Uptown Artisanal Pop Up opening in Morningside Heights for two weekends

Former Liberty House retail space will be home to graduates of the 2018 Harlem Local Vendor Program

We’re so excited to be a part of a group of NYC small businesses that has banded together to create the Uptown Artisanal Pop Up market, open for a limited time in partnership with Columbia University.

The Uptown Artisanal Pop Up store will be open for two weekends, Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 and Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 2878 Broadway, New York, NY 10025 (Broadway at 112th Street)

Local business owners teamed up to create the pop up market with Columbia University. We are all 2018 graduates of the Harlem Local Vendor Program. Supported by Columbia University, the Columbia-Harlem SBDC, and Harlem Park to Park, the Harlem Local Vendor Program helps small businesses in upper Manhattan grow through educational programs, networking opportunities and business coaching.

Hashbags is so grateful to Columbia University for partnering with us to allow us to make the Uptown Artisanal Pop Up possible. We’re also thankful for the Harlem Local Vendor Program, which has enabled us to create a support network to help all our businesses grow. The ability to work together on projects like this is invaluable.

The Pop Up market will feature nearly two dozen local businesses during its two-weekend run, including:

• Ahmesa To the Table: Farm to table, Mediterranean sea salts & Middle Eastern spices, with rustic inspired tapenades and confits

• Blackbird Dillinger: Utility bags and accessories

• Blondie’s Divine Desserts: Blondie's Divine Desserts Are Not Simply A Dessert, They’re An Experience

• Chef Marshall: Incredibly versatile hot pepper sauces that will enhance your favorite dishes of any cuisine

• Hashbags: Cheeky bags that bring beloved hashtags to life on super-soft, roomy totes made from recycled materials.

• K’s European Jams: All-natural and light in sugar, K’s artisanal small batch preserves  are blended to let the fruit flavor shine, preserving the vibrant aromas of each season.

• Kazani: Kazani provides multipurpose, clean beauty hair and body care products that delivers results and does not compromise your family's health nor the environment.

• Lilybranch: Finely-produced greeting cards using eco-friendly materials. lovely art, design, and whimsy.

• The Little Hot Dog Wagon: Gourmet Homemade Sauerkraut, a great sweet and zesty taste, versatile wholesome food enhancer and topping.  

• Loving Culture: A holistic sustainable beauty movement that centers around a certified USDA organic, vegan, Leaping Bunny Certified, biodegradable, and highly versatile hair and body oil.

• Penny’s Pastries: All-natural and preservative-free sweet potato desserts that aim to feed your Holiday Spirit all year 'round!

• Rubarama: Seasoning blends and dry rubs to help people easily make delicious meals while still being healthy. They have tremendous flavor profiles without the loads of sugars and sodium that you may find in many other seasonings.

• Soak Bathing Rituals: Soy wax candles, herbal bath soaks and palo santo bundles that work harmoniously to create a natural cleansing environment traditionally believed to have positive health benefits.

• Spread-mmms: Spread-mmms is a line of small batch, artisanal tapenade & sassy savory spreads that are handmade in Harlem.

• Stay Creative Productions: Original artwork greeting cards created by students who face learning differences and mental health challenges.

• Sunkiss Organics: Skin care crafted with your sun-kissed skin in mind.

• Sweet Vegan: Hand-crafted artisan vegan chocolate truffles with robust flavors and subtle spices.

• Yummble Bees: Yummble Bee’s believes in natural skincare that promotes a healthy relationship with your skin.  Formulated for all skin types, Yummble Bee’s is a multicultural product that uses nature's best ingredients.

We hope to see you there!

Hashbags NY accepted to Harlem Local Vendor Program

We're celebrating at Hashbags HQ! Hashbags NY has been accepted to the Harlem Local Vendor Program, a small business accelerator from Harlem Park to Park. 

Sponsored by Whole Foods Market, Columbia-Harlem SBDC, Hot Bread Kitchen Incubates and the Harlem Community Development Corporation, the Harlem Local Vendor Program helps small businesses in upper Manhattan grow through educational programs, networking opportunities and business coaching. 

That means you'll be seeing Hashbags out and about this spring and summer at some of Harlem's wonderful street fairs, along with a cohort of other great local businesses offering #delicious food, all-natural health and beauty products and so much more. 

We'll keep you posted here and via our social media accounts on where and when to find us, and we hope you come out to support Hashbags NY and Harlem Park to Park!

If you're not already following, please check us out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

Shop local: 5 NYC products to try for the holidays

Part of the fun of holiday shopping in New York City is exploring the flea markets and holiday bazaars for just the right gift or tasty something to serve at your holiday feast. Here's 5 of our favorites:

1. Redhead Hot Sauce. Redhead started with a hot sauce and then expanded into Bloody Mary mix, cocktail sauce and our personal favorite, the Fig & Chile sauce, which is sweet and spicy and delightful all at the same time. The secret is a proprietary hand-selected spice blend which gives Redhead products a kick, but with depth of flavor. It's about tasting good, not about burning off your taste buds. You can buy online, or at local retailers in Manhattan and Brooklyn. 
2. Spread-mmms Olive Tapenade. We were introduced to Spread-mmms over the summer and quickly fell in love. It's made with Moroccan olives, olive oil, garlic, rosemary and some other unknown deliciousness that make it wonderful with a baguette and some cheese. You can worry about workouts in the new year. Available in stores throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan and also online.  
3. Eat good, do good. Hot Bread Kitchen provides training and job placement assistance to immigrant and low income women in New York City. They also make some damn good bread. You can buy locally in New York City or get fresh bread delivered overnight. There's even a subscription for the carb lover on your shopping list (*raises hand*). 
4. After you're done with the bread, hot sauce and tapenade, you might want to get in a run. Harlem Run meets up twice a week in (you guessed it) Harlem, led by Alison Désir, Amir Figueroa, and Kayla Lauricella. Along with some miles, you can get their awesome running essentials including shirts, shorts, hoodies and sunglasses. 
5. Last but not least, we humbly submit Hashbags as another idea. Maybe load up #Delicious with all your wondrous NYC food, or pair #SquadGoals with Harlem Run for those New Year's Resolutions. Head on over to the shop to check it out. Bags ship next business day so there's plenty of time to order before Christmas. 

Happy shopping!