By: AMAYA HENRY / ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
While it may not be Black History Month anymore, it is always important to celebrate and support Black people in the community — and what better way to do this than to support Black-owned businesses?
Here is a list of a few Black-owned businesses and authors to support:
Food
SOBOL — BedStuy
531 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11216
SoBol specializes in acai bowls and fruit smoothies. They pride themselves on not only being a restaurant, but as a community gathering spot. They have locations all over New York including Bed-Stuy, Astoria, and one soon to open in Williamsburg.
AUNTS ET UNCLES
1407 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11226
Not only is this restaurant Black-owned, but it’s vegan as well! Located in the Little Carribean, Aunts Et Uncles sells vegan treats, clothing, books, candles, and stationary as well. The owners, married couple Nicole and Michael Nicholas stated, “We wanted to create something on a higher vibration that more fully reflects the way we live.” This is seen with the restaurant's warm colors and a “chill” ambiance.
PEACHES HOTHOUSE
415 Tompkins Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Peaches HotHouse was founded in 2006 and gives New York a southern cuisine, featuring items like Louisiana Gumbo and Nashville Hot Chicken. Since then the owners, Craig Samuel and Ben Grossman have opened four restaurants all throughout Brooklyn. They wanted to make their views known and in a statement from their website they state, “We commit to being a welcoming and inclusive workplace for our colleagues without bias towards gender, race, sexuality, religion, political beliefs, age, abilities and disabilities, and socioeconomic status.”
Authors
CHARMAINE WILKERSON
Charmaine Wilkerson specializes in fictional writing, but has also written for various magazines. Her first book, Black Cake, just recently debuted on Feb. 1 and according to her website, a screen series is underway! Apple Books named it one of the best books of this month. Regarding her novel Wilkerson stated, “My novel is not autobiographical, but the emotional currents that run through any work of fiction often link back to real-life emotions we have experienced, or heard about, or read of.”
JOYA GOFFNEY
Joya Goffney was born in the small town of New Waverly in East Texas. During her high school years, she used to try and do little tasks which in turn inspired her book, Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. She notes that while her books are sweet in nature, they also explore Black identity and what it means to be Black. She looks forward to writing more stories in the future and has a new book, Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl, coming out on May 3, 2022.
C.J. WASHINGTON
C.J. Washington is the author of the recently debuted novel, The Intangible. Washington is not only a writer, but a data scientist as well. He became a neuroscientist because he wanted to help others, but began to understand that his knowledge had its limitations. In an interview with Leslie Lindsay he stated, “I chose “intangible” for the title in part because each of these characters’ deepest yearnings is beyond their understanding.”
Bookstores
CAFE CON LIBROS
724 Prospect Place
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Cafe con Libros prides itself in being an intersectional feminist bookstore and coffee shop. They have two book clubs: the Intersectional Women’s Book Club and the Womxn of Color Book Club that meet at the cafe. They also have numerous author events every month as well. On their website they state, “Above all, we value the worth of all living organisms on earth.We hold human relationships, the role of community, and living as closely to the type of equitable world we wish to create with high esteem. We cherish the simplicity of genuine conversation, diversity, and love.”
THE LIT. BAR 131 Alexander Ave
Bronx, NY 10454
When Noëlle Santos opened The Lit. Bar she wanted to combine a bookstore and wine bar. This came after the only other bookstore in the Bronx, Barnes & Nobles, shut down. The Lit. Bar became the only indie bookstore in the entire borough. Due to the pandemic the bar is currently closed, but they have many virtual events in the meantime.
Shops
PEACE & RIOT
401-403 Tompkins Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Peace & Riot is a gift and home decor store that promotes elegance and tranquility. You can buy an arrangement of decor items from candles to cookware to bath accessories. Co-owner, Achuziam Maha-Sanchez, is also an interior designer and believes, “ you should be able to buy a New York Times, healthy produce, a slamming outfit and a gift all within walking distance of your house.”
MARCHÉ RUE DIX
1453 Bedford Ave #1
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Marché Rue Dix is a cultural concept store, restaurant, and nail salon located in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The restaurant serves traditional Senegalese dishes while the concept store sells a variety of gifts. According to their website they state that, “We work with some of the best and most innovative designers and creatives in Brooklyn and beyond- and that extends to our in store nail studio.”
RITUALS AND CEREMONY
717B Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Rituals and Ceremony is a home goods and lifestyle store that opened in November 2017. Their focus is on unique items that enhance self care. Along with a physical shop, they also sell items online. From candles to baskets to sculptures, this place has it all. While the store is currently closed due to the ongoing pandemic, they offer their products online.
Clothing Stores
DA SPOT NYC
City Point BKLYN
445 Albee Square W
Brooklyn, 11201
Da Spot NYC is located right across from LIU in City Point. The store was created by three independent creatives and features the work of over 50 brands by people of color. Along with selling clothes they also host creative workshops, business shows, and art panels. They pride themselves on not only being a boutique, but being a platform for creativity as well.
MOSHOOD CREATIONS
1360 Fulton St
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Moshood is seen as a kind, sincere, and honest man of Africa. When he arrived in NY from Lagos, Nigeria in the 1980s he worked tirelessly on his craft. 22 years later and the pieces in his boutique continue to depict the beauty of the Afrikan culture. He has been featured in numerous publications, like the NY Times, the NY Post, and the NY Daily Mail.
BLK MKT VINTAGE
465 Marcus Garvey Blvd
Brooklyn, NY 11216
BLK MKT Vintage is a store that sells Black cultural antiques. The motivation for the store was to, “build a collection that mirrors multifarious Black cultural expression is rooted in our love for Black people, Black culture and our own lived experiences.” Along with selling their vintage antiques in their store, they also sell them on their Etsy shop. In an interview with co-founder Kiyanna Stewart, she detailed how she has been collecting Black artifacts since she was in college. From HBCU letterman jackets to Black Panther Party newspapers they have it all.
Home Decor
LINOTO
3199 Albany Post Rd #215
Buchanan, NY 10511
Jason Evege is the founder as well as the creative designer for Linoto. He created Linoto in 2007 because he realized that he could not find anywhere to buy affordable sheets so he decided to create his own for his friends and family members. Linoto specializes in using linen fabrics in their products. They sell linen tablecloths and napkins, linen sheets, linen curtains, and linen towels. Every product is marked on the cloth with chalk, cut with tailor shears, expertly measured, expertly sewn to the same standards as a designer dress, and then washed with natural laundry soap and shipped in plastic free recycled packaging.
NATTY GARDEN
636 Washington Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Natty Garden began in 2008 as a small plant store and has since tripled in size and expanded their selection. They not only sell a variety of plants, pots, and soils, but they also have landscaping services. If you are unable to make it into the store, they sell their products online and have their own delivery service.
For more information about black-owned businesses in New York you can visit https://www.blackownedbrooklyn.com/
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