If Christmas is in Hollis, then Kwanzaa is in Harlem, and local uptown stores like NiLu are prepping for the seven-day pan-Afrikan holiday. After all, the fourth day observes the principle of Ujamaa, or cooperative economics.
This past Tuesday, Dec. 19, NiLu owner Katrina Parris braced herself for a shipment of Kwanzaa goods. A delivery man navigated the small storefront, zigzagging a standing dolly stacked with boxes between shelves of precious Black-made gifts while shopping for both Kwanzaa and Christmas was in full swing.
Parris said her store’s Kwanzaa stock will continue to grow as the holiday’s first day, December 26, approaches. She showed off her current, already impressive collection of gifts and goods. There are candles and cards and, of course, kinaras, which Parris is especially proud of. She said they’re handmade from real wood and had to be shipped around Thanksgiving to make it to her store in time.
And while Christmas might require a spruce or fir tree, Kwanzaa is the actual evergreen holiday.
“I think that…it’s a concept in which those principles are all year-round,” said Parris. “But…it’s nice to be reminded of them at the end of the year.”
RELATED: Harlem’s NiLu gift shop showcases Black-owned creations for holiday shopping
She finds those principles in all her goods, not just the Kwanzaa-specific ones. Parris pointed to an intricately sewn throw pillow with Harlem landmarks stitched into the design, representing Umoja, or unity. She pointed to Black-made journals: Kujichagulia, or self-determination. As for creativity, Parris gestured across the shop.
Parris opened the doors of NiLu (191 Malcolm X Blvd., New York, NY 10026) in 2015, after she felt there weren’t enough platforms in Harlem for makers of color. The shop houses the crafts and creations of Black- and women-owned businesses that otherwise would not have a brick-and-mortar location for their goods. Parris named the store after her sons Nigel and Luke, and said it’s a natural progression from her last business—selling flowers.
“The same people who want to send a bouquet for a wonderful evening are the same people who appreciate a letterpress [card or piece of art],” she said. “[They’re] really intentional about how they give and who they support, and why they shop. NiLu was created. We live in the community. We’ve been here. These are all the things that I want in the community and I can’t be the only one.”
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.