Khane Kutzwell, owner of Camera Ready Kutz barbershop, doesn’t really dig the term “LGBTQ-friendly.” It shouldn’t be necessary. “It reminds me of ‘Colored people are welcome,’” she says. “You should just be friendly, period.”
Khane Kutzwell, owner of Camera Ready Kutz barbershop, doesn’t really dig the term “LGBTQ-friendly.” It shouldn’t be necessary. “It reminds me of ‘Colored people are welcome,’” she says. “You should just be friendly, period.”
Happy National Rosé Day (June 9)! We’ve gathered our supplies at Bottoms Up Wine & Spirits, a serious but accessible shop on Franklin Ave specializing in small-batch booze. “We want to service anyone, whether you’re living paycheck to paycheck or whether you want the most expensive bottle in the store for a special occasion," says owner Shaun McGee, a Queens native who opened Bottoms Up three years ago
Our dining-out philosophy trends toward: “I’m here for a good time, not a long time.” (Extra fries, please.) At Brooklyn Blend, a Bed-Stuy juice bar serving healthy sandwiches, salads, shakes and smoothies — which are also some of the neighborhood’s most fire provisions — we don’t have to choose.
Can we talk about Mrs. Clara Hayes? She is the owner and manager of Bed-Stuy’s Macon Hardware, which she has run, originally alongside her late husband Peter Hayes, for the past 69 years. A native of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, she keeps shop with help from her children, nieces, nephews and grands. And today is her 90th birthday!
After weeks of rain, we’re finally in the midst of a sunny stretch. Don’t let it go to waste! Get your day party on — or enjoy a low-key nighttime hang — at Ode to Babel. Owned by twin sisters Marva (pictured) and Myriam Babel, the Prospect Heights cocktail bar and lounge hosts a regular calendar of themed DJ sets and pop-up kitchens, drawing a creative clientele.
Ife, owner of the boutique gym The Fit In Bed Stuy, has little patience for fitness marketing. “Fitness tends to look one way, and it is the very opposite of me,” says the 35-year-old, mohawked East New York native. “The marketing generally doesn’t reflect the diversity of people who are actually working out. So I wanted to create a space where everyone can feel accepted, included and like they fit in as they are.”
We went to Abu’s Homestyle Bakery to prepare for National Coconut Cream Pie Day (May 8), ordering their rich, creamy coconut custard variety. We stayed for their signature dessert: bean pie.
Onishka Camarena, owner of El Jeffe Modern Mexican Grill, doesn’t mind when people describe her fast-casual restaurant as serving tacos infused with Caribbean flavors — but it’s not exactly her culinary point of view. “I love Mexican food and wanted to add the seasonings that we use in Panama,” says Camarena, who is Panamanian-born and Brooklyn-raised, of El Jeffe’s concept.
“A brand is always a personal evolution,” says Ouigi Theodore, owner of The Brooklyn Circus, a menswear boutique specializing in “tailored casual” clothing designed to go from business meetings to the barber shop.
For Anjaneth “Angie” Aguirre, owner of She’s Polished, her nail care obsession started early. “I’ve been doing nails since I was 13 because every time I went to salons, I would leave with polish on my skin…
“I’m in the back-to-Africa business,” says Sandra Marshall-Haye, who co-owns Tafari Tribe boutique with her husband, Michael Haye, and their daughter Saidah (pictured). “I think every Black person should own a piece of Africa and get back with our roots, you know?”
Sol Sips, a vegan restaurant in Bushwick, has only been open for a few weeks, but it is by far Black-Owned Brooklyn’s most requested spot. The BOB Massive (plus your moms, cousins and basketball teams) rushed to tell us about Francesca Chaney, Sol Sip’s incredibly self-possessed 22-year-old owner, and her mission to make healthy, plant-based food accessible to all. Going viral has drawn visitors from as far as D.C., Atlanta and Oakland.
As he worked on Jordan Heads, his documentary about collectors with a deep love and affinity for Air Jordan sneakers, Calvan Fowler noticed two things. One: Folks who eat, sleep and breathe Air Jordans are all over the world, obsessively collecting the kicks and related paraphernalia — but there was no retail destination for this avid customer base.
Before opening Ommmango Wellness, her acupuncture and massage therapy studio in Fort Greene, Gina Pierre had already gone through a few transitions. She’d had a career in modern and West African dance.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes, it’s also the mother of hustles. After Mary Wormworth was laid off from her job as an airline reservation agent, her sister mentioned that a friend was making jewelry — and the casual comment planted a seed.
Grandchamps is a great many things. It’s a Haitian restaurant serving hearty staples such as griot (pan-fried pork), legume (stewed eggplant and squash), tassot cabrit (marinated goat) and djon djon (black mushroom rice).
To quote, if we may, Del the Funky Homosapien: Life is a blast when you know what you’re doing. And one thing Khayri Ayers knows with great authority is making cake, putting playful spins on the craft at his bakery, CakeBoi.
Kiyanna Stewart (left), co-founder of BLK MKT Vintage, has been collecting Black artifacts, cast-offs and curiosities since college, later bringing girlfriend Jannah Handy into the fold.
Natalie Cosby, owner of Stacked Yoga, recalls being approached by a guy on the street one summer. “Girl, I can get you fit; I can help you get that right,” he said, gesticulating at her curvy figure. The Louisville, Ky. native smiled. “Okay, cool,” she replied sweetly. “But it is right. And I’m a yoga teacher.”
Some advice. When you see Joel Mahfood, owner of nursery and garden supply center Natty Garden, don’t sidle up and ask him if he sells any “special plants, if you know what I mean?” It’s a hacky joke, first of all, and one he’s heard before.
