Over the past few months, Sweety Brown has been mastering the art of custom crafts. Her specialty is sublimation.

“You see how the picture comes out on the other side? That’s how you know it’s working,” Brown said as she demonstrated the process. "Voilà, now you’ve got a cute little bag with an image on it.”

Whether it’s a bag, mug, t-shirt, or anything else, Brown says she can personalize it with the right photo, graphic, or piece of flare.

“Yes, I’m going to put a zipper on the cup,” Brown joked as she worked on a custom mug. These are all skills the Troy woman says she taught herself after losing her job at the state Thruway Authority last year.

“We were doing OK. We got past corona, and then we got taken out by E-ZPass,” Brown said. “Being out of work and not having enough money to buy all the clothes you need, I found it cheaper to make them.”

It has since grown from a money-saver to a money-maker. Customers can now buy all Brown’s products through her new company, Sakura Creations.

“Right now, I’m looking for new employment, so this is definitely keeping me afloat, and this seems like it’s going to be permanent,” she said.

Brown makes the most of her sales at the Ujamaa Market in Albany, a new vendor fair for minority-owned businesses.

“It’s exposure,” Brown said. “I do advertising to get my name out there, but this obviously helps."

Ujamaa means “brotherhood,” or “family.” George Lopez and Damaris Skelton are part of the team that helped launch the market in January.

“Really, we’re trying to get folks who look like us to start a business and create wealth within the community,” said Lopez, the market’s president.

“Minority-owned businesses, especially Black-owned businesses, fail at a higher rate than our counterparts,” said Skelton, who came on board as the market’s operations director. “The only way we can continue to elevate is if we support each other, and the way we support each other is by providing those places for us to support.”

Hosted every other Sunday at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Capital Area, the market features anything from fashion merchandise to health and wellness products.

“I like the market. This is my storefront, I call this my storefront,” said Brown, whose station features everything from clothing to herbal tea.

Lindsey Babb, who owns Glam Shop Customs, says the market has helped elevate Albany’s multicultural business community.

“Doing it safely and getting to showcase my products, it’s really beneficial at this time,” Babb said.

For emerging business owners like Brown, the Ujamaa Market lets her showcase her products at a time when every bit of help is appreciated.

“I’m not asking for miracles, but anybody who comes, I appreciate being here,” she said. “They didn’t have to get out this morning to come see us, so I appreciate all the exposure we get here.”