Cincinnati native appears on 'Shark Tank,' makes $250K deal with Barbara Corcoran

A Cincinnati entrepreneur recently snagged a multi-thousand dollar investment deal on a popular business reality show.

Jasmine Hudson, a Winton Woods High School alum, and her partners Madia Willis and J'Aaron Merchant pitched their company, Black Paper Party, on ABC's "Shark Tank" on Friday, Dec. 8.

During the episode, the trio spent approximately 45 minutes pitching investment opportunities to judges Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner and Daymond John. After much deliberation, the Black Paper Party owners made a deal with Corcoran for a $250,000 investment and 10% of their company.

"Whenever you're an entrepreneur, you get bogged down with a lot of things that are going on, and you question whether you should keep going or not," Hudson told The Enquirer. "Now that we have this investment from our specific shark, it just feels really good to know that we are on the right track."

Black Paper Party, launched in 2020, specializes in holiday-themed gift wrapping paper, bags, decor and home goods that celebrate the Black experience.

Hudson told The Enquirer that she started Black Paper Party during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the wake of the George Floyd protests because she wanted to highlight Black joy during a somber time. She also co-founded the company to bring more Black representation to the holiday decor industry.

"We decided to bring our powers together to create products that bring black joy to the market ... and bring a smile to people's faces, and also give them a lens to see themselves celebrated where they're normally either underrepresented or not represented at all," Hudson said.

Black Paper Party products are currently available nationwide in Walmart, Target, Macy's, Dollar Tree, Dollar General and CVS stores, and online. Hudson explained that the growing company's success can be attributed, in part, to the products' authenticity as it relates to showcasing the Black experience.

"[We] wanted to make sure that our products were authentic to the culture," she said.

With their new investment, Hudson said they plan to expand the Black Paper Party product line through a Black History Month collection, which will include coloring books, puzzles, apparel and more. The new collection will be available in Dollar General and Kohl's stores in February 2024.

The brand will also offer summer birthday kits next year, complete with everything one needs to throw a birthday celebration, including cups, plates and photo backdrops.

"People are looking for what we're bringing to the market. There's interest in making sure that we grow and go bigger and bigger every single year," Hudson added. "We don't want to just be pigeonholed into Christmas. ... Where we're traditionally underrepresented, we want to bring that representation."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Barbara Corcoran grants Black Paper Party $250K deal on 'Shark Tank'