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In one of yesterday’s posts we tried to get the low down on the South Beach Cafe on the corner of 124th Street and Lenox Avenue.  An in the know reader was kind enough to give us the back story:

"I live right around the corner from South Beach and we chatted with them a few times. They have been waiting for inspection clearance from the state of NYC so that they can open up. It’s been difficult to keep a spot open on the corner. The name and management has changed 3
times sinces I’ve been in NYC. It was DME’s, then Stono’s, so now
it’s South Beach but who knows when they will ever open."

• The Resident Gamer (via the Greasy Guide) gives us an insider’s look at the V.S. Harlem gaming lounge previously mentioned.

• Checked out T&J Bakery and Cafe the other week.  Didn’t get a chance to try their baked goods but I did take a good look around. The establishment is spacious and inviting with plenty of gallery space where they will be featuring the work of local artists. The location is perfect since there are no other businesses of that kind in their area and there is plenty of foot traffic from the nearby subway, school and Met supermarket.  The owners boast that they "prepare on-site gourmet breads, cheese cakes, fruit tarts assorted butter cookies, danish as well the traditional southern style cakes and pies." Their signature dessert is "the Carnegie Torte, [a] creamy marble cheesecake with a layer of chocolate mousse, smothered in chocolate."  T&J is located at 2541 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. (7th Ave.) at 147th Street.  (212)234-5662.

• Tried Harlem Wing and Waffle.  Review to follow.

• Tried R&D Grill.  A family run restaurant where there seemed to be more hanging out then serving of food. Unfortunately the day I dropped in their refrigerator went out so it was a little chaotic.  Not sure if they will be getting a second chance.
  

• Insider’s guide to juice bars in Harlem is forthcoming. Please submit your favorites to uptownflavor[at]gmail.com

• If you attended any of the weekend events send a link to your write up  to uptownflavor[at]gmail.com 
  

• Still working on the site redesign.  You will love the new look!

• Who knew that Earl Monroe’s is now called the River Room? I’d heard that there was a disagreement with the partners but wasn’t aware that he had completely separated from the company, including taking back his name.  As of today the old website refers users to The River Room however the new site is not live.*

Where is the best coffee house in Harlem?  Here is a list of the ten best places to get a cup o’ joe or a spot of  tea:

10 Best Harlem Cafes [article] Editor’s Note:Broken link is now fixed

 
Harlem Fur has been on the prowl of the grand re-opening of the legendary jazz club and noted home of be-bop, Minton’s Playhouse! 

Harlem Fur [blog]

Curbed [website]

A local neighborhood cafe is facing eviction due to a strange odor that could be smelled for blocks.

The Sweet Harlem Cafe  is not smelling so sweet these days after a basement full of raw sewage began to stave off customers forcing them to close their doors during the messy clean up.

Now that things seem to be back on track, the landlord is refusing to renew the cafe’s lease. 

To read the details go to the Epoch Times [website] 

The Tribal Spears Gallery and Cafe has hit the ground running on Frederick Douglas (a.k.a. Eighth Avenue) between 116th and 117th Streets.  No full scale website is set up yet but they do have a web page with their general information.  As an added bonus they will be partnering with Vertical Group Jazz to have live Jazz every Monday night beginning April 24th.

Tribal Spears Gallery & Cafe [website] 

Related: Saurin Parke :: Urban Jazz and Art Series :: VGJazz.com ::

I am off to the brand new Sugarhill Java Cafe located on 145th Street right below St. Nick Ave.  The area has been in desperate need of a sit down cafe and I’m sure Sugarhill Java will be giving Dunkin’ Donuts a run for its money. Pictures and an update on this topic after I have sampled their offerings.

Right next door to the Java Cafe a new restaraunt called Raw Soul has opened its doors.  Raw Soul offers organic vegan and vegetarian meals for take out or table service. It has piqued the interest of people in the neighborhood who have been trickling in since its doors opened earlier this month.  Raw Soul offers a great alternative to the fish spots and chinese restaurants that saturate the area with unhealthy food selections.

A couple of blocks away I am anxiously awaiting the grand opening of Maroons Uptown, the sister restaurant of the location in Chelsea.  Sugarhill is certainly sweetening up once again.

Who knew that there was a Harlem Tennis Center? I happened to catch a fleeting glimpse of it while sitting in the back of a speeding dollar cab the other day.  As it turns out tennis star James Blake played there as a kid and the legendary tennis pro Althea Gibson taught tennis at the inconspicuous location also known as “The Armory.” Unfortunately I may have discovered this fact a little too late because my internet investigations pulled up a disconnected phone number and several postings in MSN forums pleading to “Save the Harlem Tennis Center.” How sad to lost this much needed facility if it has indeed closed.  The surrounding area is quickly changing and there will certainly be a demand for an alternative to Riverbank State Park and Jackie Robinson.  Tennis would be a great way to work off those pounds that are sure to arrive with the many restaurants popping up around the area.

In Brooklyn, A Growing Business Rooted in a Dream

By Umi Grigsby

"I was born to be an entrepreneur, just like my father and his father before him," says Richelieu W. Dennis.

The 34-year-old Brooklyn businessman has taken his family legacy, along with a strong appreciation for his native West African culture and traditions, and translated them into the lucrative Sundial Group of Companies.

Grossing well "over 1 million dollars annually," the Sundial umbrella - a 100% Black-owned manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer of traditional personal care products, flavors and fragrances - includes Sundial Fragrances & Flavors, Inc., the Nubian Heritage personal care products brand, and the Nubian Heritage Marchés in Brooklyn, Queens, and Harlem.

In addition, there is Nicholas, an Afrocentric store featuring urban and traditional clothing, and Madawa, a botanical store still in the process of being set up.

The Nubian Heritage project began with a dream in 1992, when then street vendor Richelieu Dennis, along with business partner and childhood friend from Liberia, Nyema Tubman, recognized the dearth of quality beauty products for African Americans. Dennis, who had graduated the year before from Boston’s Babson College with degrees in Finance, Investments and Entrepreneurial Studies, began experimenting with his own recipes using natural ingredients to create the first iteration of Nubian Heritage products.

At the time, he also recognized that in addition to the absence of product there was also limited access to realistic knowledge of African history and artifacts with a fashionable black aesthetic.

"For instance, when you’re trying to find home décor pieces,” he explains, you can’t walk into Bloomingdales and find pieces that speak to you and the culture. The selection and quality is limited".

So, in part, he founded Sundial Fragrances & Flavors, Inc., out of this frustration combined with the near impossibility to find a mainstream retailer willing to take a gamble on his homemade products.

His entrepreneurial spirit drove his need to fill that void in the community and vice versa, he says.

"I wanted to provide a lifestyle center for the community, a place where we can come to get our wellness, beauty, and entertainment products."

The first Nubian Heritage Marche was born in Brooklyn in February 2001, followed by the marche in Queens in February 2002, and culminating, most recently, with the addition that excites him the most: a third New York location in Harlem that opened in 2004.

Housed in the historical National Black Theater building, the Harlem marché is the flagship location for Nubian Heritage. The marche has hosted attractions that have included Harlem Book Fair events, a slumber party with the author Deborah Gregory and a book signing with the author Zane.

As it is the case with the two other locations in Brooklyn and Queens, the market is an Afrocentric mélange of a Barnes and Noble, a Tower Music, an Urban Outfitters, and a Bath & Body Works. With its hardwood floors, minimalist design and urban feel, Nubian Heritage stores offer an impressive range of merchandise ranging from books, music, and clothing to collectible art, hair and body products. It also opens up its space regularly to serve as a "watering hole" for community events.

The Harlem store also features a SheaSpa, a full-service spa and salon focusing on natural African products, Boma Coffee & Tea Co., an African-themed café serving coffee and delicacies imported from the African continent, Nubian Garden’s Florist and Dee’s Art Gallery

Highly ambitious and multifaceted, the business project seems to be the fruition of Dennis’ determination to be a successful businessman and his early vision of what he thought he would do with his life. Forging a philosophical link between the predominantly African American communities they serve and the cultural traditions of Africa, Dennis has found a way to combine his business background, with his own experiences growing up in Liberia to create a unique business model.

"The Nubian Heritage Philosophy is not any different from the philosophy that most African Americans share in raising families…The people that work in our businesses take ownership of our business." The success of the company is create a family that extends from within the company out to the community

Sia Pickett, the "Village Leader" or manager of the Harlem marché, explains that the company is a tribe of people, providing links to the community. When asked how she finds her employees, she explains that they come from within the neighborhood, and that once hired, these "tribe members" then invite their friends and families into the markets. These extended family members then feel the need to support the market by default the family. Dennis echoes this perspective. "Most of the staff has come from inside referrals because the business has grown; and some people just walk off the street into the store. They all want to be a part of what they see as an important movement". The staff is an important part of spreading the message. "Our people grew up and live in the communities we serve," he adds, "so they have a vested interest in developing their neighborhoods."

Whether its masked professionalism or sincere customer service, all the stores are abuzz with friendly staffs. With the tribe in place, says Dennis, everyone is entrusted with responsibility and is equipped with the tools needed to handle their specific task. "We provide our people with the leadership expertise and guidance to handle issues on a case by case basis."

According to Tiffany Carter, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications, there are quarterly Tribe Meetings where all employees from the manufacturing plant, all stores and administration) gather to review results, discuss new strategies, and plan for the future. In this manner, a proprietary sense is nurtured and encouraged in all employees from the village leaders to the tribe members, a message that is passed down from the tribe leader himself

Dennis, tribe leader and CEO, is driven by his commitment to his extended family members. "The driving question is always are the needs of our customers being met?" With that in mind, all of the stores are specifically tailored to the unique needs of the neighborhood they serve. "We try to keep decision-making as close to the customer as possible. Everything from product staffing to lay-out is influenced by the community. We are not a cookie-cutter retailer. We are a market-specific retailer." According to Rich, the stores are all unique because of the differences in the consumers they "minister to."

"The Brooklyn consumer base is largely of Caribbean descent. In Harlem, there
is a heavier African American population. In Queens there is a high

West Indian influence, also," he says. Dennis attributes the high product turnover and accomplishments of the retailers to this attention to detail.

Seeking to explore markets with the most need, Dennis says his business is hoping to expand their villages out of New York to cities including Washington, Atlanta and Chicago. The Nubian Heritage Villages will continue to be a fusion of contemporary and traditional, providing products for the mind, body, spirit and home, attempting to carve out a central, unifying location in the villages they inhabit.

 Source: Blackvoice/AOL

Harlem Haven
Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe is establishing itself as an important part of the community’s revival
By Bridget McCrea

Marva Allen says if she had a dime for every time she heard customers say how proud they are of the Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe in Harlem, she’d be a rich woman. That kind of customer support — complemented by a steady stream of interest from African American authors and celebrities — has made the company what it is today: a 16-employee, $1.2 million entity started three years ago by a trio of partners with $350,000 to invest and a dream.

Based in the heart of Harlem, New York, about 90% of the 4,000-square-foot bookstore’s inventory comprises works by or about African Americans, with a dose of New York Times bestsellers and titles by authors from the Caribbean and African Diaspora. The café allows customers to mingle, read, and enjoy a sandwich and a coffee.

Hue-Man came to life in August 2002, when Rita Ewing, 39, Celeste Johnson, 35, and Clara Villarosa decided to open a bookstore dedicated to African American authors. Ewing, ex-wife of former New York Knick Patrick Ewing, established a partnership with Johnson, wife of NBA star Larry Johnson. Armed with an M.B.A. and 22 years of experience running a computer firm, Allen became a full partner in 2004 and today handles Hue-Man’s day-to-day operations. In 2004, the company brought in $1.2 million in revenues, and expects the same amount for 2005.

Little did they know at the time that they were building what would become one of the largest African American bookstores in the country, in one of the largest African American communities nationwide. At the grand opening on Aug. 1, 2002, rapper Jay-Z, singer Stevie Wonder, and actor Wesley Snipes attended, with poet Maya Angelou providing a special dedication.

Nothing could prepare the partners for the reception they would get in June 2004, when former President Bill Clinton signed 2,000 copies of his autobiography My Life (Random House; $35) at Hue-Man. "We were in every national magazine from Germany to Sweden to Prague," says Allen, 51, managing partner. "That took the Hue-Man brand to new places and kept it there for a year."

These days, the firm’s event calendar is nearly always filled with authors who know that their events will attract anywhere from 25 to 2,500 guests.

On the calendar recently was supermodel Iman, who in October launched her book The Beauty of Color (Penguin Putnam; $29.95) with a signing at Hue-Man. The event was part of a daylong Beauty of Color Celebration Day proclaimed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Things haven’t always run so smoothly at Hue-Man, where some early partnership issues manifested themselves into the departure of Clara Villarosa in 2003, and the addition of Allen and a fourth partner, Melvin Van Peebles, the following year. Van Peebles, an accomplished actor, writer, director, and composer, says he got involved with Hue-Man because education and knowledge are so vital in today’s society. "There are all kinds of knowledge hidden in books," he says. "That’s why the bookstore made sense to me. The partners are marvelous people who are trying to make a difference, so I got involved."

Allen says she’d like to see more Hue-Man stores across the nation — a goal that may be attained through franchising the concept. "It’s very much of a solidarity-based strategy, but ours happens to have a big-business component, rather than just a corner bookstore approach," says Allen. "So while we intend to remain a niche market, we do intend to run this as a national concern at some point."

Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe; 2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd., New York, NY 10027; 212-665-7400; huemanbookstore.com

2/02/06

Source:  Black Enterprise