Home & Garden

Black Coffee. Black Culture. Black Excellence. Founded by neurosurgeon, David A. Paul, MD, Bold and Gritty is an entrepreneurial pursuit with social implications – ‘What would it look like if we built a culture around Black male success and cultivated a brand around that image?’ Using coffee as a vehicle to tell the stories of inspiring Black men – Bold and Gritty has become more than just a talking point it is a movement. The brand curates an assortment of products that caters to Bold and Gritty individuals who want to make a difference in the world - specialty roasted black coffee, androgenous scented candles, classic leather bound journals, and inspiring merchandise. Bold and Gritty is about building community – a community that embraces the Boldness and Grittiness of Black men. We believe that the story of every generation and every culture deserves to be told. And, that the genius of Black creativity lies in our ability to Boldly express ourselves. Black men are some of the Grittiest people to ever walk the earth. From early Black cowboys and pioneers to Black doctors, engineers and creatives, Black excellence is rooted in our ability to rise above every obstacle that comes our way. With each purchase, you help us tell that story.

Robin Wilson is an eco-friendly interior designer, author and entrepreneur with hypoallergenic products sold at Bed Bath & Beyond and other retailers. She is author of two award-winning books: Clean Design (Greenleaf, 2015) and Kennedy Green House (Greenleaf, 2010). She is the first woman with a branded line of custom kitchen & bath cabinetry that was sold by over 400 independent Holiday Kitchens dealers nationwide. She was first featured in Oprah’s magazines and her work has been featured in national press such as Good Housekeeping, House Beautiful, Esquire, Essence, and Natural Homes & Gardens, among others. Her design firm continues to handle select projects across the country and has been a member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). She is an unpaid ambassador to the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, and finished a term as VP the board of the Sustainable Furnishings Council. In 2014, she partnered with consumer products giant Panasonic to promote their latest line of cutting edge products for the home. In May 2013, her furniture line, Nest Home by Robin Wilson, premiered at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York. She regularly appears on the speakers circuit, on television and print with commentary on design, wellness, sustainability and allergy & asthma issues.

Well…since I am a Navy Veteran and have been stationed all over the country with my husband the submariner for the past 20 years, I have a unique collection of experiences to pull from. Every few years, we must pick up our lives and make a new home wherever my husband is needed. We have to find new friends and new communities to call our own, all while striving to keep a connection to the people and places we left behind through the years. It’s a lot, but I know I am one of many people who this is our normal life for years. The military family is different from the average.It has its moments that are trying, but overall, I can’t imagine a better way to spend the past 20 years of my life. I want to celebrate all of it, so I blended some scents that do just that! Fair Winds Candle Company provides high quality candles made of coconut wax and unique fragrances to celebrate all aspects of the military life helping ease the transitions from one home to the next through smells that are familiar and comforting. My goal is to help you make ‘scents’ of Navy life.

The Africa Your Time Is Now™ movement was launched by Papama Mtwisha in 2017. It was launched with a single aim which is to open our eyes to our limitless potential as AfriCANs.As a movement, we strongly believe that our thoughts, words and actions ignite waves of energy throughout the universe, which result in desirable or undesirable manifestations. This is why our good thoughts, words, emotions, and actions are important for a better continent and ultimately a better world.How we feel about ourselves is the seed we plant in our lives. We always need to ensure that we plant good seeds by thinking good thoughts about ourselves, on a personal and continental level. In wearing an Africa Your Time is Now t-shirt one becomes a breathing billboard sending a positive vibration. You convey a powerful message of inspiration that positively reaffirms and sends a bold reminder of the power that Africa and Africans possess.

Good Day Scents Candle Co. was founded on the philosophy of capturing the essence of unforgettable memories and experiences using carefully selected scents and unique names. Each candle is hand poured and made with care to give our customer a memorable experience from beginning to end. We hope customers get to relive their Good Days with the light of each candle. All Good Day Scents candles consists of premium soy wax, free from harsh chemicals and a variety of essential and fragrance oils mixed and poured by hand in Washington, DC

SampleHAUS got its start by creatively up-cycling interior design waste into eclectic home decor. While working at an interior design firm, I was always surrounded by beautiful fabrics and other materials that mostly ended up getting thrown away, for reasons as discontinuation or project surpluses. I decided to begin collecting these excess materials and that’s when SampleHAUS was born. With a background in Fine Art and Interior Architecture, Diana Adams found a way to combine her natural artistic talents with her respect for what the interior design industry is doing for creating more sustainable environments and life styles. The interior design and architectural industry has been leading the charge in sustainable design and reducing the our carbon foot print, but simultaneously generating waste of their own in the process. I want do my part in utilizing and upcycling what would have been discarded and giving it a new life. This could be anything from discontinued or excess samples that vendors creating for marketing, to scraps of materials left over from upholstery and building materials.

SHE-EO London founder, Emeca Hart established the luxury scent brand just this year, right in the midst of a global pandemic, but she’s absolutely determined to build a successful business and put the proudly Black-owned brand on the map. As a business owner and female CEO, that certainly comes with its challenges but Emeca is prepared to face them head-on. Her early years of spending summer vacations with her grandparents in the countryside of Jamaica birthed her love for exotic scents, a passion that is now reflected throughout her product line. Emeca sits down with SCHICK to discuss her long-term vision for SHE-EO, which couldn’t be clearer: To gain global recognition, be purposeful, enrich, empower, elevate, engage and inspire.

YOWIE is a home and life shop focused on curating small collections from friends, independent artists, and designers. Our storefront is located at 716 S. 4th Street in Queen Village, Philadelphia and founded by Shannon Maldonado. Our founder Shannon Maldonado also offers consulting services in the form of art direction and interior design.

Our founder, Monique Brown, has always been a passionate advocate for mindfulness and mental health wellness. After deciding to take a year out of her fast-paced career in the film industry, she moved to New York to regain work life balance. During this time Monique used mindfulness and positive affirmations in her own self-care practice. She discovered how powerful positive thought has the ability to change our lives for the better and what we believe to be possible. "a+FFIRMATION CULTURE was born out of wanting to help others see their own value, worth and potential to do the extraordinary" After using candles during meditation, Monique wanted to create a product that would be good for the body and mind. This inspired the idea of making clean burning, natural candles that came with a positive affirmation and a+FFIRMATION CULTURE was born.

This venture all started because of our baby boy Onyx. Bringing Onyx home was such a joy to our lives, but we quickly found out that the everyday products we used in our home were harmful not only to him but also ourselves. Having a love for candles, I use to go to the local market to pick up a handful for a couple of dollars, it was no sweat! Until I realized they were made with unhealthy paraffin and paired with a cotton wick that promoted soot. With these two components working actively together I was burning a petroleum by-product in our home, basically poisoning ourselves with every breath we took. As a mom, I took it upon myself to find the best solution. By using 100%, soy wax paired with a wooden cedar wick, and natural essential oils promoted clean burning. The vibe in the house was eccentric. A home that once filled our lungs with petroleum now filled it with clean air. Our body butter and soaps came about in the same fashion, thank you Onyx. When Onyx was about six months old, he started to develop dehydrated skin such as eczema. It was painful to see our baby scratch in his sleep and be irritated because of his skin. I know you're thinking - "Well why not just buy some product that would help?" We did, and it made it worst! So I went on my mom mad scientist rampage again and searched for the best ingredients to pair to create a soap and body butter to help Onyx with his skin. After finding the right combination, his skin is now beautiful and less irritated. Our goal is to share the love that we put in our product for our son with the world. Every candle, soap and body butter are handcrafted, and hand poured with love. Not your ordinary love - it's made with copious amounts of mom and dad-