Black Girls Love Football - Happy Hour

Norwood Vineyard Archive
Sunday, September 10, 2025

I’ll never forget the moment I got the message: the owner of Aura Loft had made the final decision to let go of the space.

It was early July. And while I fully understood and respected her choice, it dropped into my world like a heavy stone. One that rippled through a calendar of carefully crafted events, deposits received, vendors booked, guests invited. You know that feeling when something is out of your control but still somehow lands on your plate? That was this.

Among those events was a pop-up mixer for a group called Black Girls Love Football. They had already sold tickets, confirmed catering, secured their DJ. They had a vision. And they had built that vision on the foundation of a space that was now no longer available.

It was every business owner’s nightmare: reaching out to a client to tell them that the venue they fell in love with, the one that shaped their entire experience, was no longer an option. I don’t know why I took it so personally, but I did. Maybe because I’ve spent the last four years building something I’m proud of, something that has somehow miraculously maintained a five-star record. And when you carry a record like that, you also carry a weight. A silent rule that nothing can go wrong. Not even the things outside of your control.

But life doesn’t follow rules. And neither does entrepreneurship.

With about 30 days until their event, the first calendar I checked was L’Eau Hill but we were booked solid, as expected. Then I saw a sliver of light: an open date at Norwood Vineyard. A golden window.

So I took the breath no one ever wants to take. And I reached out.

To my surprise, and deep relief, the host responded with grace. She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t make me feel like I failed her. She simply asked the right questions and said yes to the pivot. Midtown to Jonesboro. Indoors to outdoors. She trusted me and our team to reimagine it with her. That trust alone would’ve been enough to shake me. But it was what happened next that left me speechless.

I wasn’t even there the day of the event. My whole family was traveling. Every single owner was out of town. And for the very first time, our staff stepped in to run the entire vineyard on their own. No hand-holding. No last-minute walk-throughs. No watchful eye.

And you know what? They delivered. With grace. With excellence. With pride.

When the photos came in, I gasped. Literally. The color, the joy, the vibrancy. A sea of beautiful Black women, glowing in summer hues: hot pinks, burnt oranges, soft golds, and turquoise woven into the vineyard like a painting you didn’t know your land could hold. It was one of the most beautiful activations we’ve hosted. And I wasn’t even there.

That’s when it hit me: what we’ve built isn’t just about control or perfection. It’s about intention. And maybe, just maybe, that’s the real reason behind the five-star reviews. Not because everything has gone perfectly for four years (I know it hasn’t), but because we’ve always shown up with integrity, presence, and care.

We don’t get to control the weather. Or vendor delays. Or last-minute property shifts. But what we can control is how we show up in those moments. How we extend grace when we don’t feel like it. How we receive it when it’s hard to accept.

That’s why I call it the currency of grace. Because it’s something you have to be willing to give and receive. Sometimes it’s all you have. Sometimes it’s all someone else has to offer you. And when you value it…when you really let it move through your work, it turns chaos into beauty. Disappointment into trust. A cancellation into a celebration.

Adrianna, if you’re reading this: thank you. Thank you for meeting me where I was. Thank you for trusting us. And thank you for creating a space for women, Black women, to come together and build something beautiful, not just around a sport, but around sisterhood.

This is one of those moments I’ll hold close. Not just as a business owner, but as a human.
Because grace isn’t just a nice-to-have in this work.
It’s the whole economy.

The Currency of Grace

Black Girls Love Football - Happy Hour

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