As
a partner in M&J Productions, Malinda Saunders, President and founder
of UNICA Shows, co-organized the world's first exposition specifically
created for the buying and selling of black memorabilia.
That first show drew more than 600 people at Armory Place in Silver
Spring, Maryland.
After
the dissolution of M&J Productions, Saunders formed UNICA Shows in
1989 and began sponsoring the annual spring Black Memorabilia and
Collectors' Showcase at Armory Place.
UNICA has also sponsored black memorabilia shows in Princeton, New
Jersey; Denver, Colorado; Los Angeles and Oakland, California, and in her
hometown, Norfolk, Virginia.
Black
dolls are one of the most sought after items by collectors. In response to the demand, UNICA Shows began sponsoring
Washington's only annual Black Doll Show in 1990, also at Armory Place.
After
the demolition of Armory Place, which had become synonymous with the
annual expositions, UNICA Shows held expositions at various locations
including the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
Conference Center in Arlington, VA, the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in
Gaithersburg, MD, and the People Congregational Church in D.C.
At the request of the National Council of Negro Women, UNICA
organized a series of Black Dolls Show at Union Station in D.C.
UNICA Shows sponsored its last black memorabilia show in 2000, however, L. Johnson Shows has continued the tradition at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. UNICA Shows continues to hold the Washington Black Doll Show at Ramada Inn in Lanham, MD.