In Harlem, Pair Becomes First Black Women to Own Bowling Alley

Date: Monday, February 13, 2006
By: Monica Lewis, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Thanks to two enterprising sisters, residents of Harlem will now have a chance to bowl down their very own alley.

When the Harlem Bowling Center opens its doors next month, it will mark the first time in three decades that the famed northern Manhattan community, still in the midst of a residential and economic revitalization, will have its very own bowling alley.

Sharon Joseph and Gail Richards realized it was time to bring the bowling experience back to Harlem, and in doing so, they are making history as the first black women to own a bowling alley in the United States. Their feat has generated a lot of buzz and even captured them a spot as cover girls on an issue of Bowlers Journal magazine. But despite the fact that many in their community are excited about their new endeavor and anxious to support the business, Richards said she still finds it hard to believe that she and her niece are now considered trailblazers.

“The response from the community has been overwhelming. There’s a huge sense of pride that there are two African-American women doing a project like this,” Richards told BlackAmericaWeb.com. With bowling being a sport that appeals to many people regardless of age, gender or race, it seemed like such a natural fit to start such a business, Richards added.

“Bowling has been a sport that has been around since Egyptian times, and how it was that this niche market has not been broken, I really don’t know,” she said.

The two visionary women said the idea to open a bowling alley came to them as they walked down 125th Street one day four years ago. Wondering how they could enhance a neighborhood already rich with culture and history, they figured they could capitalize on the fact that far too many Harlemites had to travel to lower Manhattan or to New York’s other boroughs just to bowl. With the activity a sure-fire way to mix fun and family, Joseph was determined to see their vision become a reality.

A mother of a four-year-old girl, Joseph said the Harlem Bowling Center will provide parents with an opportunity to host birthday parties for young children, something that isn’t in great supply in Harlem. Such outlets are crucial, with more and more black professionals choosing to buy homes and raise families in Harlem.

“We were thinking about something that would be beneficial to the community, and with so many families coming into the community, we knew that this would be something everybody could participate in,” Joseph told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

With so many attention and anticipation being heaped upon the project, both Joseph and Richards say they’re ready to take their show on the road — to other sites in New York and beyond.

“We definitely want this to be a part of the community, and we want the community to feel as if this is something that can represent them and help them see it as a way to create ownership,” Joseph said, pointing to another black entrepreneur who reinvigorated countless black inner-city communities.

“We want to take the Magic Johnson approach and do similar models, but only with bowling alleys,” Joseph told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “We really believe that we can take this concept and expand it to other communities as well.”

As part of the special opening activities, Richards said there will a variety of events, including an X-Box competition and a party sponsored by Vibe magazine, which is sure to bring in a number of A-list celebrities to the bowling alley, which is located in the heart of Harlem at 126th Street and Seventh Avenue, right across the street from the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Building. But don’t expect the business to cater only to the rich and famous. Richards said the Harlem Bowling Center will be as affordable as it is fun and fabulous.

Before 7 p.m., patrons will pay $5.50 per game. After 7 p.m., guests can expect to pay $7.50 per game. There will be special family packages and prices for senior citizens, but Richards said you can’t beat the prices, especially with the costs associated with many leisure activities in New York and across the country rising to exorbitant numbers,

“We’re very affordable, and our prices will be cheaper than any other bowling alley in the city,” she said. “And if you think about it, right now just to see a movie it costs $10, so we think people will be pleased with what we have to offer.”

That was a concern that banks brought up when Richards and Joseph were seeking to secure loans to finance their dream. But the two are confident that the Harlem Bowling Center will not be a passing fad. While the sport saw a decline in the 80’s and 90’s, many believe a resurgence is taking place. Cable televised bowling competitions saw increased ratings in the past two years and it has become one of the fastest growing high school sports in the country, thanks to a renaissance amongst teen bowlers. In an interview with ABC News last year, professional bowler Chris Barnes said the new fan base sees the fun the sport can provide.

“Having a personality now is a good thing, and (bowling) has grabbed a different audience than we’ve had for a lot of years,” Barnes said.

Joseph agreed.

“We believe that young people will be our bread and butter, so we want to create avid youth bowlers who will grow up to be avid adult bowlers,” Joseph said, acknowledging that the there are less bowling alleys around today than there were a generation ago. However, that’s not due to a lack of interest, but rather a sign of the economic times.

“Bowling has historically been a mom-and-pop business and as the owners grow older, a lot of them have failed to have a successor in place or they see that there’s value in selling the land in which the bowling alley is on,” Joseph said. “Our site might be trendy for some at first, but there are people who think of bowling as a serious sport and they’re finding it harder to find places to play.

“Bowling alleys don’t close because they’re not successful,” she added. “The reason why we will have longevity is that there are people out there who take this sport very seriously.”

In addition to providing Harlem residents with a social outlet, Joseph and Richards also want other black women to see that anything is possible. A 2005 study by Essence magazine found that the number of black women interested in starting their own business far outweighed the number of white women — 50 percent to 29 percent. So Joseph and Richards know that there are women out there capable of taking the initiative to build upon a dream, just as they have.

“As women, we’re generally faced with the challenges of living, including having a family, a career and pressing issues that sometimes keeps us from moving forward and achieving our dreams,” Richards said, adding that Joseph’s daughter was just a newborn when the two set out to get the project off of the ground.

“It’s just a matter of what kind of tenacity you have. I think we all have it, but we become anxious about going out on faith,” she said. “We want to become a beacon for many women out there who want to make things happen. It is doable and we’re proof of it.”

Related: NY Daily News 

 

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Date: May 19, 2000

New York, NY - Harlem residents soon will be flocking to a gleaming new bowling alley, thanks to the vision of two local investors and the commercial real estate firm of GVA Williams. GVA Williams represented two local businesswomen, Sharon Joseph and Gail Richardson, in the lease of 25,000 square feet at the historic, six-story, 75,000-square-foot former Alhambra Theater, located at 2110-2118 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard between 125th and 126 Streets. Joseph and Richardson leased the third and fourth floors of building and will convert the space into Harlem Bowling, a splashy new entertainment venue that will also offer a restaurant, bar, and space for private functions. The husband and wife team of Eric Meyer, director, GVA Williams and Nicole Meyer, director, Newmark New Spectrum, negotiated both sides of the 20-year lease transaction. Fort Lee, New Jersey-based Mitchell Enterprises owns the property. "This is one of the most interesting deals I have ever worked on," said Eric Meyer of GVA Williams. "Sharon Joseph and Gail Richardson were looking for a property that fit the complex specs they needed—specifically, the column spacing necessary for the construction of a bowling alley. This property fit the bill, and it worked for them aesthetically." Harlem Bowling will be the fourth bowling alley in Manhattan, joining Leisure Time Bowling in the Port Authority, Bowlmor Lanes on University Place and AMF Chelsea Piers Bowl. The new bowling alley will be located in the center of a thriving Central Business District in Harlem, an area that has seen a flurry of activity in the last six months. "I proposed creating a sports facility in Harlem several years ago, but that didn’t work out," said Sharon Joseph. "However, seven years later the community has changed. We eventually did a questionnaire to see if bowling was something people were interested in and took it to the other bowling alleys around the city and found out many people there were Harlem residents who went downtown to bowl." "GVA Williams and Newmark New Spectrum were very instrumental in finding us a suitable space for this new facility," Joseph added. “We are truly looking forward to serving Harlem residents, and to providing families in the area with a place to come for some good, clean fun." Previously known as the Alhambra Theater, the property was last used as a theater in the early 1900s. Asking rents for the space were approximately $28 per foot. The space works well for the new bowling facility, as both floors are column-free with 45-foot-tall ceilings between both floors. The second floor, encompassing 12,500 square feet, is still available. Joseph and Richardson have raised the entire amount needed for the renovations, an estimated $5 million, with some assistance from the Harlem Small Business Initiative, a project started by former President Bill Clinton to help provide services to small businesses starting in the Harlem community. Nearly all of the preliminary work is finished, and the new venue is scheduled to open in December. About GVA Williams GVA Williams, the third-party brokerage and management division of Williams Real Estate Co. Inc., has been in business since 1926. The company is a leading provider of specialized realty services, including leasing, property management, investment advisory services, development, construction management, mortgage brokerage, tenant representation and institutional management. GVA Williams, a founding partner of GVA Worldwide Ltd., has offices in midtown and downtown Manhattan as well as in upstate New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and downtown and suburban Chicago. For more information, please visit the GVA Williams web site at www.gvawilliams.com.

 

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

Juelz to "Rip 125th Up" With Soda Shop

By: Alyssa Rashbaum

February 2, 2006

With all the press the Diplomats have been getting due to Cam and Jay-Z’s beef, Juelz Santana has channeled his energy into a more wholesome outlet.

Santana has joined forces with H3Enterprises, Inc. to become a financial partner in their flagship HipHopSodaShop on 125th street in his hometown of Harlem. The building sits less than a block from the legendary Apollo Theater.

"We’re gonna rip 125th up," Santana said in a statement. "It’s great to be able to enjoy all this in my own backyard with my own people. I’ve hung out with my boy ‘A Butta’ here since we were little punks and now we’re gonna get a chance to actually work together for the good of our own hood."

Each branch in the chain of HipHopSodaShops feature a quick-service menu, memorabilia, plasma screens and an area devoted to competitive CyberSports.

In January, H3 also teamed up with pop-star-maker Lou Pearlman who planned to help the company develop HipHopSodaShops throughout Orlando and Tampa.

Santana will also host the company’s first CyberSports One-on-One Challenge at the NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston.

"It’s great to add another home-grown Harlem hero to the team," Brian "H3" Peters, President and founder of HTRE, the first publicly traded Hip Hop Company said. "Juelz is a true Harlem treasure and we hope to utilize all of his talents to the full benefit of our shareholders and our communities."

"I respect everything H3 has already accomplished and respect everything he’s trying to get done," said Juelz. "We’re building a real HOME for the Hip Hop generation complete with all the things we love to do. But it’s really about creating educational opportunity and good jobs and that’s where Team H3 will prove to be unbeatable."

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