Five independent makers, five gifts with stories of their own—and a little Uptown appreciation for the beautifully unexpected.
Harlem has never needed a department-store display to teach us what good taste looks like. Sometimes it’s a beautifully dressed table where everybody stays for another hour. Sometimes it’s the painting that makes a guest stop mid-conversation, or a piece of jewelry that carries a whole musical history. The most interesting things in a room rarely have to introduce themselves twice.
For the final stop on our Black, Gifted & Giving shopping journey, we’re taking that Uptown eye for originality beyond the usual aisles. Our discoveries come from a New York State linen workshop, artisans in Senegal, a Los Angeles artist’s studio, a Harlem-rooted graphic design label, and a Toronto jewelry house. None is being presented as a retail exclusive. What makes these gifts special is the imagination and personal craftsmanship behind them. And since some are made to order, this is one list where shopping early really does matter.
At Home With Something Special
Linoto — Linen Dinner Napkins
Every family has somebody who sets a table like company might drop by at any moment. Give that person something worthy of the good plates. At Linoto, founder Jason Evege’s New York State workshop cuts and sews substantial flax-linen napkins with the kind of understated finish that gets better with use. Each is a generous 21-inch square, ready for a holiday dinner and all the ordinary Tuesdays that follow. Choose a color that suits your favorite host; the maker requires at least four napkins per order. The website shows a starting price of $75, but confirm the total for your selected count and color before checkout.
Price: From $75 listed; four-napkin minimum · Shop directly: Linoto
Expedition Subsahara — Yata Handwoven Baskets, Set of Two
There’s an art to making useful things beautiful. Founder Sofi Seck’s Expedition Subsahara works with artisans in Senegal to weave that idea into every Yata basket. Made from elephant grass and recycled plastic, the two patterned vessels turn the little things we collect—keys, keepsakes, jewelry, all those odds and ends—into part of the decor. The smaller basket measures approximately seven inches high; the larger, ten. Better still, the brand directs a portion of its profits toward girls’ education in sub-Saharan Africa. Holiday shopping note: Choose your preferred color and order early. In-stock baskets follow standard processing and shipping timelines, while made-to-order pieces may require four to six weeks before shipping. Confirm the estimated delivery date before purchasing.
Price: $89 for two · Shop directly: Expedition Subsahara
Art to Live With, History to Wear
Tactile Matter — Women Archival Print
You know that blank wall you’ve been promising to do something about? Artist Kenesha Sneed might have the answer. Through her studio, Tactile Matter, Sneed brings her distinctive approach to form, color, and the Black female experience into prints that reward a second look. Women is the kind of gift that invites somebody to find just the right spot for it—and make the space their own. Order the print without a frame if your recipient loves choosing the finishing touches. Prices start at $45; the exact size and framing selection determine the total. Allow three to four weeks, and note that the made-to-order piece is nonreturnable.
Price: From $45, print-only option · Shop directly: Tactile Matter
Harlem Boy Collection — Black Power Unity Premium Matte Poster
For the wall that calls for more than decoration, Harlem Boy Collection brings the same bold visual language of its Spring Drops into large-format art. Black Power Unity mixes a raised fist, African-inspired patterns, portraits, and street-art textures into a graphic celebration of identity and collective strength. Printed on heavyweight matte paper, the design comes in 24-by-36-inch and 28-by-40-inch sizes. It’s an expressive choice for a home office, creative studio, or music room; the made-to-order print calls for an early holiday purchase.
Price: From $30, depending on size · Shop directly: Harlem Boy Collection — Black Power Unity Poster
Omi Woods — The Fela Kuti Necklace
For the person whose record collection comes with stories, this is more than an accessory. Ashley Alexis McFarlane’s Toronto-based Omi Woods honors African and diasporic heritage through jewelry intended to be lived in—and, one day, handed down. Its Fela Kuti necklace carries a sculpted likeness of the Afrobeat pioneer, cast using the traditional lost-wax method. The pendant is offered with different precious-metal and chain options, so this is a gift to choose deliberately. The necklace ranges from $200.10 – $1,192.55 depending on your metal selection and configuration. Orders are handmade and ship in three to five weeks; check the selected version and holiday delivery before purchasing.
Price: $200.10–$1,192.55, depending on metal and chain selection · Explore directly: Omi Woods
And here we are, back home in Harlem. Because the same instinct that leads us toward a remarkable handmade basket, a striking print, or a meaningful pendant is part of what has always made Uptown style its own language: choose what speaks to you, know whose hands made it, and let your home tell your story. The best discoveries aren’t always waiting at the mall. Sometimes they’re waiting for you to look a little closer.
Editorial disclosure: Harlem Boy Collection is owned by HarlemAmerica’s Director of Digital Content, Richard Lallite.
This Month’s Featured Articles
FeaturedHarlemEntertainmentHarlemHistory
Peggy Cooper Cafritz saw possibility in Black artists before the art establishment supplied its approval. Her historic bequest to the Studio Museum in Harlem now reveals how collecting, education and cultural power can help determine what America remembers.
Derriann Pharr, Simonette Quamina and Taylor Simmons became the first Artist-in-Residence cohort to work inside the Studio Museum in Harlem's purpose-built studios. Their exhibition, A sustained becoming, reveals three distinct approaches to the body, memory and the freedom to imagine what comes next.
Black horror has always known how to make fear political, laughter protective and darkness look magnificent. From Blacula and Ganja & Hess to Blade, Get Out and Vampire in Brooklyn, Black filmmakers have transformed the genre—and Harlem is ready to talk back to the screen.
Black filmmakers are no longer waiting for Hollywood's permission. From Harlem to the Harlems of the world, they are protecting their voices, owning their images and building new roads to audiences. The ABFF New York City Pop-Up shows what becomes possible when Black stories reach the screen on their own terms.
Five independent makers, five gifts with stories of their own—and a little Uptown appreciation for the beautifully unexpected.
Harlem has never needed a department-store display to teach us what good taste looks like. Sometimes it’s a beautifully dressed table where everybody stays for another hour. Sometimes it’s the painting that makes a guest stop mid-conversation, or a piece of jewelry that carries a whole musical history. The most interesting things in a room rarely have to introduce themselves twice.
For the final stop on our Black, Gifted & Giving shopping journey, we’re taking that Uptown eye for originality beyond the usual aisles. Our discoveries come from a New York State linen workshop, artisans in Senegal, a Los Angeles artist’s studio, a Harlem-rooted graphic design label, and a Toronto jewelry house. None is being presented as a retail exclusive. What makes these gifts special is the imagination and personal craftsmanship behind them. And since some are made to order, this is one list where shopping early really does matter.
At Home With Something Special
Linoto — Linen Dinner Napkins
Every family has somebody who sets a table like company might drop by at any moment. Give that person something worthy of the good plates. At Linoto, founder Jason Evege’s New York State workshop cuts and sews substantial flax-linen napkins with the kind of understated finish that gets better with use. Each is a generous 21-inch square, ready for a holiday dinner and all the ordinary Tuesdays that follow. Choose a color that suits your favorite host; the maker requires at least four napkins per order. The website shows a starting price of $75, but confirm the total for your selected count and color before checkout.
Price: From $75 listed; four-napkin minimum · Shop directly: Linoto
Expedition Subsahara — Yata Handwoven Baskets, Set of Two
There’s an art to making useful things beautiful. Founder Sofi Seck’s Expedition Subsahara works with artisans in Senegal to weave that idea into every Yata basket. Made from elephant grass and recycled plastic, the two patterned vessels turn the little things we collect—keys, keepsakes, jewelry, all those odds and ends—into part of the decor. The smaller basket measures approximately seven inches high; the larger, ten. Better still, the brand directs a portion of its profits toward girls’ education in sub-Saharan Africa. Holiday shopping note: Choose your preferred color and order early. In-stock baskets follow standard processing and shipping timelines, while made-to-order pieces may require four to six weeks before shipping. Confirm the estimated delivery date before purchasing.
Price: $89 for two · Shop directly: Expedition Subsahara
Art to Live With, History to Wear
Tactile Matter — Women Archival Print
You know that blank wall you’ve been promising to do something about? Artist Kenesha Sneed might have the answer. Through her studio, Tactile Matter, Sneed brings her distinctive approach to form, color, and the Black female experience into prints that reward a second look. Women is the kind of gift that invites somebody to find just the right spot for it—and make the space their own. Order the print without a frame if your recipient loves choosing the finishing touches. Prices start at $45; the exact size and framing selection determine the total. Allow three to four weeks, and note that the made-to-order piece is nonreturnable.
Price: From $45, print-only option · Shop directly: Tactile Matter
Harlem Boy Collection — Black Power Unity Premium Matte Poster
For the wall that calls for more than decoration, Harlem Boy Collection brings the same bold visual language of its Spring Drops into large-format art. Black Power Unity mixes a raised fist, African-inspired patterns, portraits, and street-art textures into a graphic celebration of identity and collective strength. Printed on heavyweight matte paper, the design comes in 24-by-36-inch and 28-by-40-inch sizes. It’s an expressive choice for a home office, creative studio, or music room; the made-to-order print calls for an early holiday purchase.
Price: From $30, depending on size · Shop directly: Harlem Boy Collection — Black Power Unity Poster
Omi Woods — The Fela Kuti Necklace
For the person whose record collection comes with stories, this is more than an accessory. Ashley Alexis McFarlane’s Toronto-based Omi Woods honors African and diasporic heritage through jewelry intended to be lived in—and, one day, handed down. Its Fela Kuti necklace carries a sculpted likeness of the Afrobeat pioneer, cast using the traditional lost-wax method. The pendant is offered with different precious-metal and chain options, so this is a gift to choose deliberately. The necklace ranges from $200.10 – $1,192.55 depending on your metal selection and configuration. Orders are handmade and ship in three to five weeks; check the selected version and holiday delivery before purchasing.
Price: $200.10–$1,192.55, depending on metal and chain selection · Explore directly: Omi Woods
And here we are, back home in Harlem. Because the same instinct that leads us toward a remarkable handmade basket, a striking print, or a meaningful pendant is part of what has always made Uptown style its own language: choose what speaks to you, know whose hands made it, and let your home tell your story. The best discoveries aren’t always waiting at the mall. Sometimes they’re waiting for you to look a little closer.
Editorial disclosure: Harlem Boy Collection is owned by HarlemAmerica’s Director of Digital Content, Richard Lallite.
This Month’s Featured Articles
FeaturedHarlemEntertainmentHarlemHistory
Peggy Cooper Cafritz saw possibility in Black artists before the art establishment supplied its approval. Her historic bequest to the Studio Museum in Harlem now reveals how collecting, education and cultural power can help determine what America remembers.
Derriann Pharr, Simonette Quamina and Taylor Simmons became the first Artist-in-Residence cohort to work inside the Studio Museum in Harlem's purpose-built studios. Their exhibition, A sustained becoming, reveals three distinct approaches to the body, memory and the freedom to imagine what comes next.
Black horror has always known how to make fear political, laughter protective and darkness look magnificent. From Blacula and Ganja & Hess to Blade, Get Out and Vampire in Brooklyn, Black filmmakers have transformed the genre—and Harlem is ready to talk back to the screen.
Black filmmakers are no longer waiting for Hollywood's permission. From Harlem to the Harlems of the world, they are protecting their voices, owning their images and building new roads to audiences. The ABFF New York City Pop-Up shows what becomes possible when Black stories reach the screen on their own terms.
