Hi!

I’m Taryn, the owner and CEO at Blank Slate MD. Blank Slate is a collective retail initiative founded to combat the lack of equity in retail product placement of minority-owned brands. Our flagship store opened in May 2022 in Westfield Annapolis (Annapolis Mall) in Annapolis, MD. We are slated to open our next store in July 2023.

As a serial entrepreneur, I understand the first-hand experience that most emerging business owners endure — a lack of access to resources and support (finances/funding, knowledge, and mentorship) while juggling the demands of a 9 to 5. We aim to share knowledge as we grow and remove barriers and obstacles small black business owners face while growing and scaling their businesses.

Blank Slate is more than just another “store”; Blank Slate is a community of entrepreneurs that want to see the person next to, beside, in front of, and behind them win. The age-old African proverb reminds us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Our goal, our want, our desire — is to help US create, maintain and build legacies and leave generational wealth.

I started this initiative to create a table and invite those that look like me to have a seat. Black women make up more than 42% of new women-owned businesses, more than three times our share of the population. Yet, we are three times more likely to be denied access to business-growing resources. We are doing our part to help provide access to brick-and-mortar retail space while helping brands expand their reach.

Here’s to building legacies together.