With endless dinner parties, freezing temperatures and long lines at department stores, the holiday season can be downright demanding to say the least. So if you’re looking to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones minus the hassle and headache, head to Harlem and support local businesses brimming with unique and beautiful goods for even the most discriminating shopper. What you’ll find is so enticing you just might make ‘uptown’ your favorite shopping spot!

The brainchild of entrepreneur Princess Jenkins and Trinidadian designer Greta Wallace, The Brownstone was born five years ago. The two had crossed paths many times and went into business to provide services they felt were sorely lacking in the community. Housed in a charming three-story brownstone at 2032 Fifth Avenue, a burgundy flag emblazoned with the letter B blows in the wind, beckoning the curious shopper in to explore a world of treasures.

Jenkins and Wallace pride themselves on offering a one-stop shop for busy shoppers. The first floor has an eclectic mix of
one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories from designers that span the African Diaspora. Harlem, Brooklyn, Trinidad and Nigeria are just a few of the locales from which the artists originate. Wallace uses luxurious linen, wool and other fabrics to craft her eye-catching Simply Greta designs.

‘Oohs’ and ‘Aahs’ are a regular occurrence as customers are wowed by the exceptional products, service and unconventional shopping atmosphere. The second floor is home to beautiful jewelry from G_, the quaint Café Ellis eatery while the top floor houses daring and breathtaking bridal designs by MyrJan, men’s wear, art and accessories by ART GROUPIE, Nu-Lock Natural Hair Parlor and Sumara’s Natural Nail Care Suite.

Jenkins, a winner of the 2003 Crain’s New York Small Business Award, had worked on over 80 music videos for everyone from Whitney Houston to TLC and Super Cat before going into business for herself. She offers her own line of Majestic Images cosmetics and skin care products at The Brownstone and encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to “follow their passion and their hearts and do it, not for the money, but because it’s something they really believe in.”

Not too far from The Brownstone is another of Harlem’s wonderful shopping treasures, Xukuma, located at 183 Lenox Avenue and 119th Street. Xukuma, pronounced zoo-koo-ma means ‘life the way you want it to be’. Since its opening in May of 2002, the store has already been featured in the New York Times, ESSENCE, Time Out New York, Japanese Esquire and on ABC & BET News.

A tantalizing fusion of distinctive jewelry, eclectic home decorations, yummy aromatherapy candles, beauty products and more, Xukuma is truly, as owner Georgia Boothe calls it, a place for the “hip urban dweller.” Boothe hails from Kingston, Jamaica and has a graduate degree in chemistry, but one look at the breathtaking window displays and the store’s chic interior, it’s clear she has found her true calling. Every item in Xukuma brims with pizzaz and spunk.

Xukuma is the exclusive importer of Miravidi jewelry from Paris and was the first store in the United States to import many of the other products it carries. Boothe says that “people tend to have entrenched shopping habits and I go the extra mile to find unique goods.” She regularly travels all over the world to ensure that her store continually carries a “dynamic and different mix”, but admits that France, Germany and Canada are among her favorite treasure-troves.

A hip and funky line of baby tees and tanks, many with a Harlem motif, designed by staffer Maiko Suzuki is yet another element that sets Xukuma apart from other shops. Boothe says it was important to her that Xukuma be in the neighborhood, so that people wouldn’t have to go downtown to find great merchandise. Her greatest joy? “Seeing people’s faces when they enter the store.”

This holiday season, make Harlem your #1 shopping stop and your loved ones will definitely be happy.

Reach The Brownstone at 212-996-7980 and Xukuma at 212-222-0490 or info@xukuma.com