February is Black History Month, and to mark it, we’ve rounded up 12 Black-owned businesses in the neighborhood where you should shop this month…and every month! From a stylish health and beauty boutique, to a coffee shop shaped like a spaceship, there’s something for everyone. Find your favorite go-to below, and check out our series profiling some of Lower Manhattan’s Black-owned businesses here.
Charles Patrick Jewelers
Charles Patrick Jewelers has been serving the neighborhood for decades, with namesake founder Patrick describing his incredible watch repair work as nothing short of “open surgery” on the spot. Patrick can also appraise watches and repair grandfather clocks, along with restoring and designing jewelry. (14 Wall St.)
Voyager Espresso
This intergalactic-themed coffee shop serves tasty espresso drinks, whole beans and pastries out of a Carl Sagan-inspired space, complete with space station-esque decor and merch featuring the late astronomer. (110 William St.)
Bout Fight Club
This six-year-old boxing studio on Fulton Street offers all kinds of classes and trainers for fighters at all levels. Colin Morgan, a world-renowned trainer with decades of experience, leads the operation, and his training has catapulted some Bout boxers into championship rings — just some inspo for boxing newbies! (139 Fulton St.)
Inside Out Tours
Inside Out Tours is an award-winning Black- and woman-owned company that offers several walking tours around Lower Manhattan, and in particular a much-lauded one that educates participants about African-American history, slavery and the Underground Railroad in New York City. Other tours of note include a Wall Street Walking Tour that showcases the political and financial histories of Wall Street, as well as a Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tour.
I Want Candy
February, of course, also brings Valentine’s Day — which is honestly the perfect excuse to splurge at I Want Candy. The kiosk’s mission is to wow passersby with its service and varied collection. The store was founded by a former vendor at Texas Rangers baseball games, who now brings joy to shoppers of all kinds right in Lower Manhattan. (200 Broadway at Fulton Center)
Metropolis
Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and executive chef Ed Tinoco’s menu explores the culinary traditions of New York City through a contemporary lens. The David Rockwell-designed restaurant inside PAC NYC features a modern dining room and bar, a landscaped outdoor terrace and a lobby lounge featuring free concerts and programming that are open to the public. (251 Fulton St.)
Pretty Well Beauty
This stylish emporium is filled with more than 50 brands and 500 items — at least 70 percent of which are BIPOC-founded. The store preaches inclusivity in its products, with personalized care, and the goal of having a place from all over the globe discover beauty and wellness products. (185 Greenwich St. at the Oculus)
Brooklyn Chop House
Brooklyn Chop House combines Asian fare with steakhouse standards, creating a dining experience that is truly unique. Menu items include dumplings filled with lamb meat, lobster, French onion soup or reuben; plus a selection of Satay dishes and the standard steakhouse offerings of filet mignon, ribs and pork chops. (150 Nassau St.)
Seaport Pilates
Newcomer Seaport Pilates, owned by Equinox alum Andie Sall, offers a wide range of Reformer Pilates classes focusing on the core, posture, stability and more. Classes are small and the instructors focus on creating a welcoming community for people of all fitness levels. Class packs and memberships are available. (221 Front St.)
Barizi
Located in the Oculus, design-led home and lifestyle store Barizi offers a wealth of curated goods from independent brands. Here, you’ll find a beautiful selection of ceramics, home fragrance, textiles, body care, leather accessories and more, with high-quality products guaranteed. (185 Greenwich St.)
Institute of Black Imagination
This cultural hub for Black creatives is the brainchild of photographer, artist, writer and director Dario Calmese. Like its founder, the IBI, which is nestled in the South Concourse of Lower Manhattan’s Oculus, is also a multi-hyphenate: a brick-and-mortar library, a digital archive, an event space, a podcast production studio and retail store Space 001, which showcases curated products from up-and-coming Black designers and brands. (185 Greenwich St.)
Twenty Four
Also located in the Oculus, Twenty Four is a sneakers and apparel store “created by entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of young entrepreneurs,” according to its official branding. You can find a wide range of curated sneakers and streetwear, with an emphasis on rarity and uniqueness. (185 Greenwich St.)
photo: Jazmin Alvarez of Pretty Well Beauty
