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NYC Center Stage: Black-Owned Brooklyn

In honor of Black History Month, we have launched an in-store marketplace with Black-Owned Brooklyn, a digital publication spotlighting Black-Owned, Brooklyn-based businesses, as part of the Center Stage pop-up platform at our NYC flagship.

Curated by BlackOwned Brooklyn’s husband-and-wife team, Tayo Giwa and Cynthia Gordy Giwa, the market brings together and showcases eight businesses across apparel, food, home goods, and self-care products. Through March 6, customers are invited to explore, shop, and get to know the people behind the businesses, including:

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  • Chen Burkett New York – a lifestyle brand sharing a love of travel, color, and great quality clothing. Launched in 2013 by Chen Burkett, the collection represents a joyous expression of Caribbean style.
  • Heavy Metals NYC – an accessories brand fronted by local sculptor and scribe, Shanel Odum, handcrafted in a Clinton Hill studio. The collection incorporates gunmetal, sterling silver, and studded ammo into chic body adornments.
  • Breukelen Polished– a luxury nail lacquer founded by Bed-Stuy-native, Ariel Terry, that embodies the grit and evolution of Brooklyn while educating the community about healthy beauty options. Each bold color has a story and a Brooklyn-inspired name and is 11 Free, cruelty free and vegan.
  • Savant Studios – Founded by designer Michael Graham in 2019, offering a range of soulful and stylishly detailed pieces, including T-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, pants, kimonos, and varsity jackets, as well as a selection of leather and suede handbags.
  • Modish Decor Pillows – a collection of luxe throw pillows in a variety of colors, patterns and textures that makes for a modern effortless look in any living or workspace. Started in 2015, Chantal Bradley’s collection includes pillows, agate stone coaster sets, and hand-poured candles.
  • Sarep + Rose -- a lifestyle brand founded by Robin Sirleaf that is focused on merging style and function with social impact. Reimagining ‘Made in Africa’ through sustainable luxury. With their full line of artisan-made leather bags, footwear, and decorative home storage baskets, they are changing narratives and building a brand that moves Africa towards becoming a global manufacturing hub, while also generating honest and sustainable job opportunities for employees, businesses and artisans across the continent.
  • Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel – a delightful brewed and aged hibiscus-spiced beverage, based on a family recipe with an over 400-year Caribbean heritage, started by Brooklyn born, 1st generation Caribbean American foodie and designer Nzinga Knight. Brooklyn Brewed Sorrel is made with raw and natural ingredients: sorrel flower (also known as hibiscus roselle), ginger, pure cane sugar, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaves, and orange peel.
  • Askanya Chocolates – Founded by Corinne Joachim-Sanon, Askanya makes an all-natural bean-to-bar chocolate, sourced with Haitian cacao and cane sugar and sold in Brooklyn.

“We’re proud to spotlight eight phenomenal Black brands at Nordstrom NYC’s Center Stage,” said Cynthia Gordy Giwa, Black-Owned Brooklyn co-creator. “Nordstrom’s commitment to equity and inclusion is commendable, and the pop-up market is an incredible opportunity for these businesses to showcase their talents to a new audience.”

The pop-up represents the first time that Black-Owned Brooklyn is curating a marketplace under their new brand, Jummy’s Picks by Black-Owned Brooklyn. Under the Jummy’s Picks brand, named after the Giwas’ eldest daughter, Black-Owned Brooklyn curates and promotes collections of high-quality, local brands for a variety of retailers.