Category Archives: shopping

Harlem merchant association kicks-off Oktoberfest

Sep 30, 2010 @ 7:00
By HarlemGal

Have no clue how to celebrate Oktoberfest in Harlem?  Look to Harlem Park to Park to assist. They offer plenty of options starting tomorrow (October 1)! Harlem Park to Park Initiative is a merchants association formed in 2009 to encourage and sustain commerce throughout the upper part of Manhattan, known as Harlem.

From October 1 to October 31 it is Restaurant and Retail Month where participating restaurants will offer three course prix fixe menus. Local shops that are participating in Oktoberfest in Harlem will offer select retail items for $20.10. Harlem Park to Park is co-hosting the Harlem Harvest Festival October 9 at St. Nicholas Avenue and 116th Street. And on October 28th end the fest with a Harlem Restaurant and Bar Crawl along 8th Avenue, i.e. Frederick Douglass Blvd.

So there are plenty of options to celebrate Oktoberfest in Harlem. I definitely plan to partake in one or more of these events. Hope to see you around!

H&M and Uptown Magazine celebrate the grand re-opening of H&M Harlem

Jul 30, 2010 @ 7:00

By HarlemGal

H&M and Uptown Magazine celebrated on July 29 the grand re-opening of H&M in Harlem, which is located on 125th Street between Lenox Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. The hosts packed the fashion retail store with more than 400 VIP guests, who were treated to great music, food and drinks and a first-hand look at all the clothing inside the store.

Some of the cool guests I was introduced to included Misa Hylton-Brim, a fashion stylist, who has worked with Queen Latifah and Lil Kim, Candi Lynn, a hip-hop artist and DJ Steel, a well-known spinner from the tri-state area. I also ran into well-known locals from Harlem, such as Melba Wilson, the owner of Melba’s. Her and I were chatting it up. Melba told me she catered the entire Target celebrity event that took place July 20. That’s awesome! Good for Melba.

Aside from the fascinating people at this event, the clothes were just as interesting. H&M had the whole place completely stocked with summer and fall clothes. There is so much to choose from-whether you’re looking for clothing for young adults, teenagers or kids clothing-H&M will have it and for a low price. I asked Hylton-Brim what she thought of the retailer. “It’s a great place to shop, not only for their reasonable prices, but for their quality of clothing.”

H&M in Harlem has a new look, come see new store this Friday

Jul 26, 2010 @ 15:24

By HarlemGal

H&M, Hennes & Mauritz, the international fashion retailer known for offering fashion apparel for reasonable prices, has a new look with its Harlem store! And they want you to come and see it this Friday, July 30 at 10am.

The newly rebuilt Harlem store features a brand new interior and fixtures, giving the store a modern and updated look.
In a press release, H&M said “the Harlem store boasts a brand new facade, which will be sure to make H&M Harlem the main attraction on the 125th street retail corridor.”

In celebration of the new H&M Harlem, the retailer is proud to mark the grand reopening on 125th street by partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem. H&M will donate gift cards to members of the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem to help them purchase new H&M garments on opening day. In addition, H&M will also provide the local Boys and Girls Club with a financial grant to support their programs.

To continue celebrating the grand re-opening, H&M Harlem will also offer the first 200 shoppers in line an H&M T-shirt and Access to Fashion Pass, valued from $10 to $300. There will also be fantastic opening offers all weekend for the entire family including: ladies’ dresses starting at $3, men’s shirts starting at $5, and girls’ leggings starting at $3. One lucky winner will receive an All Access Fashion Pass, allowing them early entry to the store before the doors open to the public. Once inside, the lucky winner will receive a personal style consultation from an H&M stylist who will help them dress their personality in the latest trends from H&M!

H&M Harlem is located at 125 West 125th Street and can be reached by phone at (212) 665-8300. Store hours are Monday thru Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Doug E. Fresh and Tyson Beckford approve of Target opening in Harlem

Jul 22, 2010 @ 0:54
y HarlemGal

Doug E.Fresh and Tyson Beckford give Target a thumbs up for opening a store in Spanish Harlem! Listen to what they have to say!

An inside look at the new Target in East Harlem

Jul 22, 2010 @ 0:30
By HarlemGal

Wondering what the new Target store looks like from the inside? Well, wait no more! Take a look…

Target roles out the red carpet in Spanish Harlem in honor of their first Manhattan store

Jul 21, 2010 @ 23:47

By HarlemGal

The new Target located in Spanish Harlem-and scheduled to officially open on July 25-had their red carpet premiere on Tuesday, July 20 with celebrities, industry insiders and major players from the Harlem community in attendance. Marcus Samuelsson, Thelma Golden, and Albert Maysles all attended and they live right here in Harlem. Que rico!

Psst….if you were not there, no worries. HarlemCondoLife has the chisme on the entire fiesta! Escuchanos! Here is the HCL scoop on Target’s big party July 20 held at East River Plaza, which is at 116th Street and Pleasant Avenue!

  • Ok, not only is Tyson Beckford gorgeous on the outside, its internal as well. Tyson took picture after picture with adoring fans for close to an hour. Can we clone him?
  • Our very own Harlemite Marcus Samuelsson catched up with friend  and fellow Harlemite Albert Maysles during his dish demonstration in the P-Fresh section. They both live in Harlem cause they know we are a super cool community.
  • The busiest canine on the planet took time out for pictures. Bullseye the Target dog posed politely for pictures with event revelers. The line was so long it looked like folks waiting in line to enter The Apollo Theater!
  • Models Ubah Hassan and Hollis Wakeema posing for fan photos while they compared bathing suit selections from the Target Harlem Designer collections. Samuelsson’s model wife was present as well. Too much beauty and is always constant at Harlem places like Zoma on Frederick Douglass Blvd.
  • Isabel and Rubin Toledo having a hard time deciding on which bag from their Target collection to purchase. I love handbags. Need I say more…must get one soon!
  • Makeup guru and Target design partner Sonia Kashuk shopping with her family and adding Target Harlem Designer goods and toys to her cart. I buy Kashuk’s perfume and make-up brushes all the time. Now, it will be so much easier to get!

Looking forward to shopping at Target. Want to know what the store looks like inside? Stay tuned.

Swing by in Harlem to get your ‘I love Harlem’ t-shirt

Jul 20, 2010 @ 11:16

By HarlemGal
A few weeks ago I was enjoying a nice evening at Mojo in Harlem during their reverse happy hour. I noticed the wait staff had on these attractive t-shirts that said ‘I love Harlem.’ I quickly asked: where can I get that t-shirt? The person told me to go by Swing, the concept store located at 1960 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. right on the corner of 118th Street. So I did just that! I quickly bought two!
I really wanted this t-shirt because it’s light weight, comes in cool colors and the words ‘I love Harlem’ are spelled out in cursive. Generally, you see those touristy tees with the big red heart on them and the say New York. That’s ok, but I wanted a t-shirt that was more specific and could be used as a conversation starter. This t-shirt from Swing will do. That’s why I bought two of them at $20 each. Not bad of a price. I have purchased items at Bebenoir and N Boutique for the same amount.
If you like these ‘I love Harlem’ t-shirts like I do, hurry up to Swing in Harlem. They just got a new shipment in where they are fully stocked with both adult and children’s t-shirts. The children’s tees are $15. And Swing has a French spelling tee for children that says ‘J’adore Harlem.’ I believe that translates to ‘I adore Harlem.’ How cute is that for a child?
If there are any questions about how much ‘I love Harlem,’ I will now point to my new tee!

Target set to open in East Harlem

Jun 28, 2010 @ 10:12

By HarlemGal
The last Sunday of July 2010 is the day Target, a major consumer good store in the U.S., is opening it’s ba-gillionth location in East Harlem in the East River Plaza, which sits at the far east end of East 116th Street. The exact date is July 25th according to this sign being hung up today at the 116th subway stop of the B/C line.
Together with Target opening soon and Costco and Best Buy already operational, the only shops left to open are Marshalls, Old Navy and Pet Smart. Did I leave anyone out?
To date, we have shopped at Costco in East Harlem. We have gone to Costco mainly for bulk paper goods. We find Costco useful for this type of goods cause we experience long term savings and these are the only items we are passionate about in making room in the apartment, but not much else. We don’t have the room.
As for Target, I am looking forward to shopping there! I really like their clothes. They have cute stuff for women! And there kitchen ware is not bad either. I generally like to buy Calphalon at Target. It’s much less there than at places, such as William Sonoma.
Amid Target opening in East Harlem soon, there is really no reason to head to the outer boroughs to shop. I believe we have all that we need right here in Harlem!

Wild Olive Market opens in East Harlem

May 23, 2010 @ 18:42

By HarlemGal
Over the weekend, we headed over to the east side of Harlem to visit Wild Olive Market, the brand new grocery store located on the southeast corner of 125th and Fifth Avenue. We received word from a reader that the new store was going to open up any day. Well, that day arrived. May 21 was the first day Wild Olive Market opened, so we took our readers recommendation and went on over on Sunday to see the new grocery digs in East Harlem.
First off, what a wonderful addition to this part of Harlem. Harlemites have several options to choose from when it comes to buying groceries. There is Fairway, Best Yet Market, and Pathmark. And of course, there is all the charming bodegas throughout Harlem to shop at.


As for Wild Olive, it is a nice place and a good size-not too big and not too little. All of the products are on one floor and proportioned strategically where one can see almost everything right when you walk in.
Wild Olive appears to have taken over two retail spaces side by side. Bola, the African fabric store was located where Wild Olive is now, but has moved to the southwest corner of 125th. I assume they moved to make space for the new grocery store and because there was a better deal down the street.
And speaking of location, Wild Olive is easily accessible from the west and east side of Harlem by subway. The 2/3 at Lenox Avenue and 125th is not that far. Taking the 6 train at Lexington to 125th is another option or one can walk or urban scooter over. That’s what we did!
From what we saw today, Wild Olive Market is a wonderful store and their only one in Harlem. Should do well given all of its positive attributes!

Top ten reasons on why Harlem is one of the best places to live in New York City

Apr 14, 2010 @ 7:19

By HarlemGal
This is a blog that writes about all things positive about Harlem. We tell our stories from “nuestros corazones.” Unfortunately, we don’t have data, grids or a fancy magazine to back up our stories. We only have words, life experiences and a love for all things Harlem. And what better time to use these descriptions and tools than right now-especially given the recent edition of New York Magazine.

To profess our reasons on why we believe Harlem is one of the best places to live in New York City, we created our own Top Ten List. Sorry Dave. We have to borrow a page right out of your playbook to make our point. Here we go….

Top Ten Reasons on why Harlem is one of the best places to live in New York City:

10. Harlem is almost 400 years old. And guest what?….we will still be around for another 400 years! Isn’t lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn suppose to sink under water?

9. Harlem is very green. We are near several three parks: Central Park North, Jackie Robinson Park, Morningside Park, Riverside Park, Riverbank State Park and Marcus Garvey Park. Harlem also has St. Nicholas Park, which a reader told us “is one of the most historical (along with Hamilton Grange, City College, Hamilton Heights and Striver’s Row near).” Shouldn’t we count Riverside Park too? Then that would be four parks we are near.

8. We are home to the highest institution of higher learning in the State of New York, Columbia University. Park Slope kids will be living in Harlem when they get older and head to Columbia.

7. We have many different neighborhoods and some of their names are sweet, like sugar, or romantic as Spanish.

6. We are one of the happiest according to a recent survey. To tell the truth, we are very happy in life. However, we are not happy with New York Magazine right now….

5. Because you can have a date with red, not Red Butler, but red as in red velvet cake at Lee Lee’s Baked Goods on 118th Street. Delicious!

4. We have famous songs about or that mention Harlem that are as diverse as its people. Harlem River Quiver is by Duke Ellington. Angel of Harlem is by U2. Spanish Harlem Incident is by Bob Dylan and Across 110th Street is by Bob Womack.

3. We have some serious wide sidewalks where there is plenty of elbow room for you and your baby stroller. Parts of the Village are like walking through a football field.

2. We have the famous Apollo Theater. Need we say more.

1. And the number reason on why Harlem is one of the best places to live in New York City, because This blog is going to go negative for once on its blog. We don’t believe or give a flying hoot about Nate Silver and his recent findings. Politics done right does not necessarily mean neighborhoods done right!

Nate, come up and visit us any time. We will show you all the great things Harlem has to offer!