BLK MKT Vintage

"...is a collection comprised of black collectibles, cast-off's and curiosities, representing the richness of black history and lived experience. Curated by founders Jannah Handy and Kiyanna Stewart, the collection includes found items like vintage literature, vinyl records, clothing, art, housewares/decor, furniture and other goods. By centering black cultural artifacts via thoughtful curation and varying modes of accessibility, we're communicating very explicitly to black folks that 'not only do we see you, but we love you as well. You're worthy. What you've created is worthy. You are important here.' "

Briogeo Hair

"Nancy Twine, is no newcomer to the beauty-sphere – in fact, she made her first foray into the world of natural product formulation at the ripe age of five. During childhood visits to West Virginia, Nancy would assume the role of sous chef to her grandmother, the town's resident beauty guru, in making her coveted homemade hair care.

After an early-twenties move to New York City forced Nancy to trade out her homemade essentials for the store-bought variety, she quickly realized that the natural hair care on the market simply did not live up to its performance claims. Armed with a tiny East Village studio apartment, her grandmother's coveted beauty recipes and a rockstar natural chemist team, Nancy founded Briogeo Hair Care.

A refreshing deviation from a market saturated with products backed by big-name celebrity stylists and deep-pocketed corporations, Briogeo takes it back to basics, offering a high-performance, hair care collection that is naturally based, yet performance driven to provide visible results."

Golde

"...with the mission of bringing good vibes to the wellness industry. We're an independent, Brooklyn-born brand centered in making superfood-boosted essentials for health and beauty. Our products are always natural, easy, and (most importantly) fun."

HanaHana Beauty

"Hanahana began from a simple want to truly feel confident in my own skin. Four years ago, I decided that I was over buying skincare products without knowing what was actually in it. I went back to what I knew, shea butter! As a child, my mother would heat up shea butter and cloves and add them to her own body butter concoctions for our family to use. If you had a muscle pull, "use nkuto" was the answer (nkuto is the Twi name for shea butter). Your head hurts? "Rub nkuto." Dry skin? "Use nkuto"—it was the go-to in our household.

All of the information I gathered and my experiences lead me to my decision to start a business. Curiosity and research lead me see the lack of transparency and sustainability upheld within the beauty industry, abut also lead me to the Katariga Women in Tamale, Ghana.

Meeting the Katariga Women and immersing myself in the community inspired me to not only think creatively about creating a teaching experience for others to learn from but also to look deeper into Hanahana Beauty's vision of uplifting women of color and sustainable direct sourcing."

The Honey Pot Company

""If you're here because your honeypot is unhappy, I've been there.

The whole reason I started The Honey Pot Co was because I was suffering from bacterial vaginosis for months and couldn't get relief. One night, an ancestor visited me in a dream and gifted me with a vision to heal myself.

With her help, I created the Honey Pot Co to solve for what other brands wouldn't, using the power of herbs."

BEA DIXON
FOUNDER OF THE HONEY POT CO"

OUI the people

"When launching OUI (Shave) I looked through shaving ads from the '50s onward to get a sense of the language they used. It all boiled down to one message. "You're not loveable" if you don't…

I almost wrote it off, it was the '50s after all, until I saw modern brands using similar language. Why are we still selling products to women under flawless, anti-aging, and perfecting? It reads, quite literally, as antiquated.

A recent search on a major beauty website returned 1,766 products with the term "anti-aging", 524 with "flawless", and 1,665 with "perfect". Every one of those products fell under the women's beauty category.

— — —

With OUI the People came a mission: The reConstitution of Beauty is our commitment to "watch our language". No brand is just a brand. Clearly. Brands inform culture and language, as beauty has done for decades. We believe beauty shouldn't come at the expense of our psyche. Rather than pursuing flawlessness, we aim to build efficacious products, designed thoughtfully, that help you feel great in the skin you're already in."

People of Color Beauty

"Growing up, founder Jacqueline Carrington, never saw images of nail polish colors reflected on her skin tone or the skin tones of other girls and women she knew, which made her skip nail polish all together growing up. It wasn't until her 3-year old daughter Monroe, at the time, started coming back from visits with her GiGi (grandma) with her nails painted, that Jacqueline had a newfound interest.

There are so many skin tones within brown communities all over the world, that she wondered, what if someone made a nail polish brand that was made to complement the various shades of brown skin? Then she thought, why doesn't she do it?! So she did! People of Color® is not just for People of Color. Our slogan is "nail polish for People of Color and those who live in color". This essentially represents everyone who lives in and loves color!

However, it is our mission to represent People of Color® and the various shades of brown skin when curating our nail polish collections as the FIRST THOUGHT, not the afterthought. We strive to showcase our colors on various shades of brown skin so that others can see themselves in our polishes and know that our brand celebrates them and their beauty. People of Color. We are you. You are us."

Frugal Bookstore

"We are a community bookstore located in Roxbury with a passion of promoting literacy within our children, teens and adults. We've got all these great books (and getting more all the time) at incredible prices that we want you to see."

Anya Lust Lingerie

"Inspired by endless romance, decadent sensuality, and intoxicating femininity, Anya Lust is a lingerie dreamland, created for free-spirited women to revel in pleasure and all that makes life so incredibly beautiful. We dream of weekend trips to Paris, intimate nights in private, dancing on the beach, never-ending sunkissed skin, indulging in fantasy, and drifting through lust and love."

The Brooklyn Circus

"The Brooklyn Circus/BKc is a menswear brand that finds inspiration in the pages of history books. Everything we make has a story, from the construction of our varsity jackets to the looms where our denim is woven, and we take these elements into consideration when we cultivate our brand. We are here to tell the story of style throughout American history and to emphasize the power of presentation. We want to change the way Americans dress, one iconic silhouette at a time through the 100-Year Plan. Welcome to the circus."

DiOP

"Wearing something that showed where I was from made me feel special. The problem is that for many people like me, that experience isn't always readily available.Our apparel will always reflect my experience living in the space between my heritage and my lifestyle as a first-generation American.

I hope when you wear DIOP, you feel connected to the truest sense of who you are, whoever that may be."

KUTULA

"Homegrown in Los Angeles, with parental roots in both Nigeria and Zambia [Africa], sisters, Kay and Bo are second-generation owners of KUTULA by Africana, LA's premiere and most recognized authentic, African-inspired fashion retailer.

Originally named 'Africana Imports' in 1971 by their parents Tony and Francesca, the retail brand has been a permanent mainstay in the Los Angeles community for more than 45 years.

Fast forward to 2014 when Kay + Bo were inspired to infuse a new vitality into the brand by renaming the business KUTULA (which means 'to leap forward'), taking over the reins of the business, thereby cementing the continuation of their family legacy. Prior to stepping into KUTULA as co-CEOs, Kay + Bo previously held long-standing executive positions in corporate pr and business development, respectively, in D.C. and New York, NY.

Together, this dynamic duo has injected new vision and modern style to the brick-and-mortar concept, crossing cultural borders and boundaries to appeal to an ever-growing audience, along with new generations that now flock to KUTULA from near and wide."

Octave Jewelry

"Octave Jewelry is inspired by the balance between sharp geometry and soft organic form. These kinetic pieces are dually inspired by the infinite malleability of metal and the permanence of stone. But most of all, this jewelry is made to be worn; each piece sparkles and sways with the wearer, highlighting the beauty within.My work provides a modern frame for earth's ancient works of art. Every raw stone tells a story, and I cut each one by hand to suit its independent character. In sterling silver and gold, I hand-fabricate comfortable, wearable, and bold pieces that bring a sense of elegance to the everyday."

Post-Imperial

"Post-Imperial is a menswear brand with a strong sense of optimism for the future and a focus on color, pattern and process. We treat our fabrics in Nigeria through a process called Adire.- a rare hand dyeing process developed by the Yorubas in the Southwest region of Nigeria. Prior to dyeing, the artist hand paints patterns using a cassava starch or wax base that acts as the resist dye. The painted fabric is then dipped in a vat of dye, and then treated and rewashed in hot water. All fabrics are shipped to our factory in New York where we cut and sew our products. Our goal is to always design for now by shaping cultural concepts through a modern perspective."

Juvia's Place

"Africa is not only the birthplace of humanity, it's the birthplace of all beauty. Juvia's Place was created to celebrate the rebels, rulers and queens of the African kingdoms of long ago, who emulated and honored beauty through their soulful and innovative techniques that the top beauty gurus still use today. Inspired by the queens before us, Juvia's Place offers the richest, most vibrantly-pigmented essentials for the eyes, face and lips to take you from the office, to the Caribbean islands, and everywhere inbetween!"

NXC Vintage Shop

"After years of shifting through vintage and sharing her vintage finds, Avry launched Nxcvintage Shop in February of 2019.

Nxcvintage shop also known as NXCV makes it easy for you to shop vintage online from the comfort of your home. Each item has been sourced, hand washed, styled, and packaged with love ,"

Maison Noir Wines

"Maison Noir is a two-fold lifestyle project producing both a T-Shirt line and Oregon wines. Founded by sommelier André Hueston Mack in 2007, both ends of Maison Noir incorporate a trademark attitude and personal perspective on wine subculture. The wines are unique and distinctive garage wines, initially created for some of the New York's best restaurants for whom Mack was a sommelier and now available nationwide. Maison Noir apparel is inspired by WINE LIFESTYLE/STREET CULTURE of the punk and hip-hop scenes while reminiscent of independent skateboard company apparel of the 1990s"

Calabash Tea and Tonic

"The seed for Calabash was planted two doors from the world famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem, NY with the opening of 'Pyramid Tea & Herbal' in 1976. As the counter help at Pyramid, her parent's healthfood shop & juice bar, Sunyatta trained as a 5th generation master herbalist and later as a Naturopath - learning the medicinal value of global teas, foods & spices. Since being able to peek over the shop counter, she has served NYC residents alongside health-seeking celebrities. For many decades Sunyatta accompanied her Syrian-Jamaican/Cuban family on spice buying adventures, while daydreaming of outfitting Pyramid with the fabrics & decor of these exotic destinations.

Slipping 'green cuisine' out of Birkenstocks and sliding it into stilettos offers aphrodisiac philters such as 'Love Potion #10 Chai', 'Mighty Mandingo Chai', 'All Night Long' (Passionfruit Ginseng Green Tea) alongside ancient herbal elixirs like 'Rescue Me' (Flu & Cold Brew), 'Goddess Kali's Hibiscus Healer (Blood Cleanser)' and Yoni-Verse (Womb Wellness Tea).

The majority of our 100 tea & coffee blends and vittles are rooted in our grandmothers' time-tested recipes - especially the aphrodisiac concoctions. Hey, why should naughty congressmen have all the fun in DC?"

Charleston Gourmet Burger Company

"We've been all over the country in search of the perfect burger and have had the delicious pleasure of eating some incredibly good ones. Somehow though, we never found that special one. You know, the kind of burger you daydream about. The kind of burger you never forget. That's when it hit us. Why search for the ultimate burger when we could make it ourselves? Lucky for us, we had the opportunity to try different recipes at lots of cookouts with family and friends.

When we got the recipe right, and mixed in our newly created burger marinade, people loved them so much we couldn't make the burgers quick enough! After that, phone calls before upcoming cookouts went something like this: "If you're making those burgers, I'm coming!" Watching a line of hungry folks snake through our backyard, the grill loaded to capacity , we thought we might be onto something. When family and friends said, "Those burgers are so good you should sell them! it was clear- and so the Charleston Gourmet Burger Co. was born!"

DOPE Coffee

"People say that Black people don't drink coffee, they were lying.

We came here to show the world that premium coffee and Black culture go hand in hand.
Coffee has a stigma that surrounds it. The focus is put on fancy origins, roasts, and blends - that pretentiousness lends itself to stereotypes about the people who drink it. But that's not how we roll.

We create special products inspired by Black culture for the culture but everyone is invited to the party."

Jones Bar-B-Q

"For sisters Deborah "Little" and Mary "Shorty" Jones, barbeque is a way of life. When they were little girls, their father, Leavy B. Jones Sr., set them up on milk crates to look over the pit at the very first Jones Bar-B-Q restaurant.

Over thirty years later, the Jones sisters still carry on their father's legacy of smoking meats and making their family's secret BBQ sauce from scratch daily at their restaurant in Kansas City. Now you and your family can experience the love and art of Jones Bar-B-Q in your own home.

FROM THE JONES FAMILY TO YOURS, WE THANK YOU AND REMEMBER--THE BEST ATTITUDE IS GRATITUDE!"

McBride Sisters Wine

"Upon meeting, Robin and Andréa quickly discovered they shared the same passion for wine and had remarkably similar upbringings growing up amongst the vineyards. Robin and Andréa created the McBride Sisters Wine Collection to unite their parallel lives and passions. Now the largest African-American-owned wine company in the United States, the collection of wines represents a genuine sense of place. Both the New Zealand and Central Coast of California wines are true expressions of each region's terroir and the McBride sisters' signature style; a blend of old-world elegance with new-world finesse."

Ethel's Club

"Ethel's Club is the first private social and wellness club designed with people of color in mind. Our first clubhouse is located in Brooklyn, NY. Ethel's Club is a Somewhere Good brand."

The Lit. Bar

"Our venue encourages curious readers and welcomes literary and community gatherings—while our wine bar connects the great pastimes of social sipping and introverted reading. What better way to loosen our tongues and talk about the books we love? We offer a carefully curated selection of general interest books, gift items, and programming which emphasize local interest and diversity for all ages."

Phenomenal Woman

"The Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, inspired by Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" poem, brings awareness to social causes.

We support the following nonprofits:

ESSIE JUSTICE GROUP harnesses the power of women with incarcerated loved ones to end mass incarceration.

BLACK FUTURES LAB works with Black people to build Black political power.

HIGHER HEIGHTS is building a national infrastructure to harness Black women's political power and leadership.

FAMILIES BELONG TOGETHER works to permanently end family separation and detention, and immediately reunite all families.

JUSTICE FOR MIGRANT WOMEN protects the rights of migrant women.

NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN WOMEN'S FORUM builds the power of AAPI women and girls to gain agency over their lives, families, and communities.

NATIVE VOICES RISING supports organizing, advocacy, and civic engagement in American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities.

THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS enhances understanding of Islam, protects civil rights, promotes justice, and empowers American Muslims.

TGI JUSTICE works to end human rights abuses against transgender, intersex, and gender-variant people."

GILDED

"At GILDED, we believe that everyone, regardless of their social and/or economic status, should have regular access to dermatologic care. Yet, research shows, on average, women and children who are uninsured, of lower income and have to travel outside of their communities for appointments, thereby incurring additional costs and hindering timely access, only visit the dermatologist once every ten years and therefore, are unable to receive quality skin care help and guidance.

It's incredibly important to see a dermatologist as patients can learn of possible early skin conditions to receive accurate diagnoses and care to improve outcomes, and reduce potential diseases such as skin cancer.

Our want to reduce health disparities in dermatologic care and allow more access by providing virtual and in-person appointments. Our pilot program, launched in Atlanta this year, is currently offering virtual visits."

Harlem Candle Company

"The Harlem Candle Co. is a luxury home fragrance brand specializing in scented candles inspired by the richness of Harlem. Founded in 2014 by travel and lifestyle expert Teri Johnson, the Harlem Candle Company is the manifestation of her love affair with fragrance, jazz, and Harlem."

DIABOLI KILL

"Launched in 2013; New York born, Egyptian-Dominican designer, Angie Marei reveals the darker side of luxury with Diaboli Kill jewelry. A tie between sinister and sexy, the collection decorates from tip to toe and defines timeless elegance. Inspired by elements of past and present, the artist and her work, are catching the eye of the media, publishing, and entertainment industry. In the first few years, Diaboli Kill has garnered noteworthy press in the likes of: W Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Número Magazine and WWD. Diaboli Kill jewelry has been worn by celebrity clients and powerful icons such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Ava DuVernay, Taraji P. Henson, Zendaya, Chelsea Wolfe, Jessie J, Demi Lovato, Future Hendrix and many more."

Fini Shoes

"Fini Shoes is a lifestyle shoe engineered and designed for maximum comfort and durability without forgoing the luxury aesthetic. It's an innovative multidimensional shoe that caters to all types of people and occasions from day to night, weekdays to weekends.

The key differentiator that sets Fini Shoes apart from all markets competitors is the unique, never seen before customization elements. The shoe allows the wearer to add multiple add-ons through a seamless and minimal zipper concept; the wearer has the ability and choice to switch out part of their shoe to become a completely new shoe. It can be worn in a variety of ways and can adapt to any environment depending on the shoe accessories available.

Our mission is to disrupt the saturated shoe market and provide a price, value, and style unmatched in today's retail industry.

We want our future customers to be engaged and grow with us as we develop our brand and a new trend. Our goal is to continue to refine the product in order to best fit each and every customer. We are excited and blessed by this opportunity and we hope to provide a product that is admired and worn with pride. We understand that ideas and dreams can only become successful id we work hard and dedicate ourselves to our audience, product and craft. Our team is focused on bringing Fini customers the best experience from delivering a quality product to the best customer service."

Pipcorn Heirloom Snacks

"Pipcorn was born in 2012, when Jeff Martin was helping his sister, Jen move apartments. With everything packed up except a bag of tiny heirloom popcorn kernels that Jen found in the Chicago health food store where she worked, they popped batch after batch of the most delicious popcorn they'd ever had! They liked this one so much, they tracked down the Indiana farmer who grew it from his family's heirloom seed stock. Together with Jeff's wife, Teresa, they created a new company, Pipsnacks™."