Empowering Black Entrepreneurship: Stories of Success, Strategy & Growth
June 16, 2025
The Harlem Haberdashery’s 2025 Opulence Gala will take place June 28. All proceeds will benefit the #TakeCareofHarlem campaign.
A night of grandeur is coming to Harlem. The self-proclaimed “First Fashion Family” presents “Harlem Haberdashery’s 2025 Opulence Gala: An Evening of Elegance and Excellence” on Saturday, June 28.
All proceeds will benefit the #TakeCareofHarlem campaign. The night’s honorees are Harlod Espinal, a six-time marathoner and Emmy-Award-winning storyteller, who will receive the Man of the Year award. Woman of the Year will go to Lucinda Cross, founder and CEO of Activate Your Life Inc., and Jahkeen “Jah” Washington, founder of the Laurence B. Smith Scholarship Foundation.
Members of the fashion family, Sharene “Shay” Wood and Kells Barnett, spoke with BLACK ENTERPRISE about being diverse entrepreneurs, giving back to the neighborhood that raised them, and what’s next for the Harlem Haberdashery boutique and fashion house turned lifestyle brand.
What have been some of the “Take Care of Harlem” initiative’s most meaningful successes?
Barnett: The first official program of “Take Care of Harlem” was a “Feed 500” program where I made lunches and fed just the homeless, fed anybody who was hungry.
Community is built around people helping each other. I think people think help is like when someone looks homeless, and I’m like, ‘NO,’ it’s anybody who needs something. It has since grown to toy drives, school supply drives, and a prom drive. We’ve launched a pilot, the College Shower.
Tell the BE audience more about the Harlem Haberdashery brand.
Harlem Haberdashery is our boutique. It’s kind of the hub for our fashion family. We have a custom clothing line, 5001 Flavors. We’ve worked with artists and entertainers for over 30 years.
The Harlem Haberdashery brand has many branches, including Bespoke Alkaline Water and HH Bespoke Spirits. What motivated you to expand beyond fashion?
Barnett: I don’t think we’ll ever stop trying to expand into other categories. That’s what all fashion houses do, but we’ll never get into something that we’re totally not into.
Wood: Lifestyle makes sense when it comes to fashion. We haven’t reached the top of the fashion world, but we kind of conquered that as much as we can. When there is an opportunity that aligns, it’s kind of easy. The HH Bespoke Spirits were definitely easy. When you have celebratory events where people dress up, it’s those same events where our spirits are served, the same thing with Bespoke Alkaline Water.
This marks the ninth annual Harlem Haberdashery Gala. What inspired the launch of the event?
Wood: We have a social responsibility. So, we had to have a philanthropic arm. The gala is a love letter to Harlem. To pay homage to how we were raised, the style, the architecture. So, it really became a party with a purpose.
Barnett: It’s an honor to be a Black entrepreneur in the community that raised you. [Harlem] does not have a lot of Black galas. Galas where you don’t feel like a visitor in the room.
What does growth and scaling look like for the Harlem Haberdashery Brand?
Barnett: We have such a diverse group in our family that we could get into categories that people never even thought Black people would venture into.
Wood: I always envisioned a lifestyle brand. We just recently started our podcast, Family Style. We have diverse personalities, brands, and products. What we’re bringing to the table is a little bit of diversity and creativity, just like a family-style meal.
Barnett: At first, we were looking for podcast networks. But we have our own videographer and production team, and we shoot in the Harlem Haberdashery boutique. For years, we tried to get people to do what we could do for ourselves. We just decided to pool our resources together and do it ourselves.
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Kells and Barnett are only two entrepreneurs in a family of many. Each new venture strengthens its presence in business and leaves a lasting impression on Harlem.
Check out all they have to offer. First, take out your finest and funkiest garments to attend Harlem Haberdashery’s Opulence Gala. The event is taking place at the Harlem School of the Arts. A pre-gala rooftop party will take place on Friday, June 27. BLVD Bistro will also host a fundraiser brunch on Sunday, June 29.
For info on all events click here.
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