Small Businesses Getting A Boost From South Side Travel Agency

Tyron and Ebony Buchannan are married and founded Dream Vacations By Ebony, a South Side travel agency that will sponsor a business expo on Aug. 15, 2020 in Evergreen Park. Photo credit: Wendell Hutson
Tyron and Ebony Buchannan are married and founded Dream Vacations By Ebony, a South Side travel agency that will sponsor a business expo on Aug. 15, 2020 in Evergreen Park. Photo credit: Wendell Hutson

Small Businesses Getting A Boost From South Side Travel Agency

BY WENDELL HUTSON

Contributing Writer

A travel agency in Auburn Gresham is expanding its services this year, while also aiding black businesses, by sponsoring an upcoming business expo in Evergreen Park.

The Black Market Vendor Expo will run from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15 at the American Legion, 9701 S. Kedzie Ave., and admission is free. Dream Vacations By Ebony is sponsoring the expo and the event will feature 40 vendors, including local businesses like Maizelle’s Delights in Chatham, selling items from food and clothing to housewares and fragrances.

The annual Black Women’s Expo, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, was cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus leaving hundreds of black businesses that depend on the event for a summer boost with limited networking opportunities.

That’s one reason why Ebony Buchannan, founder of Dream Vacations, said she wanted to sponsor an expo, and to also help businesses reboot.

“A lot of businesses, especially small businesses were shutdown due to the pandemic and many people lost their jobs,” she said. “Now that things are slowly getting back to ‘normal,’ I thought it would be good to sponsor an event that opened a pathway for businesses to reopen. This is the first business expo we have sponsored, but we hope to make this event quarterly and do another one by November.”

Her husband, Tyron Buchannan, who works with her at the agency, said the expo is not just a new venture for them, but also a way for black businesses to help themselves.

“We wanted to broaden our horizon as business owners with this expo, but more importantly, we want to help black businesses push their products out to the community, who may not [have] been able to shop at their stores during the past three months,” said Tyron Buchannan. “Too often we [blacks] support other businesses [that are not black], but we never really support our own businesses and I see that as a problem that needs to stop.”

Tyron Buchannan added the event’s theme “Celebrating Black Excellence and Supporting Black Businesses” was chosen for a reason.

“Do I think us focusing on black businesses for this expo is racist? Absolutely not,” he explained. “I think it’s about helping one another get through difficult times and networking among ourselves, which is something other ethnic groups have been doing for years.”

One thing the pair agreed is pivotal to small businesses growing is networking.

“How well you market your product will determine the longevity of your businesses,” he said. “ I don’t care how great your services or products are because if no one knows about your business, you won’t be able to grow.”

And according to Ebony Buchannan, life is short and after being involved in a near fatal car accident in 2012, she later decided to fulfill her passion by starting a travel agency six years later.

“We were already doing a lot of traveling before my accident, but since then, we do a lot more traveling and plan to travel as much as possible because anything could happen at a moment’s notice,” added Ebony Buchannan, 27. “We have a 7-year-old son and we will celebrate our one year wedding anniversary on July 27, and we want to spend the rest of our lives traveling, having fun and enjoying life.”

Summing up their family-owned business, Tyron Buchannan, 30, said Dream Vacations By Ebony could best be described as “an adventurous and exciting company that can make your dream vacation a reality.”

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.