Community is special, but Black women in community hold a unique kind of energy: one that is empowering and reviving. On Saturday, March 29, 2025, retail collective Curate Noir hosted their third annual Women Crushing It Conference at the Holiday Inn in Cherry Hill. The energy in the room was palpable from the moment emcee Carleen Robertson stepped out and told guests to expect a day of inspiration and sisterhood.

The excitement only increased when keynote speaker Kimberly S. Reed danced to Mary J. Blige and Fatman Scoop as she entered the stage. Reed’s jokes, dancing, and playful interactions with the audience set the tone for the rest of the day.

The sold-out conference featured a series of panel discussions on wellness and entrepreneurship, networking opportunities, and a wide range of vendors, and lively moments like line dancing, all centered on women empowerment. It served as both a celebration and a reminder that success is built from the inside out.

“I was here last year, and I know that this just isn’t another conference. It’s not just another event. It’s a movement. This is a reminder. This is a summons for every woman who has ever been overlooked or underestimated, even by herself,” Reed said. “It’s a declaration: ‘women crushing it.’ Not surviving it, not soft-stepping around it, but crushing it with purpose, with power and with the kind of perseverance that turns ceilings into stepping stones.”

The majority of attendees – guests, vendors, and organizers – were Black women.

Royalties of Essence, one of the vendors, is an all-natural online hair care company that sells products for Black and brown hair. Founder Ciera Solomon-Mouzon, who has over 15 years of experience in cosmetology, was inspired by her personal and professional experiences to start the company. 

“Hair care is my passion, and [I had] a lot of customers who had issues with their hair, and also my daughter, when she was born, had issues with hair growth,” Solomon-Mouzon said. “So that inspired me to take my cosmetology career to the next level with creating natural and organic products for my beautiful Black and brown community.”

Another one of the vendors, Terri the Honey Lady, is an online distributor of wholesale honey based in Mercer County. Owner Terri Harper-Brown has attended the conference three years in a row.

“I’m a big supporter of this event,” Harper-Brown said. “It’s just natural for me to come again every year. … It’s very uplifting.”

Curate Noir’s support for Black women and entrepreneurs extends beyond the conference. Uplifting Black and brown people has been a key part of founders Nika and Alban Corbett’s mission since launching in 2021. They have two stores in New Jersey that offer an array of products created by local Black and brown entrepreneurs.

“Curate Noir is a unique retail space where creativity and entrepreneurship shine by showcasing brands in their stores in Moorestown and Camden,” as noted in the conference pamphlet. “We’re more than just a shop; we’re a vibrant community hub dedicated to showcasing the incredible talents of BIPOC artisans and creators.”

Along with retail, the founders have a nonprofit called NOIR 365 that nurtures aspiring entrepreneurs and startups. Established in 2024, the organization provides businesses with the tools needed for long-term success, including year-round mentorship and networking opportunities.

The organization prioritizes businesses in and near Southern New Jersey because their goal is to cultivate entrepreneurship within their community, according to the conference pamphlet and website.

Whether through the women’s conference, Black Business Expo, showcasing Black and brown-owned brands, or leading their nonprofit, Curate Noir’s founders remain committed to their community.

“‘Curate’ is really the adjective of what we do. We put things together,” Alban Corbett said at a Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. event. “And ‘Noir’ is a part of Blackness.”