ORLANDO, Fla. — As many Americans prepare to celebrate Juneteenth, one group in Orlando is organizing an event designed to get people out into the community while putting local, Black-owned businesses front and center. 

The creator of Black Friday Orlando, Knakeesha Samuels, said her plans will kick off with a scavenger hunt. 

On Church Street near the Amway Center, 534 Scratch Kitchen has navigated a path forward in the pandemic, thanks to strong support from its staff and the community. With a return to dining out and regular events, owner Timothy Green said he's excited to see business picking back up. 

“We’re starting to see other facilities like the Amway and (Orlando City) soccer stadium get back to full capacity, because that’s where we lost about 40% of our business," Green said. "So that’s real exciting that they’re getting back, which means we’ll be getting back to normalizing soon.” 

Last year — in the middle of the pandemic — becoming a stop on a Juneteenth scavenger hunt helped drive in new business to 534 Scratch Kitchen.

It's something Black Friday Orlando creator Samuels felt was needed.

“I came up with an idea of how to celebrate Juneteenth by patronizing these Black-owned businesses. And it started as a way to celebrate in a social distancing-friendly environment,” she said. 

"It really worked. Her scavenger hunt was really great," Green said. "She brought a lot of awareness to our business and to several other businesses."

“I’ve had so many people tell me that day, their sales tripled, or, I had a local boutique who said they were backed up on orders for three months after that event because of all the traffic," Samuels said. "Sometimes people just need to know; we need to put them on the map (to show) they’re here in Central Florida, and we can support them in our own backyard."

Samuels said last year, the first year of Black Friday Orlando, her group had about 1,500 people signed up online to join in supporting dozens of Black-owned businesses in the area.

This year, they’re hoping to see even bigger crowds, growing the event to include a street fair and block party along Church Street.

“We’re real excited," Green said. "From my understanding, there’s over 40-plus small businesses and vendors that are going to be out. So we get to support them, bring additional awareness to those businesses, and also celebrate Juneteenth."

Both Green and Samuels said they’re grateful to see so many people in the community excited to support small businesses during such a tough year, and happy they can mark the Juneteenth holiday this weekend in such a positive way. 

The Black Friday Orlando scavenger hunt will be held Friday starting at 9 a.m. with the block party and street fair along Church Street in the evening. To sign up or for more information on the event, visit this website.