Quincy Square Winter Market

Quincy Square Winter Market Logo

It’s hard to believe it’s that time of year already, but Happy Holidays! Next week is Thanksgiving and it’s quite late at that.

I was so happy to learn that Quincy is going to have its own winter market! While I didn’t grow up in Quincy, I’ve lived here for so long that it’s definitely one of my hometowns.

This city is growing and changing in so many ways. Having a winter market where we can easily support small businesses is a welcome addition.

The Quincy Square Winter Market features artisans from the South Shore including, glass, jewelry, local retailers, leather, crafts, gifts, art, nonprofit organizations and more.

Opening day is Friday, November 29, 2019, 4pm – 8:30pm at 1469 Hancock Street. The winter market will be open through December 21, 2019 on select days.

Thursdays and Fridays, 4pm – 8:30pm

Saturdays, 12pm – 5:30pm

Sunday, December 1st and Sunday, December 22nd, 12pm – 5:30pm

There will be live music on Fridays and Saturdays and a Beer Garden by Widowmaker Brewing each day!

Vendors to date:
4103designs
Back on the Rack
Blue Butterfly Wellness
Boston Cannons
Caryn’s Corner / Coffee Break Cafe
Church Street Brewing Co
ColorStreet
Designed by Yuliya
E & T Ceramics
Fusion
Grandasia Bridal, Prom & Fashion
JAT Creations
KandlesbyKenneth
Kathleen Lesko
Katlasoaps
Littlefield Salon
Made with Love Creations
Marji’s Ocean Art
Mercedes Harris Shop
METTA Wellness
Miam Miam Macaronerie
Milton’s Billion Backyard Bee Project, Inc.
MOMO CAFE
My Friends Call Me Martha
Personal Letter Art
Piper Dee Naturals
Smoking Goat Arts LLC
Stella & Dot
The Classic Closet Boutique
The Gifted Heart
The Mad Strapper
The Mutt
The Power of Positivity
Townie Frozen Desserts
Tribute Products
Twisted Knits
Vedic Botanicals

Check out the Quincy Square Winter Market Facebook page for more updates!

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Credit: Logo and vendor list from Quincy Chamber of Commerce website.

15 Black Owned Beauty Brands

Black Owned Beauty Brands

Cannot believe that Thanksgiving 2017 is already a thing of the past!

Well, today is Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday is coming up in a couple of days. So we’re officially in holiday shopping season! With each purchase we make, we are also showing who and what we support.

Supporting small and local business is important to me. And being a Black woman, I like to support women, Black people and other Black women in particular.

After Retweeting a list of black owned lingerie brands by She Tweets Truth, Izzie responded asking  if there was a similar list for cosmetics. I had already been thinking about possibly blogging a list like this, but our Twitter conversation pushed me to do it.

Izzie mentioned Juvia’s Place and I learned about Faith’s Naturals from my cousin. While searching, I found a few lists from prior years and a post that seeks to correct some of those other lists. There are companies that focus on Black beauty products, but are not Black owned. Some of these companies are mistakenly listed as having Black ownership.

It’s easy for this to happen, because sometimes they may have originally been Black owned, but the Black founder no longer has a controlling interest or the company was sold outright to another company that is not Black owned — like what happened with Carol’s Daughter. Lisa Price founded the company, but in 2014 it was sold to L’Oréal USA.

From what I can tell, these companies listed below are currently Black owned in 2017. But who knows how things will change in the future? So if you’re reading this list in 2020, you might want to double check the ownership.

Also, I found that some of the companies in other listings no longer seem to exist. I figured with my new additions and corrections, another list would be helpful to me. Hopefully for you too!

This list is certainly not all inclusive or the end all of lists, but it’s a start. Happy shopping! Oh and there are actually 16 brands, because an additional one was added soon after the post was published.

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Danessa Myricks Beauty

Faith’s Naturals

Ginger + Liz

Glow by Melodye

Gold Label Cosmetics

Hanahana Beauty

Jacque Mgido Cosmetics

Juvia’s Place

KA’OIR Cosmetics

Laws of Nature Cosmetics

The Lip Bar

MDMflow

Mented Cosmetics

Pink Stiletto Cosmetics

Plain Jane Beauty

Vera Moore Cosmetics

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Image Credit: Collage created from Hanahana Beauty, MDMflow and Plain Jane Beauty website photos.

Nift: You Got Me Miffed

Colorful circles in shades of red, green, orange and yellow, on a Nift Neighborhood gift card.

Have you heard of Nift? I hadn’t until this past fall when I received a Nift card as a gift.

When I went to the website to redeem my gift, I was very excited. According to the face of the card (see picture above) I would have $50.00 or more to spend. The “or more” should have put me on notice that something might be a bit off.

Anyway, Nift seems more business focused than consumer friendly. It’s a way of introducing local businesses to consumers. Which is actually a great idea.

But most of the suggested businesses weren’t that easy for me to get to in my normal day to day routine and I wasn’t that interested in the merchandise of many of them. However, there was one suggestion for a place that I had planned on going to anywayChill On Park. A new ice cream shop in Dorchester.

Within days of activating my card, I planned to meet a friend there. I arrived first, during their normal Saturday business hours and they were closed for some reason. Maybe Thanksgiving? I don’t know.

But my friend and I had to find another place to go, so we went to Dot2Dot Cafe, which was very close by and a place we had been to before and really enjoyed. I had planned to blog it, but never got around to it.

Anyway, back to my being miffed by Nift. You should note that Nift expires very quickly. I activated it around November 17, 2016 and the expiration date was December 22, 2016. It was only good for a little over a month. That seemed odd to me. And rather unfair.

It was my understanding that in Massachusetts, gift cards are good for at least seven years. This is true, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. I emailed Nift’s customer service about this and received the following response.

Thank you for reaching out! We are well versed in gift card law. If the gift expires any funds if paid are returned. If you have any questions about this, please refer to our Terms of Service.

I just extended the expiration date of your Nift to March 1st, 2017, so you can now use it at Chill On Park, in Dorchester. You can also find again your gift certificate here. After having used your gift, click on the “Redeem in Store” button. This lets Nift know that you’ve used your gift. We will then send you a new gift code, via email, including your residual value.

Please let me know if you have any other questions, and enjoy your gift!

Based on my understanding of their TOS, the business that purchased the Nift card is the customer, not me, and any money left on the card after the expiration goes back to the purchaser.

I didn’t get a chance to use Nift by March 1st either, so I sent another email and received another extension until March 30th.

You can probably see where this is going. I didn’t get a chance to go by March 30th either. When I sent another email, I was told that there were no more extensions.

Then I received an email stating that my “gift” had expired and would I please give some feedback. I told them that I didn’t have a chance to use it.

It seems to me that if you really want people to use a gift card, they should have more time to use it. It’s probably why Massachusetts state law allows at least seven years for gift certificates to be redeemed. Four months is hardly enough time. Especially when that time is the winter. Oh well.

For anyone considering buying Nift for their customers, buyer beware.

Free Donuts + Sunday Shopping at Shake The Tree in the North End!

A picture of a dozen different flavored Union Square Donuts in a box.

Since discovering Shake The Tree while strolling around the North End several years ago, I’ve been a fan.

Shake The Tree is the perfect little shop to find clothes, jewelry and other quality items that are unique and fun. Both for yourself and others.

While speaking with owner Marian Klausner, I learned that she used to be an attorney. On my old blog she was one of the first people to participate in my interview series called Back To Law School.

For that interview, Klausner told me that surviving law school gave her “a tremendous sense of self-confidence.”  She practiced for eight years before opening her shop.

Law school and the experience of day-to-day practice gave me the sense that I could achieve any dream I had, if I really worked for it. I never thought of myself as exceptionally brilliant before law school but I did well academically and that made me realize that if I focused on something I wanted to create, I could really do it!

Her story is inspiring and I love how she often collaborates with local shops that sell the best sweets.

So, if you’re looking to shop small and local over the next two Sundays (12/11 and 12/18, 10am – 12pm), I definitely recommend going to the North End and stopping by Shake The Tree.

You can get some free Union Square Donuts and enjoy discounted parking while you’re there. Parking validation is $3 for 3 hours at the Parcel 7 Garage, next to the Haymarket T on Sudbury Street.

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Image: Shake The Tree Newsletter

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Etsy Artists of Boston Winter Bazaar: December 20 – 21

Etsy Artists of BostonIf you have some holiday shopping to do, there’s still time! Also, some local Etsy sellers will be live and in person this weekend in Watertown with their handmade goods for sale. Below is some information from their Facebook page.

Just in time for the holidays, a selection of New England’s most talented artisans and crafters will bring the best of their handmade jewelry, fiber arts, ceramics, soaps, candles and body oils, sculpture, original illustrations, photography and paintings, chocolates and confections to the Arsenal Project (formerly the Arsenal Mall) for a weekend-long shopping extravaganza. With gift-wrapping on-site with proceeds going to charity and live musical performances from local musicians and choirs, this event is not to be missed!

If you’re looking to support local artists and buy gifts that you are certain were made in America, this is a great way to do it! Thank you to Dara Cheek for letting me know about this wonderful local event.

I met Dara when I visited ASSEMBLED in Somerville back in July 2013. Her Etsy shop is called Hieropice and I fell in love with her terrarium necklaces. She makes other beautiful items as well, so be sure to take a look. If you don’t get a chance to visit the Bazaar, you can still visit her shop online!

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Screenshot: Hieropice on Etsy