WASHINGTON — Gary Williams and Tamon George started Creative Theory Agency in 2015. The D.C.-based marketing firm is now venturing into retail.
"Some would say starting a retail business in COVID is risky and not the smartest thing to do, but it's always the right time to provide opportunity to your community," Williams said.
In February, during Black History Month, the pair opened The Gift Shop. A new curated store in the Union Market District, featuring local Black-owned brands.
"Our mission from jump was always to create a space and opportunity for people who look like us and our community," Williams said.
The store has a variety of products from leather pillows, to apparel, to playing cards.
"There's no other way you'd be able to see a collection of items like that to tell the story and make you feel that way. It just so happens that these are all Black-owned products, locally sourced, which makes it even more special," George said.
This past year, the conversations about racial equality have been at the forefront in the U.S. Black-owned businesses saw a significant spike in support following the deaths of George Floyd and Breanna Taylor.
The Gift Shop creators say those conversations have certainly played a role in the support they have seen so far, but say this idea was not a knee-jerk reaction to this past year. It is an idea they have been working on for a while. According to the duo, the support from the community will make a big difference in the vendors' lives.
"You said Black lives matter, you said you want to support, you said you are allies, now it's time to really show it and support these Black and brown makers by putting money in their pockets," Williams said.
In the long run, the goal is to make this space about much more than just retail.
"There is a lot of conversation about gentrification and the sense of belonging in the community and in the city. And just the fact that we've built this space in a modular way and opened this space for other businesses, not just for commerce but for convening when it's safe to do so, is just another element of what we're trying to bring to the neighborhood," George said.
The Gift Shop is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Union Market District.