Our Buy Black Gift Guide Top Six

Miami FL

16 December, 2021

8:00 PM

Description

By Johania Charles, Miami Times Staff Writer, the Miami Times Dec 14, 2021 Tis the season to be merry – and buy Black. In the spirit of uplifting Black entrepreneurs who might be overshadowed by major retail chains this season, The Miami Times is offering yet another holiday gift guide to spotlight area businesses and promote investment in the local economy. With Christmas and Kwanza quickly approaching, the list consists of businesses with a storefront location to eliminate worries of shipping delays. The spotlighted businesses were previously featured in an earlier gift guide series which ran from Nov. 25 to Dec. 16 last year, when The Miami Times recommended 40 Black-owned small businesses and artisans. This year's guide pulls the top six businesses from that list of 40 to produce Miami Times' very own "best of" buy Black guide. Clothing COOL Creative 300 NE 62nd St. Miami, FL 33138 844.341.COOL (2665) ShopCoolCreative.com A COOL Creative style ambassador shows off a Malcom X shirt from the brand's Icon Collection paired with a one-sleeved leather jacket, also available at Cool. (COOL Creative via Meta) At the heart of Little Haiti sits a chic boutique that's generated lots of buzz since opening its doors last year, serving as a one-stop-shop for Miami's fashionistas with signature leather jackets, beanies, accessories, hoodies and swimwear. Johanne and Terrance Wilson's COOL (Create Out Of Love) clothing brand is informed by the couple's mission to promote social justice by honoring Black heroes and spreading positive messages. COOL Creative – recipients of the Comcast RISE program, Beyoncé's BeyGood business grant and the NAACP Black-owned small business impact fund – is now the talk of the town. Holiday gift bundles, starting at $50, combine the brand's best-selling items – such as shirts emblazoned with the visages of prominent Black figures like Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Lauryn Hill, Muhammad Ali, Diana Ross and Tina Turner – are perfect for holiday gifting. Now through Dec. 31, customers can receive 25% off on orders with a minimum purchase of $50. Online shoppers get free shipping with code HOLIDAY2021. Urban Ambassadors 1717 N Bayshore Dr., Suite 114 Miami, FL 33132 TheUrbanAmbassadors.com Urban Ambassador's Say It Loud hoodie is priced at $52. (TheUrbanAmbassadors.com) Clothing brand Urban Ambassadors was created by Jaesyn Mixon to capture urban culture and pride through fashion. The Say It Loud collection embraces James Brown's "Say It Loud, I'm Black & I'm Proud" single written in 1968 during racial tensions and riots. The collection comes with hoodies and shirts with the phrases #SayItLoud, Good Trouble and Black Republic. Graphic T-shirts start at $35 while sweatshirts and hoodies start at $40. Other collections include Black Lives Matter, The Urban Ambassadors and City Culture, featuring an Overtown shirt celebrating the historic area's history. Rasool's Menswear 6301 NW 7th Ave. Miami, FL 33150 305.759.1250 A fuchsia suit from Rasool's Menswear is styled with a vibrantly patterned multicolor tie. (Rasool's Menswear Via Instagram) Ronald "Rasool" Malik's store located in Liberty City offers a wide range of menswear from business casual outfits to formalwear. The business sports a "Come Get Right" motto, encouraging men to feel their best in tailor-made linen suits, alligator shoes or whatever they decide to purchase. The store opened in 1985 and has been a community staple since, where well-known Black professionals like attorney and activist Ben Crump turn to for suits. Blazers start at $129 and shoes at $69. Wellness BeLoved Box A BeLoved self-care box with a coaching workbook by company founder Danie Spikes. (Michelle VanTine Photography) The BeLoved couples' box, originally priced at $69.99, comes with a massage oil candle, goat's milk and rose soap, couples' question cards, whipped body soufflé, sugar scrub and soothing bath tea. (BeLovedBox.co) BeLovedBox.co Professional relationship coach Danie Spikes is big on self-care, especially when it comes to the holiday season. That's why her premium wellness and fragrance company choose to reduce the price of its products to promote wellness at an affordable price for both women and men. Her self-care boxes are packed with bath teas, massage oils, candles, silk soap, shower oil, sugar scrubs and body mists – items her clients expressed as helping them improve their quality of life. Each box sports a name synonymous with a positive mood, like BeAssured, BeInspired and BeRelaxed. At press time, all mini boxes were $30, while self-care and couple boxes were priced at $41.99 and $59.99. BeLoved Box products can be found at Asili Beauty & Wellness, located at 2014 Harrison St., in Hollywood, or the Intercontinental Miami Spa near the FTX Arena. Black Lotus Spa 9225 SW 158th Ln., Suite A Miami, FL 33157 305.562.8712 Black Lotus Spa offers a full menu of feel-good, self-care treatments. BlackLotusSpa.com This Black and women-owned spa located in Palmetto Bay has everything anyone would need to destress, relax and take a much-needed break from the day to day. Annamaria Salley, a massage therapist with more than a decade of experience, opened up the shop in 2019 to offer services like Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal and geriatric massages, as well as lash extensions, cupping therapy, infrared sauna blankets, reflexology and T-Shock treatment. Open Tuesday through Sunday, the spa offers first-time visitors $20 off a one-hour $85 massage session. Gift cards may also be purchased on the spa's site. Art Addonis Parker Art Art Forever Studios 3275 NW 79th St, Miami, FL 33147 786.294.4174 "Ice Cold Blue" by Addonis Parker (FineArtAmerica.com) AddonisParker.com Artist Addonis Parker, who refers to his work as prophetic, intense and thought-provoking, has been commissioned many times to complete murals across Miami-Dade County by big corporations like OneUnitedBank or at events like Art Basel. When he's not painting those large-scale pieces, he's mentoring at-risk youth in his community and teaching them about art. Variations of his artwork can be found in the form of phone cases, pillows, canvas prints, greeting cards, framed prints or originals. Wall art starts at $25; prints usually range from $50-$100, depending on size. The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.