{"id":1038,"date":"2026-05-23T19:36:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T19:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1038"},"modified":"2026-05-23T19:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T19:36:16","slug":"roxburys-black-market-began-with-a-promising-vision-but-will-close-at-months-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1038","title":{"rendered":"Roxbury\u2019s Black Market began with a promising vision but will close at month\u2019s end"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The owners of Black Market in Nubian Square said that the Roxbury community gathering space will close at the end of the month because they cannot resolve a dispute with their landlord over buying the building. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Dominant freshman delivers 22nd straight Boston City League softball title to Latin Academy<\/a><\/p>\n

The decision, announced in a video on Instagram on Friday, marks the end of a once-promising vision to turn the space on Washington Street into a launchpad for Black-owned businesses. <\/span><\/p>\n

Market founders Kai and Chris Grant said that despite their best efforts and community outpouring over the last 35 days to raise money to buy the building they lease for their marketplace, their better judgment told them they can \u201cno longer move forward with a deal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve gone through a mortgage process, we\u2019ve done deep dives, we\u2019ve sat with financially savvy advisors, we looked carefully at the cost of the capital, the debt structure, the risk, the long-term obligations, and what it would truly take to bear the weight of this acquisition responsibly,\u201d Kai Grant said in Friday\u2019s video. \u201cAnd after all of that, the hard truth became clear … the level of risk required would place an unsustainable burden on us personally, financially and operationally.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Since its inception, the marketplace has served as \u201ca gathering place, a cultural anchor, a sanctuary, and a living expression of black identity,\u201d Kai Grant said. The decision to close May 31 was not made \u201clightly,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this spring, the Grants revealed they were in a dispute with their landlord and asked for community help raising $369,000 by the end of this month to buy the two-story building at 2316 Washington St.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2021, the Grants signed a deal to eventually buy the building. Their landlord is the nonprofit Madison Park Development Corp. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a statement Friday, Monica Dean, Madison Park\u2019s chief executive, said the nonprofit was notified Friday afternoon that \u201cthe tenant had chosen to nullify the terms of the agreed-upon extension and vacate within the coming week.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an unfortunate turn of events,\u201d Dean said. \u201cMadison Park Development Corp. has worked diligently and in good faith to provide a path forward for Black Market.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dean said the nonprofit remains committed to its Nubian Square tenants and wishes the Grants \u201cthe best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

City Councilor Miniard Culpepper, whose district includes the market, said in a phone interview Saturday that though the market is closing \u201cphysically,\u201d it\u2019s not closing \u201cemotionally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll all work to keep it emotionally open,\u201d he said. \u201cThe spirit of Kai and Chris will never stop.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nevertheless, he said the closure of the market is a loss of \u201can engine of economic development\u201d for Boston\u2019s Black community.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Globe reported that many were surprised the Grants didn\u2019t own the building outright and instead had an option to buy it for $1.3 million. Others wondered why an organization that had recently been awarded an $823,000 city contract for \u201ccreative placemaking\u201d would struggle to keep its doors open. And some wondered why Madison Park, a long-standing Roxbury nonprofit, was at odds with a small business that seemed to share its mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kai Grant told the Globe last month that their lease agreement with Madison Park \u201cwas supposed to be about becoming a model for equity and antidisplacement\u201d that ensured artisans, founders, and microbusinesses could stay in Roxbury. <\/span><\/p>\n

Dean told the Globe that Black Market had not upheld \u201ctheir end of the bargain,\u201d and the nonprofit would \u201cput its own finances at risk if it continued to subsidize\u201d the market\u2019s lease.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Grants owed $124,229.12 in unpaid rent accrued over 32 months between 2021 and 2023, according to records reviewed by the Globe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Culpepper said the closure is \u201ca product of this economy,\u201d and emphasized that the venture was never intended as a \u201cmoney-making venture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you look at the cuts in the city\u2019s budget financially, the city is having challenging times. It\u2019s not just a black market, it\u2019s even the city government,\u201d he said, referencing Mayor Wu\u2019s proposed budget cuts. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Grants opened Black Market Nubian in 2017 in the center of the city\u2019s Black core in the hopes of nurturing fledgling local businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n

For years, they hosted a marketplace out of the first floor, offering space to food, fashion, and craft vendors they hoped would plant roots and grow in Nubian Square.<\/span><\/p>\n

After COVID, the Grants positioned the market more as a cultural space, arts and events venue. For five years, they have hosted an annual block party.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Trump doubles down after a bad week as he pushes ahead on politically unpopular ideas<\/a><\/p>\n

Janelle Nanos of the Globe Staff contributed to this report.<\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The community gathering space was envisioned as a launchpad for Black-owned businesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nRoxbury\u2019s Black Market began with a promising vision but will close at month\u2019s end - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=1038\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Roxbury\u2019s Black Market began with a promising vision but will close at month\u2019s end - 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