers market, where customers can enter and shop as they would in the produce aisle in a grocery store, and the front of the trailer would be a food truck that will feature a rotating selection of food entrepreneurs. Dianne and Still have already secured the trailer, ​​and the funds raised will be used to purchase all of the equipment and complete the build-out.

“A mobile trailer means that we can support even more farmers and food entrepreneurs, bring even more food in the community, have a capacity to operate daily and bring more market fun everywhere we go,” Still said. 

Still said they have organized eight pop-up farmers markets, 10 virtual markets, 12 produce giveaways and provided 2,300 bags of local produce. 

“Forty-one percent of Black-owned businesses have closed since the pandemic, and currently 2.6 million Angelenos are struggling to find access to healthy affordable food — we’ve found a way to solve both problems with one solution,” Still said.

“We started Prosperity Market to create economic and social impact,” Dianne said. “All too often people in our community are discounted and overlooked and this time we changed the narrative.”

Those interested in contributing to Prosperity Market can visit fundblackfounders.com/prosperitymarket.