June 19, 2025 • 8 mins
She's a little person with a gigantic personality. I love me some Nachand "Nay" Trabue, the creator of Melannaire, an association of Black owned local businesses.
Building generational wealth solidifies a family's future. Great work, Nay!
Always fun to visit with Nay and her husband Carlos. Cheers!
Building generational wealth solidifies a family's future. Great work, Nay!
Always fun to visit with Nay and her husband Carlos. Cheers!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Ladies and gentlemen. There is a huge fair going on
here at four Street Live today. The woman behind it
is I met years ago. I know. She's put together
a beautiful concept called Melonaire. Nay, how are you. It's
good to.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
See you, Terry. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:15):
You look fantastic?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
You never age?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yes, I don't.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
This guy Carlos with you over here. He's pretty good too,
He's a pretty good he's a pretty good fellow. So
what's up, Carlos. Good to have you in here all right. Now,
when did we first meet? Did you do this ten
years ago?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah? Well, but no, I didn't do this ten years ago,
but I were doing events. Yeah, And this just.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Started in the middle of the pandemic in twenty twenty
when black owned business, my No down business was saying hey,
we need help in the middle of a pandemic and
stivil on rest and they said, we need help. Can
you help us because we had a close out business.
We can't apply for loans. We don't know what to do.
We don't know how to make money, and we need
to be to have money, but there's no avenues.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
What can you do? I'm like, well, on.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
The event space, let me turn into a pop up
moll for one day. And now we're on year five
and what we do. We'll traveling retail platform for black
owned and black and brown owned businesses and we go everywhere.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
You have so many people here today. I went down
and walked all through it earlier today and I am
astounded at how this has really grown. You've you've you've
started something here.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
And I didn't know what I was starting. I just
knew I wanted to help the best way I could.
And now we done built something amazing brand that now
we have grown so big and now we are traveling
around there's nothing for us to do things a different
corporate companies, our organizations, our travel. Tomorrow we'll be doing
the same thingk over in jeff in Indiana.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Good.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
So we are all over and people book us out
for all types of events. So we are so excited
about how to see the growth of the businesses, to
provide education to them and to give them a platform
for a new client base.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
No doubt, and it helps everybody. When everybody's together, it's
like all the boats ride because people are more aware.
It's like a black owned business association.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Is that the best way to put it pretty much
exactly what it is. Yeah, we are like the guru when.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
You talk about black businesses to be able to kind
of what can they do to create generational wealth? What
can they do to learn how to really do retail business?
How can they be able to be in a platform
where they meet new people? And we just put all
the piece together and say, you know what, join us,
join our membership program and travel with us. Will take
you places. And that's what people have been going to
(02:30):
begin to do.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
June teenth is the perfect discovery day for this too.
So this is nice. So how long are people going
to be here at for street.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Life to ten o'clock? Everybody, come on down.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah wherever you from j Town, from West Louisvia from PRP,
from j from Prospect, We don't care wherever you're at.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
You are welcome here at the Mail in their marketplace.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
It is fantastic. I mean, the support is great, but
there's a whole diversity of options available for you too.
A complimented your colle when you came in and you
said you got it here.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Yeah, Meilan new worktplace where I purchase it. So I
stop with them all the time because it's important for
us to circulate the dollar the keeping this out of
our communities and to show them that I support their
products and I believe in it. So if nobody believed
in it, didn't nobody about it. But I do believe
in it, and I help them to scale up to
as well.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Local business is the fuel that runs a community too.
I mean, you know, Change can drop their little restaurants
next to the freeway, but that doesn't do anything locally.
That's just going somewhere else. And that's why mom and
pop ownership is everything, because the money stays here. The
mom and pops are involved in various things that happen
(03:43):
in the community that they go unnoticed by big conglomerates.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Rights totally.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
So are people imitating you in other cities? Do you know?
Is this concept gone somewhere else?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
A lot of people nowtowns I've been asking us to
bring Meilan their marketplace to other cities. So of course
that is a part of my five year plan to
think about how can I get this to you know, Cincinnati, Chicago, Nashville.
And guess what, I'm working on these pieces now with
the help of people who are actually trying to help
me develop how I could get to the next step.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I love the word melonaire. Did you think of that?
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Well, it was a combination me and my husband.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
I said, I really want something different besides this coming shopping,
like a shopping mall.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I've been to mall. And then I'm like, one day
they're going to be millionaires.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
He was like, mm hm, thought about it.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
It is a meliner.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
So therefore, if you got any melon in your skin,
you got the opportunity to be a part of us
and one day you might beat that millionaire that you
want to be.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
You are a genius. The whole family, everybody, everybody involved.
That's good. It's nice see all these kids playing around
down here on four Street live today. And then so
this is a one day only event here And where'd
you say you were in Jeffersonville tomorrow?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yeah, TOMORROWI and Jeff at that gemin and Jeff that
we was able to port them with the city of
jeff And we're excited for them reaching out to us
and we say, hey, you know what, yeah, well a
lot of coming Jeff and get a whole new client
base and meet people engaged, because it's not just about
making money. That is the number one point. But it's
about building relationships. That's the thing about small businesses.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
You want to.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Build relationships with your customer base because they may be
your neighbor, they may go to school with your kids,
and you want to build their relationship. It's a bigger
pitchion besides the dollar.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, you also want to be supportive of the locals,
just because the mom and pop then grow a business
that the daughter and son may take on and the
grandkids down the road. And you already use the phrase
generational wealth. That's the whole thing is that you plan
a flag and then it grows, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
That's exactly it.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And a lot of them business owners you see downstairs
right now at the marketplace fair, they are teaching their kids,
they're teaching their nieces, their nephews. We had a lot
of a sister and mom, business owners, husband and wife,
business owners, kids, high schoolers who are out there selling
products right now.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
You know what else I noticed too, I walked down
there several hours ago, was looking for you, and I said,
my girl's here somewhere. This is her concept, and everybody's
so polite. Oh yes, yes, sir, she was just here
and blah blah blah blah blah, and we'll do this
that or whatever, and just but everybody's so, you know,
everybody's so engaged and seem to be very enthusiastic about it.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
It's a standard e mail in their marketplace because we're
not your typical flea market, are your Vendo market. We
create community and we are creating. We show and teach
people how to respect, how to love everyone, and to
how to build amongst each other. So everybody's going to
always show that because it's a model that we carry out.
(06:47):
It's like we need each other at the end of
the day, so we don't go by out like you
know what. People will come and shop with you based
off of if they will like or respect you. They're
going to do that, period. So how do you do that?
You interest best all the time.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
No doubt everyone, you always do. I do.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I love people. I love people.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
She's the girl who never ages. Is great to see
you again, my friend.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yes, it was. Thank you so much, Jerry.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I'm so glad that this is taken off for it
because I saw you right when you got going. Yeah,
and uh we was down there, yeah, yeah, we were
down there. It was down here, and I think you've
been on TV with us before. I can't run yeah,
over the years, but it's great to see you again
and always you know, that's what locals do. We take
care of you, take care of each other.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
If anybody want to connect, they connect with us on
web on our website www dot Melana dot com. Are
we on Facebook because we are looking for inbastadors at
allies and people who believe in the mission to connect
with us.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
No doubt Melanaires M E L A N N A
I R E dot com. Yes it, we're on it,
my friend. Great to see you again. It's still making
so many years between our next visit.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Okay, I'll make sure I would not do that, Terry.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I'll see you later this year. All right, see you, Carlos,
Thank you, appreciate you, no doubt about it. All right,
coming right back. You're on news radio. Wait forty w
h s
Ladies and gentlemen. There is a huge fair going on
here at four Street Live today. The woman behind it
is I met years ago. I know. She's put together
a beautiful concept called Melonaire. Nay, how are you. It's
good to.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
See you, Terry. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:15):
You look fantastic?
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
You never age?
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yes, I don't.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
This guy Carlos with you over here. He's pretty good too,
He's a pretty good he's a pretty good fellow. So
what's up, Carlos. Good to have you in here all right. Now,
when did we first meet? Did you do this ten
years ago?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah? Well, but no, I didn't do this ten years ago,
but I were doing events. Yeah, And this just.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Started in the middle of the pandemic in twenty twenty
when black owned business, my No down business was saying hey,
we need help in the middle of a pandemic and
stivil on rest and they said, we need help. Can
you help us because we had a close out business.
We can't apply for loans. We don't know what to do.
We don't know how to make money, and we need
to be to have money, but there's no avenues.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
What can you do? I'm like, well, on.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
The event space, let me turn into a pop up
moll for one day. And now we're on year five
and what we do. We'll traveling retail platform for black
owned and black and brown owned businesses and we go everywhere.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
You have so many people here today. I went down
and walked all through it earlier today and I am
astounded at how this has really grown. You've you've you've
started something here.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
And I didn't know what I was starting. I just
knew I wanted to help the best way I could.
And now we done built something amazing brand that now
we have grown so big and now we are traveling
around there's nothing for us to do things a different
corporate companies, our organizations, our travel. Tomorrow we'll be doing
the same thingk over in jeff in Indiana.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Good.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
So we are all over and people book us out
for all types of events. So we are so excited
about how to see the growth of the businesses, to
provide education to them and to give them a platform
for a new client base.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
No doubt, and it helps everybody. When everybody's together, it's
like all the boats ride because people are more aware.
It's like a black owned business association.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Is that the best way to put it pretty much
exactly what it is. Yeah, we are like the guru when.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
You talk about black businesses to be able to kind
of what can they do to create generational wealth? What
can they do to learn how to really do retail business?
How can they be able to be in a platform
where they meet new people? And we just put all
the piece together and say, you know what, join us,
join our membership program and travel with us. Will take
you places. And that's what people have been going to
(02:30):
begin to do.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
June teenth is the perfect discovery day for this too.
So this is nice. So how long are people going
to be here at for street.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Life to ten o'clock? Everybody, come on down.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah wherever you from j Town, from West Louisvia from PRP,
from j from Prospect, We don't care wherever you're at.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
You are welcome here at the Mail in their marketplace.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
It is fantastic. I mean, the support is great, but
there's a whole diversity of options available for you too.
A complimented your colle when you came in and you
said you got it here.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Yeah, Meilan new worktplace where I purchase it. So I
stop with them all the time because it's important for
us to circulate the dollar the keeping this out of
our communities and to show them that I support their
products and I believe in it. So if nobody believed
in it, didn't nobody about it. But I do believe
in it, and I help them to scale up to
as well.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Local business is the fuel that runs a community too.
I mean, you know, Change can drop their little restaurants
next to the freeway, but that doesn't do anything locally.
That's just going somewhere else. And that's why mom and
pop ownership is everything, because the money stays here. The
mom and pops are involved in various things that happen
(03:43):
in the community that they go unnoticed by big conglomerates.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Rights totally.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
So are people imitating you in other cities? Do you know?
Is this concept gone somewhere else?
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Well?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
A lot of people nowtowns I've been asking us to
bring Meilan their marketplace to other cities. So of course
that is a part of my five year plan to
think about how can I get this to you know, Cincinnati, Chicago, Nashville.
And guess what, I'm working on these pieces now with
the help of people who are actually trying to help
me develop how I could get to the next step.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I love the word melonaire. Did you think of that?
Speaker 2 (04:17):
Well, it was a combination me and my husband.
Speaker 3 (04:19):
I said, I really want something different besides this coming shopping,
like a shopping mall.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
I've been to mall. And then I'm like, one day
they're going to be millionaires.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
He was like, mm hm, thought about it.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
It is a meliner.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
So therefore, if you got any melon in your skin,
you got the opportunity to be a part of us
and one day you might beat that millionaire that you
want to be.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
You are a genius. The whole family, everybody, everybody involved.
That's good. It's nice see all these kids playing around
down here on four Street live today. And then so
this is a one day only event here And where'd
you say you were in Jeffersonville tomorrow?
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Yeah, TOMORROWI and Jeff at that gemin and Jeff that
we was able to port them with the city of
jeff And we're excited for them reaching out to us
and we say, hey, you know what, yeah, well a
lot of coming Jeff and get a whole new client
base and meet people engaged, because it's not just about
making money. That is the number one point. But it's
about building relationships. That's the thing about small businesses.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
You want to.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Build relationships with your customer base because they may be
your neighbor, they may go to school with your kids,
and you want to build their relationship. It's a bigger
pitchion besides the dollar.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, you also want to be supportive of the locals,
just because the mom and pop then grow a business
that the daughter and son may take on and the
grandkids down the road. And you already use the phrase
generational wealth. That's the whole thing is that you plan
a flag and then it grows, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
That's exactly it.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And a lot of them business owners you see downstairs
right now at the marketplace fair, they are teaching their kids,
they're teaching their nieces, their nephews. We had a lot
of a sister and mom, business owners, husband and wife,
business owners, kids, high schoolers who are out there selling
products right now.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
You know what else I noticed too, I walked down
there several hours ago, was looking for you, and I said,
my girl's here somewhere. This is her concept, and everybody's
so polite. Oh yes, yes, sir, she was just here
and blah blah blah blah blah, and we'll do this
that or whatever, and just but everybody's so, you know,
everybody's so engaged and seem to be very enthusiastic about it.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
It's a standard e mail in their marketplace because we're
not your typical flea market, are your Vendo market. We
create community and we are creating. We show and teach
people how to respect, how to love everyone, and to
how to build amongst each other. So everybody's going to
always show that because it's a model that we carry out.
(06:47):
It's like we need each other at the end of
the day, so we don't go by out like you
know what. People will come and shop with you based
off of if they will like or respect you. They're
going to do that, period. So how do you do that?
You interest best all the time.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
No doubt everyone, you always do. I do.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I love people. I love people.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
She's the girl who never ages. Is great to see
you again, my friend.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yes, it was. Thank you so much, Jerry.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I'm so glad that this is taken off for it
because I saw you right when you got going. Yeah,
and uh we was down there, yeah, yeah, we were
down there. It was down here, and I think you've
been on TV with us before. I can't run yeah,
over the years, but it's great to see you again
and always you know, that's what locals do. We take
care of you, take care of each other.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
If anybody want to connect, they connect with us on
web on our website www dot Melana dot com. Are
we on Facebook because we are looking for inbastadors at
allies and people who believe in the mission to connect
with us.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
No doubt Melanaires M E L A N N A
I R E dot com. Yes it, we're on it,
my friend. Great to see you again. It's still making
so many years between our next visit.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
Okay, I'll make sure I would not do that, Terry.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
I'll see you later this year. All right, see you, Carlos,
Thank you, appreciate you, no doubt about it. All right,
coming right back. You're on news radio. Wait forty w
h s
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.