Alafia Dear Reader!
We pray you are well within!
Do you have time for a heavy truth?
Before we get there, here's the backstory.
In 2006, Imani packed a suitcase and began her journey facilitating the Art & Fashion of African Head Wrapping. From colleges and universities to medical centers, the YMCA, libraries and more, she poured her all into reconnecting Boston’s Black Diasporans with the ancient technology of head wrapping, all while hand making each wrap. It was part of her personal healing and one of the ways she gave back to Boston.
When in 2017 Delmeshia joined her mother, together they embarked on out-of-state pop ups in Brooklyn, Manhattan's West Village, Rhode Island and Connecticut. To date, the 2019 AfroLatino Fest is the best 2-day popup we've had!!! There was a line to shop, dope DJs, crowds of people dancing and singing, and we even wrapped the head of Diana Aponte, Coco & Breezy's drummer musician mom 😍
✋ Raise your hand if you've been with us since those days!
Now 2023, after a global disruption, current recession, and a stemmy reshaping of Boston, we must turn a new leaf on our approach to growing our community, and sales.
As such, after SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th, we are halting participation in Boston based popups.
With the learnings from Uptima (that's a story for another day 🥴!), emotional & financial investments, and dwindling engagement from our local community, all data points to a new approach. We are nervous, excited and SO ready! Well, kind of ready. Please send help! Sales are of course great but so are intelligent marketers, strategists, influencers and grant writers 😉
This has been a VERY insightful and humbling journey.
Thank each of you who contributed to our reality! We have seen growth in our newsletters, Instagram followers, and even received Best of Boston®️- not one but TWO years in a row!, and have had retail incubations at Somerville's Bow Market, Seaport's Snowport Holiday Market, and The Current. We have been featured in The Boston Globe, Somerville Times, WGBH, Boston Magazine, The Bay State Banner, Exhale Magazine and more. Imani has the citations from the city for her work, has spoken at the Massachusetts Conference for Women and our brand and personal names ring bells. Truly, Boston fed us as best she could, for now.
While these measures of vanity warmed our heart, hard data moves needles.
We need reasons beyond vanity metrics to affirm our work, to grow and scale, so we are taking our teachings, learning more and aiming high with this pivot!
Boston, come out for our last popup hosted by Black Owned Bos.!
September 24th | 85 Northern Ave., Seaport, Boston 02210 | 12-6pm
Are you up for the journey?!
In light,
Imani & Delmeshia
