Spice Suites opens new Langdon Park store, aims to empower black female entrepreneurs

WTOP/Scott Gelman

WTOP/Scott Gelman

When Angel Gregorio closed the site at 2201 Channing St. in northeast DC, home to a tow truck company, little was happening in the industrial area. “It was ugly and terrible,” she said.

But after purchasing the commercial area in December 2021, the entrepreneur envisioned the space transforming into a shopping area for herself and other black women.

With the help of the city’s Commercial Property Acquisition Fund, Gregorio opened The Spice Suite in Black and Force on Friday afternoon. Mayor Muriel Bowser and dozens of community supporters were on hand for the ribbon cutting and the opening of the Spice Shop’s new home.

In a few weeks, the shipping container currently sitting outdoors will transform into a nail salon, hair salon, blow bar and braiding bar.The shopping area will also host a free pop-up shop.

Her store has hosted more than 2,500 “free pop-ups for black people for seven and a half years,” she said.

With the help of supporters and Bowser’s office, she said:

The project began after a conversation with council member Kenyan McDuffie about “commercial real estate and buying, and the injustice and injustice that occurs when it comes to owning commercial real estate.”

McDuffie and Bowser then worked to create programs for people who previously had difficulty getting funding, said John Falcichio, deputy mayor in charge of planning and economic development for the city.

Grants are issued for $750,000 or 25% of the selling price of the building. The requirement is that the business owner maintains a business and continues to own the property in Washington, DC.

“What Angel has done here is take advantage of the site that she has improved. It used to be a car garage and is now a thriving retail business that the community knows to support.” Falciccio said.

On the opening day of the Spice Suite in Langdon Park, go-go music was playing outside and customers, including Mayor Bowser, filled little baskets of spices and other supplies.

Maia Shanklin said she’s known Gregorio since high school and praised her efforts to open the new retail space.

“As a black woman from Washington, D.C., as a native Washingtonian, for one of us to own the space, own the land, and have a business model that supports other black women means everything. .”

Dojan Short described the store as “a woman’s dream tied to reality.”

“It’s been incredible to see her transition into this and then to provide more opportunities for other women-owned businesses,” Short said.

Gregorio hopes that this shopping area, which she calls Black and Force, will serve as a model for the entire city.

“I would love to consult for free and talk to others about how we can do this in your quadrant, in your city. It will be the standard for how they show up in the community.”