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Looking to support BIPOC-owned businesses? Look no further than this list of businesses from across the Baltimore region. Whether it’s a luxurious spa treatment or a sweet treat, these spots will provide you with goods and services that yield perfect gifts this holiday season.
Katwalk Boutique
For the past 25 years, Toni James has been an arbiter of taste in Baltimore through her Fells Point business, Katwalk Boutique. As a Black woman, she has not only been at the forefront of bringing hot, international brands to the city, but she has also been responsible for selling merchandise and goods from young Black Baltimore-based designers. You can also find a wide selection of other curated gifts. She’s currently raving about shea butter-enriched soaps from France from a company named Pre’ De Provence. The 9-pack costs $20.
Location: 1709 Aliceanna St, Fells Point
The STAND by Le MONADE
Carleen Goodridge has tapped into her Liberian-American heritage to open The STAND by Le MONADE, a stylish, curated drink and small bites cafe in downtown Baltimore. Guests can also purchase LeMonade, her line of drink mixers with nods to the African diaspora. With flavors such as Hibiscus Guava, Citrus Thyme, Ginger Rose you’ll have endless Liberian-inspired concoction options. Each bottle yields 8 to 12 drinks. $15 per bottle.
Location: 211 St Paul Place, downtown Baltimore
Sacré Sucré
Couple Manuel Sanchez and Dane Thibodeaux were first introduced to macarons during a 2015 Paris trip. And customers of their Fells Point bakery Sacré Sucré — French for sacred sugar — are glad they did. In addition to stunning pastries, their shop also offers macaron baking classes. There are also macarons available for gift boxes. Current flavors include vanilla, chocolate, caramel, pistachio, raspberry, gianduja, spiced pumpkin, fig, lavender, oatmeal-cinnamon, earl-grey. You can mix and match or just get one flavor for a gift box of 12 ($32) or 24 ($62). Find the boxes at shop.sacresucre.com or at their Fells Point storefront.
Location: 2001 Fleet St., Fells Point
The Empanada Lady
Elisa Milan draws upon her Puerto Rican and Black background to create flavorful empanadas and coquito, a coconut-based concoction similar to eggnog — without the egg. Known as the Empanada Lady, Milan has bottles of coquito ready for purchase. In addition to the traditional ($30 for 25 ounce or $100 for 100 ounce), she now offers a vegan coquito ($35 for 25 ounce or $110 for 100 ounce). The bottles are the perfect holiday gift. Find them at her shop or order ahead at www.TheEmpanadaLady.shop
Location: 120 W. North Ave., Old Goucher
Art of Balance Wellness Spa
As a Black-owned business owner, North Carolina transplant Dr. Nia Banks mixes her Southern hospitality with medical background — she’s a board-certified plastic surgeon ― to present the gift of relaxation and wellness at her business Art of Balance Wellness Spa at The Ritz Carlton Residences. With everything from chemical peels to massages, the spa offers a bevy of treatments. Buy $300 worth of gift cards and receive an additional $50 gift card for free.
Location: 801 Key Highway, Federal Hill
KSM Candle Co.
Owner Letta Moore left her marketing job in the corporate world 15 years ago to flex her entrepreneurial muscles and create KSM Candle Co. Moore now offers candle-making classes and plenty of goods to purchase from her Clipper Mill store. Her candles come in a variety of scrumptious smelling scents (blood orange, ocean city, grapefruit, sandalwood). My favorite happens to be an East African Amber 4-ounce soy candle. It’s long-lasting (25-hour burn time) and features a mix of vanilla, dark musk, and sandalwood scent with hints of citrus and jasmine. Find the candle for $12.
Location: 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Unit 123, Woodberry
LumiereVodka
Hanover resident Terrence Wheeler, a Howard High School and Hampton University graduate, launched his vodka company, LumiereVodka, after working with Dutch Craft Distillery and experimenting through 60 iterations before finalizing the recipe used today. The vodka gets its sweet flavor with caramel undertones from using procured Panela Sugar from farmers in El Salvador. Bottles are $29.99 and can be purchased online.
Location: Buy online at lumierevodka.com
Stevie Boi
His flashy eyewear and clothing have been worn by the likes of Rihanna, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. Now it’s your chance to give the gift of the designs of Havre de Grace resident Stevie Boi. His stunning sunglasses are the perfect pair of head-turning fashion for your favorite fashionista. Find sunglasses SB Democracie’z for $500 at stevieboi.com
Location: Shop online at stevieboi.com
Cuples Tea House
This Black-owned business will have you sipping your tea in style. In addition to having a cozy, stylish teahouse in downtown Baltimore where they provide a variety of teas and pastries, they also have gift sets so you can share the experience with others. This gift set is $65 and includes a 3-ounce tin of tea, a gold infuser “egg,” a Kenyan wood spoon and a black matte cork-bottom mug with lid.
Location: 409 N. Howard Street, Mt. Vernon
Charm City Chocolate
As one of the few Black women chocolatiers in Baltimore, Michelle Deal-Zimmerman is paving the way to confection success through her Hampden-based business, Charm City Chocolate. Working with her husband, Todd, and using his family’s South Carolina chocolate recipes, the venture has resulted in sweet success. Her Advent chocolate calendar, a delicious way to count down to Christmas, features decadent bite-sized truffles in assorted truffle flavors such as amaretto, banana, cappuccino, caramel, chocolate, coffee, gingerbread, hazelnut, Irish cream, key lime, lemon, maple, mint, orange, raspberry, salted caramel, tiramisu, and vanilla in a variety of milk, dark or white chocolate variations. The gift box is packaged in a hand-pulled letterpress designed in collaboration with Baltimore-based company Tiny Dog Press. Find the 2022 Baltimore Advent Calendar Truffle-A-Day for $42 at mycurbsidechocolate.com or at their Hampden shop.
Location: 809 W 36th St, Hampden
Jody Davis Designs Boutique
For decades, Baltimore’s best-dressed women have turned to fashion designer Jody Davis and her sleek, chic creations. The Fashion Institute of Technology graduate, who launched her business in September 2009 and her boutique a year later, is responsible for dressing celebrities such as Dawn Flythe Moore, Iyanla Vanzant, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and Soledad O’Brien. This black printed sequin dress adorned with feathers is perfect for your favorite fashionista. Find it for $985 at https://jodydavis.com.
Location: 110 W. Saratoga St., downtown
johnj.williams@thebaltimorebanner.com
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John-John Williams IV is a diversity, equity and inclusion reporter at The Baltimore Banner. A native of Syracuse, N.Y. and a graduate of Howard University, he has lived in Baltimore for the past 17 years.
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