For this Black Wall Street business, it’s time to “pass the torch on to another entrepreneur”
For this Black Wall Street business, it’s time to “pass the torch on to another entrepreneur”
When Venita Cooper opened Silhouette Sneakers & Art back in 2019, she was already thinking about what would come next.
“I was hopeful that I could build something that really resonated with the community,” said Cooper. “And then, if I could actually get it to a certain level of success, following in the footsteps of the Black entrepreneurs that came before me and using that to kind of pass the torch on to another entrepreneur.”
For Cooper, the time has come. On Monday, she announced that Kellen James, a third-generation Tulsan, would purchase the store.
The decision was a long time in the making, partially because of its location. The store is located in the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is also known as Black Wall Street. Because of that history, Cooper wanted to be intentional about who she sold the business to.
“I’m a transplant to Tulsa,” said Cooper. “And, you know, there’s a certain type of person that it was important to me that they would take over Silhouette. And to me, it’s someone from Tulsa, from North Tulsa, who has roots here.”
While Cooper is no longer running a brick-and-mortar sneaker store, she’s still part of the sneaker world. She’s going to continue running her tech startup, Arbit, which uses AI to model sneaker resale prices. She’s also planning to stick around Tulsa.
“I love this place,” said Cooper. “Tulsa can’t get rid of me.”
To hear Venita Cooper’s full story, use the media player above.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
