Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 10-8-21

Feature
Westshore Mall’s Collective At Artisan Row Showcases Local Designers And Entrepreneurs
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
The Collective at Artisan Row in Westshore Mall is touted as an incubator for local designers, artisans, and entrepreneurs. It was created to give talented and ambitious creative people a venue to display their abili- ties.
According to Ricc Rollins, the racial injustice movement in 2020 moti- vated the Westshore Mall management to seek mi- nority businesses. He de- veloped a plan and procured a lease for a col- lective space to highlight specialty designers.
One of the members of the collective, Urban Native owner Erik Wise, had worked with Rollins on other ventures and was re- sponsible for the unique layout of the boutique.
Most locations for col- laborative sellers feature unnatural separations in the location. Instead, Wise and early partner, Eliza- beth Carson Racker, thought a boutique envi- ronment would be better. The result is a unique shop- ping experience for those
looking for cultural and ethnic clothing, accessories, and books.
When the pandemic hit, the designers got together and opened on Black Fri- day, 2020.
Wise says the experience of walking into the Collec- tive at Artisan Row is com- pletely different than most stores. He states, “When you come in, we want to know your name, we want to chat with you, we want you to find what you are looking for and be inspired. We are a team that works together with each other and our customers.”
The floorplan flows from one vendor to the next. The sizes typically run from XS – 4X.
The members of the col-
laborative are:
Urban Native (Owner,
Erik Wise)
Globally influenced de-
signer apparel, accessories, and organic skin care prod- ucts. He also offers virtual sale sessions.
www.UrbanNativeCo.com
/Gilded-Leathers-etc- 101726865351441.
Elizabeth Carson Racker Designs (Owner, Elizabeth Carson Racker) – Designer dresses, separates and out- erwear
https://www.eliza- bethcarsonracker.
Lotus Linens (Owner, Tam Tran) – High quality woven linen and fine cotton apparel. Features hand em- broidery and unique styling elements. https://www.facebook.com /LDHandmadeArtCraft.
Kennedy curates an amaz- ing collection of POC au- thors in children’s, inspirational and bestseller books.
www.OverTheBooks.com House of Dani B (Owner,
Danielle Brion) – Origi- nal designer swimwear, cover-ups, and jewelry
www.ShopHouseOfDaniB .com
Curb Gear (Owner, April Dymn) – Original designer women’s and menswear. https://www.facebook.com /CurbGearDesigns
Eyestylist by Nesee (Owner, Denecia Chase) Custom, handmade wigs, lashes, hair accessories.
www.EyestylistbyNesee. com
For more information on the Collective at Artisan Row, visit their Instagram at https://www.insta- gram.com/artisanrowtpa.
Switching Up Styles
(Owner, Catelia Young) Glam accessories, hand-
bags, and trendy apparel. www.SwitchingUpStyles .com
Gilded Leathers, Etc.
(Owner, Kesley Swope) Curated high quality full- grain leather and vegan leather handbags, totes, backpacks, https://www.facebook.com
Over The Books (Owner, Dr. Natalie Kennedy) Local Tampa Bay author and community activist
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2021