Support These Black-Owned Shops

Flourish Lifestyle Boutique

Stepping into Flourish, a Lifestyle Boutique, at 2431 St. Paul Street is almost like entering into a small marketplace or bazaar. You can find anything from niche body & hair care products to candles, books, clothing, jewelry, and more. 

Just about everything inside this space is sourced from local, national, and international craftsmen and women. Without a doubt, you will sense that each item, over 300 offerings, are part of a carefully curated collection designed to highlight the unique talent of the artists.

Boutique owner Nilajah Brown has been operating Flourish Boutique for close to 7 years. Ask Nilajah if starting Flourish was a dream come true and you might be surprised by her answer: “Absolutely not! I was in love with being a midwife and my dream was to open a birthing center, having just graduated from a mid-wifery school in Virginia,” said Brown.  

Nilajah was working in a friend’s juice bar and figuring out the next steps towards making her dream a reality, when opportunity literally came knocking. Terence Dickson, the Chef and owner at Terra Café, located a few doors down, walked in with a minor crisis on his hands.  

The person who ran the boutique snuggled between the restaurant and juice bar had literally disappeared in the middle of the night. The chef needed to get it rented ASAP. For some reason, the idea of utilizing the space herself popped in Nilajah’s head and would not leave. As thoughts of the shop consumed her, she asked to take a look at the space.

Too small to play host to mothers in labor, Nilajah sat quietly in the tiny space and asked it what it wanted to be. Immediately she heard, “fill it with your favorite things.” Her next thought: “I have no money.” Shortly thereafter everything fell into place. 

Nilajah was offered the end of a contract teaching doula work. Better yet, the original holder of the contract walked away from it, and she was awarded the sum of the entire contract upfront with only two weeks left to teach. Are we seeing a pattern here? This turned into seed money that was used to cover six months of rental fees for the shop. Three weeks later she was in business.

The early products that filled the shelves came from her amazingly talented friends. Orders of body butters, jewelry, and art, about 30 different products in total, were used to begin. A lover of travel, one of her favorite things to do is to attend marketplaces and craft fairs wherever she goes. During time spent in La Jolla, CA, she visited the farmer’s market each weekend and began to “collect artists.” Her time in Kenya was spent at the “Market Day,” where she became acquainted with the Massai women (whose clothing and tapestry work is now prominently featured in the boutique).

Unique gifts that range in price from a few dollars to $200 are available. Flourish also offers workshops and classes that range from waist bead making to meditation, and fragrance and oil blending. While most classes are hosted online, she will soon return to in-person learning with the pandemic slowing and restrictions falling away.

Planning an event or a wedding, looking for a great activity to indulge your bridal party with? Think of Flourish. Team building activity for your corporate meeting or convention? Nilajah can help you create a unique experience with culture and community in mind.

Flourish is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11-7 p.m. On Sunday the shop is open by appointment only. 

Mess in a Bottle

Mess in a Bottle is a Black woman-owned apparel business created and fashioned by entrepreneur & architect Kalilah Wright. The company opened in 2015, as a personal response to the uprisings in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray. Wright wanted to give a “voice to the voiceless.” 

Since that time, the company has grown exponentially, and the messages on her tees have been featured on “Shark Tank” and worn by many celebrities, including Andre 3000 and Yvonne Orji. The company’s mission is “to create messages that evoke change, give a voice to the voiceless, and to create a community of unapologetically authentic humans.”     

With messages like “Torn Between Eating a Snack and Being a Snack” to “A Black Woman Created This!” there is a (mess)age for everyone. The bold white typeface is a huge graphic statement against the black tees. The store also offers handbags, totes, jackets, and t-shirt dresses. Infant and child-sized items are also available. The shop also offers a few houseware items, branded with their core message. Most t-shirts come packaged in a reusable plastic bottle.

https://www.messinabottle.com/ orders@messinabottle.com  or 443-390-8385 Call for store hours.

Nulanguage

If you are into bold and colorful graphically designed tees, hats, hoodies and sweats with a message then Nulanguage is the place to see. Created by a young lady best known as “Whiz,” inspired by the Baltimore Uprisings in 2015, she put feelings on a cap. That was the beginning of a (Nu)language a new form of communication. Each design is created to inspire a conversation. The original design the “X Flag” cap was a cry to be heard by Black youth. The business has grown to offer over 20 different designs and can be found in shops in over 15 states across America.

In addition to her website, Whiz’s designs can be found at her brick-and-mortar store where she also creates custom pieces. Accessories, such as socks and jewelry, and children’s sizes are also offered. Whiz describes her line as unisex. Great wearable pieces for men and women. 

Always interested in helping others succeed, she offers her space to local brands for hosting pop-up shops to sell their wares and for other special events. While in the store, check out the featured brand of Banditz.

https://nulanguagecaps.bigcartel.com/about-nulanguage 2116 N. Charles Street

Keepers Vintage

If the term “curated vintage look” had a picture in the dictionary it would be of Keepers Vintage owner Erica Bentley. If you are a lover of things vintage with modern panache you will recognize Erica’s savoir-faire after one glance at her Instagram page. 

The Keepers Vintage offers clothing & accessories for women and men. In addition to the designer-inspired vintage statement pieces, the shop focuses on carefully curated items from local makers and artists. Erica, a former educator, used to spend her weekends doing something she loved: selling items and curating looks directly from her closet to the public at flea markets, fairs, and events. 

Keepers Vintage has two locations — one in historic Mt. Vernon, and the other in the Hampton neighborhood. The Hampton store has a cool space above the shop, The Eden Room at Keepers Vintage, that is available to host small events. They even offer a regular terrarium-making workshop in-store. Both neighborhoods are teeming with boutique retail establishments and restaurants that will keep a shopper happy and busy for hours. Her shops rank 4.9 out of 5 stars on Google.

Hampden 805 W. 36^th Street

Mt. Vernon 229 W. Read Street

Call for hours: 443-421-3757

Effluerence Studios Massage & Spa

Effluerence Studios offers a small boutique experience for massages, herbal massage treatments, steam detoxes, sound baths, and so much more. Salon owner LaMar Matthews has a unique gift that emanates through the palms of her hands and offers bodywork, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. If you think this endorsement sounds too good to be true, join the club. After learning about Effluerence, my firsthand experience is what led me to write these words.

Effluerence operates out of one suite with a small receiving area. Her services are a combination of massage, healing essential oils, sound, and scent. Nothing like the mechanical massage that you receive from some chain massage salons, LaMar has the knack of gleaning what type of healing your body needs and the intuition to deliver it. If you want to experience her work, it is important to make an appointment for service early because her book fills up quickly. There is a list of experiences offered on her website.

1120 N. Charles Street, Suite 105 https://effleurencestudios.amtamembers.com/ 443-226-5719

Drama Momma Book Shop

The name of this cool little shop is a bit deceiving. Reading it evokes images of books in cases and covering tables by authors inviting you to get lost in their tales. What you find, however, is an invitation to spin a tale of your own. Owner Alisa Brock creates specially designed books, notebooks, journals, and sketchbooks that inspire the artist/writer in each of us.  

Each of her offerings is a piece of art made on-site in the store. Brock contends that there is magic in writing things down! But there is something extra special about writing them down in a journal made with your own two hands. With that, she offers classes and specialized book boxes designed to accompany her online and private workshops. In addition, she offers a membership that includes a journal of the month, sent directly to your doorstep. If that is not enough, there are also journaling clubs to join that will link you with likeminded people to help guide you through the journaling process.

The shop is only open on Thursdays & Fridays from 11-7 p.m. It’s located inside School 33 Art Center a contemporary art school, studio, and event space. The shop is close to Baltimore’s historic Federal Hill neighborhood, known for its bar and nightclub scene. It is also located near one of Baltimore’s historic public marketplaces Cross Street Marketplace. She also sets up at the Baltimore’s Farmer’s Market on Sunday morning under the Jones Falls Expressway. The market is open from 6 a.m. – Noon.

https://www.dramamamabookshop.com/  info@dramamama.com 1427 Light Street Studio #202

Reflection Eternal Barbershop 

Reflection Eternal Barbershop is described by its clientele as the old-school Black barbershop experience. The energy of the shop is that of laughter and great discussion, topped off with skilled professional barbers who deliver great service. Shop owners Sundiata and Dwele have not only mastered the shears, but they have also mastered creating a welcoming vibe for all who enter. The salon provides services to men, women and children. 

Services are delivered in a clean and safe environment. The shop shares the block with several Black-owned businesses including Flourish Boutique, Greenhouse Juice Bar and Terra Café. The shop is open Tuesday-Saturday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and closed on Sunday and Monday. Some stylists also offer loc care services. Call for more details 2431 St. Paul Street 410.889.8326