Made by Melanin: Gifts for a woke bespoke, Black holiday season | By C. Denise Johnson

Although many were dreaming of a post-pandemic holiday season, that will be another year, not this year. More of us who appreciate and see the value of doing more business with one another.

Pittsburgh has a deep bench when it comes to Black creators and entrepreneurs. They are crafted out of a niche out of what create. Our traditional go-to spots are still around, Jamil’s Global Village (jamilsglobal.myshopify.com), Ujaama (ujamaacollective.org), Dorsey’s Record Shop (412-731-6607), and the Catapult Greater Pittsburgh Galleries (formerly known as Gallery on Penn 412-683-6488) have company in the form of cooperative retail, offering bricks and mortar display space IRT for locally-made artisan crafts.

Argyle Studio is a retail incubator for small businesses still in recovery from the pandemic on the Forbes Avenue corridor in Oakland leading into Pitt. A Black WBE, ULEADx was selected from a broad range of applicants and charged with filling the space with a mix of makers, artists, and creatives. Familiar names and emerging artisans. local talent, quality merchandise, and most important: to create an interior environment with a “cool factor.” Argyle Studio, 3508 Forbes Avenue 15213 (Oakland) 412-224-2692 popupargyle.com

Deavron Dailey is a visual artist whose work can be seen in murals around town (including East Liberty). On a smaller scale, Dailey works with acrylics and tile along with other mixed media. A cohort member of Nafasi on Centre in the Hill District, an artist space, gallery and meeting spot that incubates emerging visual. He accepts commissions. Dailey Mixed Media, 412-816-6138, @deavron.dailey.art

MOKA Gallery – House of Culture is the late-in-life child of Errol Mobutu Reynolds and Charlotte Ka, both artists with roots in Pittsburgh. They want to give the Hill a gallery and space for the neighborhood to gather and share stories of the past, artwork informed by the creative spirit that nurtured the likes of Rob Penney, Art Blakey, Billy Strayhorn, and August Wilson, and kindle the talents of the Hill’s emerging talent. This is where you go for real handcrafts items made in Africa, Djembe drums, wood instruments that can function as décor or a child’s toy, masks (not that fake stuff from Burlington), and much more. MOKA Gallery – House of Soul, 2297 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219 2297 Centre Avenue 412-314-4457 https://mokaonsoho.com