Member Spotlight: Celebrating our Black Business Makers
This August in celebration of Black Business Month, we're spotlighting five Black-owned businesses whose founders pour skill, patience, and heritage into everything they make by hand. From detailed cross-stitched creations, one-of-a-kind jewelry, to nourishing natural skincare, each maker featured here carries forward traditions of craftsmanship while building something entirely their own.
Shannie's Crafts LLC
Shana Dacon-Pereira started Shannie's Crafts LLC in 2020 to carry on the legacy of cross-stitch embroidery, crochet, and beaded arts and crafts taught to her by her mother and inspired by her great aunt. Her desire is to make items that create storytelling moments, stories, and memories and keep families connected through handcrafted arts.
She specifically makes items across three product offerings: "Cross-stitch Treasures" - framed, inspirational embroidered designs; "Beaded Keepsakes" - ornamental coaster and doilies, and "Crochet Delights" - seasonal scarves/shawls and cuddly friends (amigurumi/teddy bears).
Shana’s crafts and designs are inspired by and celebrate her faith and spirituality, her desire to live in abundance and encourage positivity, her heritage as a Black woman with Caribbean-born parents, her love of nature and celebration, and the joy and innocence of her childhood.
D's Delights
D’s Delights creates jewelry that is designed to celebrate every layer of who you are, which is bold, complex, and unapologetically you.
D’s Delights founder, Deidra McNish-Brown, started her brand while working two jobs as a registered nurse during the pandemic. She experienced firsthand how people were treated based on the roles they served and/or the jobs they held, while all the other parts of their lives were ignored & diminished.
She felt compelled to create jewelry that celebrated all that the wearer is; specifically select materials with beautiful colors, textures, and patterns that represent all of the layers and experiences that make you special. She combines selected materials in ways that honor how your experiences make you unique.
Deidra’s goal is to have you Be Seen and Feel Seen. Because you are special, your experiences have value, and you are more than just the job you have.
Koko's Louve
Koko's Louve is the all natural skin care brand behind the "emotional glow". The founder, Cindy Weathers-Smith wants you to look and feel good - inside and out.
Koko's Louve started as 1 product that Cindy would make for her family, for years. It was a household staple, especially for her daughter. Cindy was researching to find what could work for her baby’s skin at 3 months old and at the same time learned what ingredients to stay away from. The first time she shared this product with someone (aka: with her ‘angel investor’), she signed Cindy up for her 1st flea market and paid the vendor's fee.
Cindy had 2 weeks before her first market to come up with packaging and a name and thus Koko's Louve was started.
Lifewithrjarts
Lifewithrjarts was created from a simple belief: everyone deserves to see themselves reflected in the art they bring into their homes. As a self-taught artist and surface pattern designer based in the Bronx with Caribbean roots, Rashida T. Joseph creates original artwork, stationery, and home décor inspired by the beauty, strength, and everyday stories of women.
Her signature "Long Neck Ladies" celebrates resilience, grace, and the richness of Caribbean culture. Every painting begins by hand before finding new life on thoughtfully designed products that encourage people to surround themselves with beauty and meaningful representation.
What began as a creative outlet has grown into a small business dedicated to helping women create spaces that feel joyful, vibrant, and authentically their own. Whether it's a greeting card, journal, tea towel, or original painting, every piece is created with the hope that someone will feel seen, celebrated, and connected to their story.
At Lifewithrjarts, we believe art isn't just something you hang on a wall—it's something you live with every day.
Boogiedownbeader
Boogiedownbeader is a Bronx-based wearable art brand by Sharron Smalls that she’s been building for the past two and a half years.
It began with a bracelet Sharron created to honor her healing journey. When she couldn’t find one that reflected her own style, she ended up created her own; sparking a passion for designing one-of-a-kind pieces.
Today, she handcrafts statement necklaces, bracelets, and earrings using natural stones, pearls, metals, and other unique materials, drawing inspiration from her Bronx roots, African culture, nature, and travel inspiration to create pieces that tell a story and celebrate individuality.