When Mary Blackford first started sharing her idea of building a food hall in Ward 7, she says people in her community had their doubts.

“They said that the area median income in Wards 7 and 8 was too low,” Blackford says. “I couldn’t stomach that because when I was in Ghana I saw communities have total autonomy over their communities through these centralized marketplaces.”

In 2011, Blackford was a student teacher in Takoradi, Ghana. Blackford taught youth and adult entrepreneurs how to write business plans, develop marketing strategies, complete income statements, and prepare for a business competition at the end of the teaching program.

Now Blackford is applying her own lessons to her business in Ward 7, where she was raised and still lives today.

Market 7, Blackford’s food hall, is one of three semi-finalists out of 600 applicants competing for the $100,000 Pine-Sol and Essence Build Your Legacy Contest award. The competition winner will receive $100,000 and the two remaining semi-finalists will each receive $15,000.

Blackford says she plans to use the prize money to help fund the development of her market.

Located at 3451 Benning Road NE, Market 7 will permanently house several food stalls as well as lifestyle product vendors. Blackford says Market 7 will be made up of “100% Black owned businesses.”

The food hall vendors will include food that represents different parts of the Black diaspora, including from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Blackford wants D.C. residents — and, in particular, Black residents — to get a full history of food derived from Africa, and show how it’s contributed to popular dishes in the U.S.

The market will encompass a grocery store, food hall and bar, and retail area for hair, skin, and nail products.

Additionally, through a partnership with Google Digital Coaching Program, Google will help Market 7 vendors and entrepreneurs in wards 7 and 8 to grow their online operation and learn how to manage the technical aspects of running a business.

“We have a number of partners that have come on to make sure entrepreneurs have access to finances to grow their business. I can’t announce them now, but we have some really cool partners,” Blackford says.

Blackford’s big vision is to create “cooperative economics” in her own community, modeled after what she saw in Ghana. To Blackford, that means local businesses, owned by people in the community, coming together in centralized marketplaces to foster the good of the community at large.

“I envision the legacy of Market 7 being something that can continue to give generation after generation after generation, provide jobs and at least a starting ground for small businesses that are looking to get into spaces,” she says. “Market 7 will have a lot of different opportunities for different small businesses to engage.”

The leasing process for vendors of the market will begin in the next few weeks, according to Blackford.

“We are thrilled that Market 7 is a grant finalist,”the developer, Neighborhood Development Company tells DCist. “We support Market 7 in their effort to bring healthy food and other sustainable products to Ward 7, as well as their commitment to provide more retail opportunities to small businesses East of the River.”

Market 7 will be an anchor tenant at the development, on the lower level, taking up 7,000 square feet of space. Benning Market, a multi-use market space, will be on the upper two levels of the building, taking up 14,000 square feet. The markets are meant to address food and retail disparities in wards 7 and 8, where grocery stores, shopping centers, and mixed retail is harder to find than other wards in the city.

“There is a life expectancy gap in our community due to diabetes and other health issues that can be partly remedied or solved through a change of diet,” Blackford says.For that reason, she plans to bring in businesses with healthy food options.

There is a significant life expectancy gap between white and Black D.C. residents. While Black men in D.C. have a life expectancy of 68 years old, white men are projected to live, on average, until age 83. Meanwhile, Black women are expected to live nine years fewer than White women, according to DCist.

Wards 7 and 8 are predominantly Black neighborhoods, as each ward has over 92% Black residents, according to DC Health Matters.

Through research with Sibley Memorial Hospital’s Ward Inifinity Program, Market 7 engages wards 7 and 8 residents to come up with solutions around the social determinants of health. In a survey, Blackford says, “We found 67 percent of people are going to other wards to get food… 24 percent of people are going into Maryland to get some or all of their groceries… 90 percent want more vegetables and fruit represented in their communities’ grocery stores,” Blackford says.

Money spent in other wards is money that is leaving the neighborhood. But Blackford envisions something different for business in Wards 7 and 8.

“Someone told me that Ward 7 is a 10 dollar community. That that’s all that residents will spend is 10 dollars a day and that has to be fast food for them,” says Blackford. “Residents are going out and spending, so we have to demystify that people are not able to afford the food. That’s not necessarily true. Even if residents do spend 10 dollars, Market 7 has spoken with farmers about healthy wholesome meals that can be made with 10 dollars.”

Both Benning and Ward 7 markets are expected to open in 2021. Blackford says she’s still waiting to see how the coronavirus pandemic impacts the rest of the year.

Blackford says that this contest is an opportunity to build something lasting and positive in the neighborhood that she calls home.

“I want to represent our culture in a way that is sustainable and viable for the people who live here,”says Blackford. “I want us to be here; I want to survive; I want us to scale; and I want us to thrive.”