The Melanin Market Omaha was created by Ty and Dell Nared, the owners of a wooden toy company called Meraki Montessori (now closed). They connected with customers through local vendor events when they started their wooden toy company. It was there that they observed the lack of diversity amongst vendors. That's when they realized there needed to be a change. Their goal was to create a market highlighting minority-owned businesses and connecting them with the community.  The Melanin Market Omaha was designed to amplify the voices of minority-owned businesses and organizations by giving them a platform to showcase their goods and services in an indoor/outdoor market. ​

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