BLODEGA BY THE PERALTA PROJECT — SOBOOMCHECKIT

Thanksgiving is in our rear view, the coquito bottles are being prepped, and the lechón has been ordered. Ready or not here come the holidays! “2020 2.O”, as we like to call it, is coming to close and we all have a special someone that helped us get through these crazy times. Why not show them some love during this season of giving by copping them a nice little sumthin’ sumthin’. We wanted to make things easy for our gente and share some of our favorite Black and Brown small businesses who aren’t dealing with “supply chain shortages” like the large corporations. We hope this inspires everyone to continue to shop local, shop small, and shop black and brown ALL YEAR ROUND!

 

Without further ado here is the 2021 Blodega Black Brown Small Business Holiday Gift Guide:

 

For the person always canceling plans because they’d rather be home…

The Black Home is a lavish home decor store dedicated to celebrating Black creativity, artistry, and excellence. 

 

 Arawax Records and Tea will be your one stop shop for those “blasting music in my sala”  homies. 

 

 

Tawa Threads Co. not only creates uniquely crafted home goods but also donates a portion of their proceeds to organizations working to increase diversity in outdoor spaces. 

 

 

Are flowers ever a bad gift? We think not! Head to Bloomed in Queens for elegant personalized dry and fresh floral arrangements. 

 

 

 

For the person in your life who is ready to shut down the sala with their fit…

These handcrafted goods by Bobby Joseph are perfect for that loved one who loves to stand out. 

 

 

RootsnRooftop is made for the anti-fast fashion friend providing quality goods created under sustainable practices. 

 

  

Hause of Curls has it all for the curly haired homies who are proud of their hair crowns. 

 

 De'Alma is more than just a jewelry brand, it is a mission, to bring a beautiful piece of our Dominican cultures magic to the mindful beings around the world.

 

 

Toofly NYC is the signature fashion & accessories collection based on the art, design, and life of New York City's most naturally talented female graffiti artist "Toofly."

 

 

 

For those trap beauty queens and kings in your life…

Not only are Maddy The Artist Cosmetics perfect for the lovers of a good lip color, they are also vegan and cruelty free. 

 

 

You know that friend that has a 12 step skin care routine? 917 Drops will be the game changer for their dewy skin. 

 

 

Our ancestors passed us many gifts, Skin by Jem tapped in to her Latinx roots creating a skin care line based on those home remedies. 

 

 A celebration of color and living out load Midas Cosmetics has an array of pallets for everyone’s liking. 

 

 

Necromancy Cosmética is the line for that person that indulges in the dark side of the beauty aficionado life. 

 

 

 

For that person who doesn’t stop sending you food post…

The sweet and savory pies from Style and Sustenance are the perfect mouth watering gift. 

 

 

Nothing says I love you better than a fantastic cocktail made right in your home with the help of Mix’d Roots.

 

 

Don Carvajal Café is ethically and sustainable coffee brand that will leave your coffee lover saying Starbucks who? 

 

 

 

For those who would rather go to a book store more than a bottomless brunch…

What better place to shop for books and sip some wine than The Lit Bar, the only independently owned bookstore in the BX.

 

 

Adanne is a bookshop that celebrates African-American culture by selling books and other products like apothecary, tote bags, t-shirts and accessories.

 

 

Libélula Books & Co. is an independently queer and BIPOC owned bookshop in the heart of Barrio Logan, San Diego. 

 

 

 

Last but not least for the tiny future leaders, game changers, and creators in your life…

Cozy n Cute Kids Boutique is a Black women owned shop helping parents feel confident when it comes to purchasing their kids stylish clothing at the best price. 

 

 Ikuzi Dolls are Black dolls that represent the different and gorgeous shades of Black beauty. Teaching our kids to love who they are. 

 

 Canticos combines the power of nursery rhymes with the benefits of bilingualism to provide your child with an innovative learning experience.

 

 

Kido is a Chicago kids store filled of sustainable and unique toys created by Black creatives hoping to keep their family’s entrepreneurial legacy alive. 

 

 

Caras Lindas books and products highlight facts and honor legendary Puerto Rican figures with fun illustrations and bite sized text designed to share and read aloud. 

 

We hope you enjoyed our dope gift guide and hope you spread some cheer and remember to shop SMALL! 

October did a quick little drive by and we are now in November! Along with partaking in every foodie’s favorite holiday it is also Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. We want to encourage men or anyone who identifies as male to break the “man up” stereotype and seek help when suffering from mental health issues. Globally, on average, 1 man dies every minute of every day due to suicide yet depression is under diagnosed for male identifying individuals. Let’s do away with the stigma behind “masculinity” and give grace to anyone who needs to express, feel, and process their emotions - no matter their gender. 

For more information or to obtain help check out us.movember.com. 

 

 

 

We all know that as adults our homes and more specifically our bedrooms are sacred spaces. They are the sanctuaries where we can escape the craziness of the outside world. As a child, having your own bedroom was the ultimate win. It is was the one room where you were able to express yourself and dream up who you were going to be. For people with limited resources and life long disabilities, their bedrooms are where they spend the majority of their lives. Martha & Alex Gold-Dvoryadkin, the founders of Blissful Bedrooms, wanted to make sure that the bedrooms for those young disabled individuals were safe havens and hubs of empowerment. Created in 2009, this non-profit organization provides free extravagant bedroom makeovers on a monthly basis for those young disabled individuals. Their ultimate goal is to enhance these kids lives inside and outside of their bedrooms. If you are looking to do some good, you can volunteer or donate to their organization. Spread the word! 

 

 

 Homelessness and poverty are two of America’s major societal issues. After the pandemic, in cities like L.A. and N.Y.C., these problems have only been amplified due to the lack of help provided by our government. The unfortunate truth is that real change only takes place when it comes from within the communities in need. Like the free breakfast program created by the Black Panthers, LaRayia Gaston founded a non-profit organization, Love Without Reason, under which she created a free meals program, Lunch on Me, which provides about 10,000 plant based meals to the homeless people to underserved communities. In addition to this LaRayia owns a L.A. based shop called LaRayia’s Bodega where she offers a vegan food menu where everything is $5 or less. In a world where it feels like only the wealthy are able to eat healthy, shops like this bodega are blessing to the communities they serve. Feel free to donate and/or volunteer and let’s all rally behind LaRayia and her team!

 

 

 

We wanted to thank the people of Atlanta for their southern hospitality that was given in abundance to Tony during his recent trip and event down in ATL last month. Who would have known that after Tony designed the ‘ATL Machete’ tee the Braves would go on to become the World Series champs! A huge congrats to the team and the delightful people of Atlanta! 

There is a chill in the air, the leaves are turning, and the streets are being filled with skulls and pumpkins. That’s right mi gente, Halloween is finally here! After summer, this is my favorite time of the year. Aside from our feeds being filled with apple picking and pumpkin spiced lattes, the masses start digging in their creative bags and the world turns into a landscape of the odd and strange! This year there a few events happening like the always highly anticipated  New York’s 48th Annual Village Halloween Parade which is back from last years hiatus. If you are looking to celebrate a little early, The Museum of the City of New York is hosting a Costumes and Cocktail Halloween Masquerade where there will be a drag show, giant puppets, and spooky cocktails. Sketch, drink, and be scary! 

 

 

When the legendary RZA brought together the greatest rap group of all time back in Staten Island, we wonder if he envisioned making the New York Times as WU TANG CLAN’s one of a kind album, “Once Upon A Time in Shaolin”, sold for $4 million. Always moving to the beat of his own mix, RZA along with Dutch rapper Cilvaringz, created this 31 track album seven years ago to protest the depreciation of music in the age of streaming. The catch to the exclusive album is that the buyers, NFT collectors PleasrDAO, cannot share it with anyone until the year 2103. Until then, we will have to suffice with Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga series. If you have not seen it yet, wait until you get to episode 6 of season 2 - an artistic and musical masterpiece! Here’s to the love of hip hop and remember WU TANG IS FOREVER! 

 

 

In October we wear pink - in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. A frightening but very real fact is that in the United States, 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Even though breast cancer is most often found in women, 1 in 100 men will be diagnosed with the disease as well. With this being so, we want to share some preventative measures that can be taken for early detection in addition to ways to help reduce your risk:

• Self-check every month (standing up and lying down).
• Exercise for at least 150 minutes per week.
• Limit alcohol intake. 
• Get that sleep. 

If you want to learn more or support the cause visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. for more information and remember health is wealth! 

We all know that children are our future and if we are in the hands of 8 year old Mexican genius Adhara Maite Pérez we are as good as gold. With an IQ of 162, which is two points higher than Stephen Hawkins and Albert Einstein, she is set to change the world. Did we mention that she is currently working on not one but TWO college degrees since she’s already completed elementary, intermediate, and high school? Adhara who dreams of working at NASA and becoming an astronaut is light years ahead of the game. When asked why this is her dream she said “I want to go to space to colonize Mars!”. We are behind you 100% Adhara! 

 

 

After the pandemic many of us found ourselves trying to create multiple side hustles or redirecting our careers in order to generate income while working from home. Jannese Torres-Rodriguez has created the perfect podcast, “Yo Quiero Dinero”, that will give us the tools to build a successful online business and set us on the right track towards financial independence. After losing her job a few years back she did some personal soul searching leading her to create a prosperous food blog Delish D’Lites. The success of the blog didn’t happen overnight but with relentless consistency and research she began to see residual income trickle in from the blog. With every year that goes by that income has only gone up. Jannese is now on a mission to educate & empower members of marginalized communities to build generational wealth, become entrepreneurs, and invest wisely. Si se puede! 

 

 

If you’re in need of some inspiration we are here to tell you about Afro-Latina and fellow New Yorker Kayla Maria G. This profesional dancer, model, teacher, and influencer is here to break stereotypes that have been placed on people with disabilities. Comfortable in her own skin and a proud bionic user she has been featured in campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, Target, Dove, and UGG. She hopes that through her work she will normalize and open up peoples minds and perspectives on disabilities. We are ready to take some dance lessons from her any day! 

If you look in the dictionary for the definition of inspiration and perseverance, a photo of Dominican born Hansel Enmanuel Rodriguez will be the one to come up. This one-armed hooper, who is following his Dad’s footsteps in professional basketball, is a force to be reckoned with. He can dunk like the best of them, has a crossover as mean as A.I., and can silence an opposing teams cheering crowd with his killer three pointers. As of recent, he received a D1 scholarship offer from HBCU Tennessee State University. Stay tuned because this is only the beginning for Enmanuel!

 

 

In other news, with everything going on in the world today we are in need of a superhero to come through and save the day, am I right? Forget about Spider Man or Superman, there’s a new kid on the block - La La Liu, the first LGBTQ+ Latin Asian superhero to hit the comic book world. La La Liu makes her debut in the third edition of “La Borinqueña” comic book series about an environmentally conscious female superhero who gets her dope powers from the Indigenous Taíno gods of her Puerto Rican ancestors. Created by Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez, who’s characters represent & reinforce the Caribbean heritage & ancestry, Luz was created to symbolize an underrepresented group within the Latin community. Did you know there’s a Barrio Chino in the Dominican Republic? Yes, you read that correctly, D.R. has its own China town. Thank you Edgardo for shedding light on the spectrum of people that make up the Latino community!

 

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month our very own Tony Peralta was featured in a special episode of All Hands on Cheddar News -  “Building a Hispanic Business” where he speaks of the importance of the Washington Heights community, his reasons for having his Taller Peralta shop in Inwood, and how we look out for one another as Latinos knowing the hardships that come from the immigrant experience in this country. Check it out ( for a quick find of his appearance, he comes on at 36:06 in the episode)!