Getting ready to tackle your holiday shopping?
Here are 10 small businesses in Harlem where you're sure to find loads of irresistible gifts—and they're all in the neighborhood.
From south to north:
52 W 116th St between Fifth and Lenox Aves
Lined with vendors selling goods from all across sub-Saharan Africa, this lively open-air market on 116th Street is the perfect destination for gifts like shea butter, beaded jewelry, head wraps and colorful Senegalese baskets.
2. Silvana
300 W 116th St between Frederick Douglass Blvd and Manhattan Ave
Silvana's bohemian cafe on 116th Street doubles as a small gift shop lined with colorful totes, gourmet chocolate bars, children's books—plus what is probably the neighborhood's best selection of greeting cards.
3. Plant Corner
183 Malcolm X Blvd between W 119th and W 120th Sts
This exotic plant shop located in a Harlem brownstone has a lot more than greenery on its shelves: Look for environmentally-friendly candles, books for plant parents, and a nice selection of gift boxes.
4. NiLu
191 Lenox between W 119th and W 120th Sts
This treasure-filled gift store with a focus on Black and brown makers offers a little bit of everything—from luxury candles to made-in-Harlem chocolate bars. You may even find the perfect vintage home accessory, sourced by owner Katrina Parris.
2217 Frederick Douglass Blvd between W 119th and W 120th Sts
Grab a graphic Harlem-themed tee or two—in a range of colors, styles and sizes—at this friendly neighborhood shop that's been around since 1998.
6. Gotham Buds
248 W 125th St between Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvds
The first licensed weed shop in Harlem—expect to be carded at the door since you have to be 21 or older to enter—has something for everyone and any occasion, including recreational flower, pre-rolls, vaporizers, concentrate, and gummies.
515 Malcolm X Blvd and W 135th St
This light-filled shop inside the Schomburg Center is the perfect place to find books and gifts related to the Black experience, from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson enamel pins, puzzles featuring the art of Alma Thomas, and biographies of the likes of tennis legend Althea Gibson, who grew up just a few blocks away.
2363 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd between W 138th and W 139th Sts
Resembling an elegant Strivers' Row parlor, this small chocolate shop specializes in color-splashed truffles in flavors like red velvet, sweet potato pie and cognac caramel, plus chocolate bars molded to resemble Harlem brownstones—one of Oprah's Favorite Things a few years back.
9. The Oma Shop
1707 Amsterdam Ave between W 144th and W 145th Sts
Grab a latte at this cool little coffee-shop-meets-boutique while you check out the eye-catching wares on the shelves, from sculptural mugs to inclusive beauty and skincare.
10. Moonlab 42
405 W 145th St between St. Nicholas and Convent Aves
Looking for something you very likely won't find anywhere else? This sliver of a storefront run by a Georgian-American couple features art and objects made by their creative friends, including hand-dyed tea towels, made-to-order candles, soaps, tote bags, jewelry and much more.
