This Black Wall Street Sneaker Store Owner Is Passing Her Business On To A Third-Generation Tulsan
After Venita Cooper moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma , and opened the brick-and-mortar location for her small business, she already had a vision of how its legacy would live on. Venita Cooper, the owner of Silhouette Sneakers & Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is passing her business on to a third-generation Tulsan, Kellen James. Cooper's concept for the store, which offers "authentic" sneakers and apparel exclusive to the Tulsa community, was inspired by the success of Black Wall Street entrepreneurs. Cooper plans to pass on her knowledge of entrepreneurship to other aspiring entrepreneurs. Despite this, Cooper remains committed to making a bigger impact in the area of Tulsa and introducing her new technology venture, Arbit, in May 2023.
Published : 2 months ago by Aria Bell in Finance
After Venita Cooper moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and opened the brick-and-mortar location for her small business, she already had a vision of how its legacy would live on.
In 2019, the entrepreneur crafted the concept of her store Silhouette Sneakers & Art, a shopping boutique that offers “authentic” sneakers and apparel exclusive to the Tulsa community. When customers visit her location, they also experience an art show since there is a gallery displaying urban art. In addition, they also host events that cater to new and old sneaker lovers. “I was hopeful that I could build something that really resonated with the community,” Cooper said in an interview with Marketplace.org. “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.”
Cooper’s store is located in the Greenwood region of Tulsa, which is also famously recognized as Black Wall Street. It’s one of the businesses that survived and thrived during and after the pandemic. The next phase Cooper had in mind involving the retail shop was to share her knowledge of entrepreneurship with other aspiring entrepreneurs, and that’s exactly what she did, according to marketplace.org.
On March 12, Cooper announced on Instagram that she’s handing the reigns of the store to a new leader, Kellen James, an Oklahoma native. “NEWS: We’ve been acquired by Kellen James, a 3rd generation Tulsan, local firefighter, and lifelong sneakerhead❗️Swipe for statements about the happy transition from Coop and our new owner Kellen, and drop any questions for them in the comments ⬇️ We’re ready to enter this next chapter… 👟,” Cooper captioned the post.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Silhouette Sneakers & Art (@silhouettetulsa) While this may have surprised the public, this was Cooper’s plan all along. It was her way of making a bigger impact in the area. “I’m a transplant to Tulsa,” she told Marketplace.org. “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.”
Still, Cooper isn’t leaving Tulsa or sneaker culture behind. In May 2023, she introduced her new technology venture, Arbit, which she describes as “the first app to forecast future prices in the sneaker resell market.” “I love this place,” she said to Marketplace.org. “Tulsa can’t get rid of me.”
Topics: Fashion, Style, Markets