Thanks as always for your support! Keep reading for our recommendations and upcoming events.

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Cool things

Our monthly recommendations

August is Black business month! Here’s a reminder of the Black-owned businesses on the Ave:

• Ancient Blends Apothecare

• Bed Vyne Wine & Spirits

• Brooklyn Kettle / The Narrativ House

• Brown Butter Creamery (recently featured in The New York Times’ list of best ice cream shops in the city!)

• The Bush Doctor Juice Bar

• Byas and Leon

• Hatch

• Karter’s Deli

• Law Offices of Aldric Freeman & Associates

• Life Wellness Center

• Locale Barbershop

• Make Manifest

• Peace and Riot and Mommy and Papi

• Peaches Hot House

• The Stuy Wash N Dry

• The Taco Bar

• Wadadli Jerk

• Why Hate Math

Upcoming events

You’re invited!

• Thursday, August 6 @ 8 pm - Watch independent drama “Take Out” at dear friend books as a part of TONIGHTS SPECIAL, a food and film series that focuses on films taken place over the course of a day. The event is free, and light bites will be provided by Edible Affairs.

• Saturday, August 8th - Stroll the ave for the next installment of Second Saturdays, our new summer series! Shop, discover new faves, and revisit your tried and true spots.

• Sunday, August 9th @ 2 pm - Join a free collage workshop with artist and writer Maya Henry Lewis at dear friend books. All materials provided, just come as you are!

• Saturday, August 8th @ 2 pm - Attend Common Grounds, a mixer for Black professionals and creatives, at dear friend books. Music will span the African diaspora, ranging from Amapiano to Caribbean mixes from DJ Ino, Kofi Ama, and Mudia.

• Sunday, August 9th @ 5 pm - A sun shower is what happens when two things that shouldn’t share a sky decide to anyway. Come to “Sunshower: a tea rave” at dear friend books hosted by tea brand Ivy Hermit. Enjoy cold brew teas, and lo-fi EDM and live traditional Chinese instruments. Tickets start at $19 for artists, musicians, and students.

• Sunday, August 9th @ 12 pm - Make Manifest is hosting a block party to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Bedstuy’s newest mural called “From Bedstuy with Love”.

• Sunday, August 9th @ 4:30 pm - WARUDE will have live music featuring Brooklyn-based group Brown Rice Family as part of Make Manifest’s block party on Tompkins Ave between Putnam and Jefferson.

• Monday, August 10th @ 7:30 pm - Bollywood fans, test your knowledge at a Deepika Padukone trivia night at Cheeni.

• Tuesday, August 11th @ 7 pm - Writers, when was the last time you gave yourself an hour to write freely? Come to dear friend books to write alone together at a writer’s evening hosted by House of Belonging. This season’s theme is writing the self; no critiquing or workshopping, just you and your medium of choice.

• Wednesday, August 12, 19, and 26 @ 8 pm - Come to dear friend books every Wednesday for a movie night. This month’s lineup includes Cooley High, Yellow Sunshine, and more.

• Friday, August 14th @ 7 pm - Join a discussion on community-building hosted by NEIGHBORS Zine at dear friend books. RSVP on Partiful.

• Saturday, August 15th @ 1 pm - Learn Chinese ink painting and portraiture at dear friend books from artist Sharon Li, who will also encourage you to unlearn the “right” way to make art. Tickets are $45 on Eventbrite, all materials included.

• Saturday, August 29th @ 6 pm - Enjoy readings from emerging poets at dear friend books, including Rayne Alarcio’s reading of their debut chapbook Starving the Wolf.

• Monday, August 31st @ 7:30 pm - Have a laugh for free at “Who all there”, a comedy show happening every last Monday at Hatch! Jokes provided by comedian Miss Falen.

See you soon,

The TAMA Team

It’s the 250th July. Our Mayor is Muslim, the Knicks are NBA champions, and Tompkins is still the best avenue in Brooklyn ;)

This Independence weekend, both the progress we’ve made toward freedom and the work still being done are worthy of celebration. It’s the inaugural spirit of revolution that we invoke when we strive to make this nation a place where all can live well!

This is already shaping up to be a summer for the history books–one too beautiful to experience alone. Don’t miss out on anything! Our avenue is rife with third spaces and friendly faces who are eager to seize this summer with you. Come eat, drink, shop local, laugh, dance, and enjoy AC with us!

We can’t wait to make more memories together this month. Keep reading for our summer recs and upcoming events.

Cool things

Our monthly recommendations

The heat is something serious this summer! Here are the best ways to keep cool on the avenue:

• Stop by The Bush Doctor Juice Bar for a fresh juice or smoothie. And if you don’t mind the heat, order something with ginger!

• Brown Butter Creamery has a rotating menu of unique, limited-time ice cream and gelato, like Dubai chocolate, caramel popcorn, cornbread, and more. Come every week to cool off with new flavors.

• It’s finally beach and pool season! Get swimming essentials like swim caps, goggles, towels, pool floats, and more for you and your kids at Peace & Riot.

• Stop by our favorite grocery stores and delis on the avenue; Met Fresh, Karter’s Grocery & Deli, and Chicky’s General Store. Grab summertime essentials from quick refreshments to your holiday weekend grocery lists.

Upcoming events

You’re invited!

• Friday, July 3rd @ 7 pm - Enjoy the release of performance artist Doménica Garcia’s new zine, Mar de Lágrimas, at dear friend books. The zine extends her work centered around crying in public and explores the act as a private emotion and a public spectacle.

• Saturday, July 4th - The Taco Bar is running an Independence Day sale! Add it as a stop to your holiday weekend plans for discounted tacos, quesadillas, and select drinks.

• Sunday, July 5th @ 4:30 pm - Come to dear friend books for an English and Spanish reading of Declaration of Independence / Declaración de independencia, a documentary poem, constructed exclusively from the United States Declaration of Independence.

• Monday, July 6th @ 6 pm - Find out what your face looks like when you actually look at it at a charcoal self-portrait workshop led by artist Victorious McLeod at dear friend books. Purchase tickets on Eventbrite.

• Tuesday, July 7th @ 7 pm - You’re invited to “dear fools,” a comedy show at dear friend books. Expect a heavy-hitting lineup featuring comedians from the Late Late Show, SNL, Subway Takes, and more.

• Wednesdays, July 8, 15, 22, 29 @ 8 pm - The summer cinema club is back at dear friend books! Come hang on Wednesdays to watch movies like He Who Gets Slapped and Raising Victor Vargas.

• Saturday, July 11th - Join us on the avenue for this month’s 2nd Saturdays, our new summer series! Come shop, mingle with us, and support your local merchants.

• Saturday, July 11th @ 2 pm - Byas & Leon is seven years old! Celebrate our favorite Haitian-owned vintage store at Lucky’s Cocktail Lounge for a night of dancing soundtracked by DJ Hard Hittin Harry.

• Saturday, July 11th @ 8:30 pm - Enjoy an outdoor screening of a Bedstuy classic, Crooklyn, at Make Manifest. While you’re there, admire the new and almost finished mural! RSVP via Eventbrite.

• Sunday, July 12th @ 2 pm - At dear friend books make your own handmade Xuan paper with pressed flowers while sipping cold brew tea. Attend the workshop hosted by Ivy Hermit cold brew and Sunday Studio.

• Tuesday, July 14th @ 7:30 pm - Enjoy live music from Philip Wailes Group, Nathan Reising, Evan Main, and Angus Mason at dear friend books.

• Thursday, July 16th @ 7 pm - What is the value of one correct answer?! Find out at Cheeni’s Deepika Padukone Trivia Night.

• Thursday, July 16th @ 8 pm - Attend the first installment of “TONIGHT’S SPECIAL,” a food and film series that focuses on films taken place over the course of a day. This month’s screening will be of Where Is The Friend’s House? Dir. by Abbas Kiarostami (1987) at dear friend books.

• Friday, July 17th @ 7 pm - North Stars of Emancipation: Food & Farming Movements is a book about how greater racial inclusion can propel food movements forward. Join author and political organizer Antonio Roman-Alcalá and environmental journalist Audrea Lim at The Word Is Change to hear their conversation about the book.

• Friday, July 17th @ 7 pm - Celebrate Cheeni’s first birthday at “Another Big Fat Desi Wedding.” Dress well, and dance hard! Reserve your spot on Resy.

• Saturday, July 18th @ 8 pm - Join friends at Cheeni for a comedy showcase, “Sharam Nahi!”, featuring some of your favorite comedians. Enjoy wine, beer, and snacks from Cheeni AND a dessert takeover by Black Zaffron. Get your ticket on Resy.

• Saturday, July 18th @ 6 pm - Creatives are welcome at dear friend books for “Loophole: In the Room,” a mixer for creatives to connect in real life, share what they’re building, and find their people.

• Friday, July 24th @ 5 pm - Enjoy DJ sets & live music from local gworls and boys at this month’s Lavender Lounge at Cheeni.

• Wednesday, July 29th @ 7 pm - As part of a series on surveillance cinema, come to dear friend books for a screening of In Order to Not Be Here, a new genre of horror movie that portrait suburban surveillance and security culture. Stay for a workshop led by documentarian and information worker Olivia M. Ross on digital surveillance.

See you soon,

The TAMA Team

Happy Pride and Caribbean-American Heritage Month. We’re alongside you this Summer and we’re so lucky to have your support. Keep reading for upcoming events and some special updates.

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Cool things

Our monthly recommendations

• We’re so back! We’re debuting a new summer series called Second Saturdays. Every second Saturday, starting on June 13th, the avenue will be alive with activities and shopping. Come for a good time and follow us on Instagram for more details.

  • Bed-Vyne Wine & Spirits will have FREE tastings from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

• Parents, give your kiddos a leg up by enrolling them in Why Hate Math’s Summer Camp. Kids will engage in daily math and reading, baking, wellness, STEAM activities, outdoor play, field trips, and more! If you’re looking for math lessons alone, you can keep your scholars learning with the discounted Summer Bundle Deal. Readers of this newsletter get an additional 10% off when you mention Summer on Tompkins Avenue!

Upcoming events

You’re invited!

• Tuesday, June 2nd @ 7 pm - Attend KANVAS CONVERSATIONS Vol. II at dear friend books, a conversation exploring hair as identity, communication, and cultural expression. RSVP here.

• Thursday, June 4th @ 7:30 pm - Make a vision board for the second half of the year (how are we already halfway through!?) and enjoy cold brew tea at dear friend books in collaboration with Ivy Hermit and Sunday Studio. RSVP via Partiful.

• Friday, June 5th - Sun, June 7th - Shop the summer launch and archive sale of independent fashion brand AYRES at dear friend books. RSVP on Instagram or by email.

• Saturday, June 6th @ 2 pm - Be an active participant in your community by attending a sit-down conversation with Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman at The Bush Doctor Juice Bar. Come for free ginger shots and a chance to make your voice heard.

• Saturday, June 6th @ 5:30 pm - The Word is Change invites you to an author talk at the Brooklyn Library Bedford Branch for I Cannot Submit to Injustices: Martin Sostre’s Continuous Struggle. Join Mariame Kaba, Garrett Felber, and Corey Devon Arthur for a conversation about the life, work, and ideas of Black Puerto Rican revolutionary Martin Sostre.

• Thursday, June 11th @ 7 pm - Mango-lovers rejoice at Cheeni! Enjoy a 4-course, family-style, mango-themed dinner featuring custom ceramics and an open wine bar. While tickets on Resy are currently sold out, you can (and should) email info@cheeni-nyc.com to be added to the waitlist in case of cancellations.

• Friday, June 12th @ 7 pm - Come out to dear friend books and enjoy live music, drinks, and books at Asvid Muffler’s first show featuring Stefani Bondari and beetsblog.

• Monday, June 15th @ 7 pm - Come to The Word is Change to celebrate the publication of Real Men On Top: How Patriarchy Shapes Our Reality by Yale philosopher Robin Dembroff. They’ll be in conversation with How Fascism Works author Jason Stanley about gender as the internal logic of our current fascist moment.

• Wednesday, June 17th @ 7 pm - Test your knowledge at Queer Bollywood Trivia at Cheeni! Spots are first-come, first-served, so come in teams of up to six, and compete in four rounds of queerness in Bollywood.

• Saturday, June 20th @ 11 - 2 pm - Enjoy an immersive outdoor sound meditation and curated home shopping experience hosted by Israel Tafere Designs at dear friend books. Take this as an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and reflect on the meaning of home.

• Saturday, June 20th @ 7 pm - Enjoy arepas and phuchka under the same roof at Una Rumba hosted by Cheeni and Váyalo Cocina. Ring in the summer with dancing, an open mic, food, drinks, and friends!

• Sunday, June 21st @ 7 pm - Join The Word Is Change for an author conversation around From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures. Author Lara Sheehi will be in conversation with Shellyne Rodriguez about how psychoanalysis continues to enforce oppressive structures, state power, and reactionary politics.

• Friday, June 26th @ 5 - 8 pm - Spend the happiest hours at Cheeni’s Lavender Lounge, an evening of live music featuring DJ Pillow Princess, DJ Sri, and Cheeni’s very own Heather Hills.

• Saturday, June 27th @ 7 pm - Come to The Word Is Change for a Lit Reading and Fundraiser for Lampblack, an organization created by Black writers to support all Black writers.

See you soon,

The TAMA Team

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! We can’t wait to see you on the ave. Keep reading for our recommendations and upcoming events.

Cool things

Our monthly recommendations

Long days and mild temperatures are back! As such, here’s a cheat sheet of Tompkins Ave eateries with outdoor seating:

• Bar Camillo - Roman Restaurant & Bar

• Brown Butter Creamery - Gelato Shop

• Brooklyn Kettle / The Narativ House - Coffee shop and general store

• Cheeni - Coffee, wine, and “Indian-ish” food

• Ler Lers - Thai restaurant

• The Taco Bar - Mexican restaurant

• Wadadli Jerk - Authentic Caribbean food spot

• Warude Japanese Bowl and Taco - Japanese and Mexican fusion restaurant

Upcoming events

You’re invited!

• Sunday, May 3rd @ 7 pm - Explore mail as queer connection at “Queering The Mail”, a free postcard collage and letter writing workshop at dear friend books.

• Thursday, May 7th @ 7 pm - Listen in to a book discussion at The Word Is Change for How to Sell a Genocide by Adam Johnson, a gripping exposé of how the media fueled genocide in Gaza. All royalties from the book will be donated to the Middle East Children’s Alliance.

• Saturday and Sunday, May 9th and 10th - Stop by Cheeni over Mother’s Day weekend and shop Leela Handles’ ceramics. Sip some chai or a rose lychee mimosa while you shop a unique collection of small-batch ceramic art, thrown and carved locally.

• Sunday, May 10th @ 1 pm - Bring your mom to “Petals & Portraits” at Make Manifest, a Mother’s Day experience celebrating the importance of creativity and hands-on activities to foster intimate connections. Mom’s will create bouquets, and loved ones will paint a portrait of their mom.

• Monday, May 11 @ 6:30 pm - Join the General Ideas Reading Group at dear friends books to read In Praise of Risk by Anne Dufourmantelle.

• Tuesday, May 12th @ 5 pm - Enjoy a wine tasting night at Cheeni. Reservations via Resy, and walk-ins are always welcome.

• Thursday, May 14th and 28th @ 7 pm - Jump into a Liography Dance Workshop at Make Manifest hosted by professional dancer and choreographer Aliyah. The workshop blends traditional West African dance, Afrobeats, Dancehall, and contemporary styles.

• Saturday, May 16th @ 7 pm - Come to dear friends books for might we sell the shadow: a reading and launch. The project is an ongoing examination of “creativity and capital, and what arises when they confront one another”. The first two volumes, art books in both form and content, will be available for purchase.

• Monday, May 25th @ 7:30 pm - “Who All There?” is a monthly comedy show series happening every last Monday at Hatch. Laugh with Miss Falen and enjoy craft cocktails by Henri Williams.

• Wednesday, May 27th @ 7 pm - Attend a free Budgeting 101 workshop at dear friends books. The event is hosted by Manonita, a healing and financial empowerment collective for women rooted in BIWOC wisdom and care.

• Wednesday, May 27th @ 7 pm - See two debut authors in conversation on “Fiction as Millennial Critique” at The Word Is Change. Authors Daniel Pope and Abigail Savitch-Lew will unravel the themes connecting their novels, Go Help Yourself and Livonia Chow Mein.

• Thursday, May 28th @ 7 pm - Join in on “Joy in the Soft Apocolypse”, a monthly “literary salon of tender, radical community” at The Word Is Change.

See you soon,

The TAMA Team

If we turn our faces toward the sun and toward each other, the shadows will fall behind.

Happy Passover, Easter, Earth Month, National Poetry Month, and Autism Acceptance Month.

We’re lucky to be here with you all! Keep reading for our recommendations and upcoming events on the avenue.

Subscribe now

Cool things

Our monthly recommendations

In need of a third space as we all reemerge into the outside? Look no further. Check out our favorite spaces to hang on the avenue:

• Hatch: enjoy indoor and outdoor space, great cocktails, great music, and a loyal base of regulars.

• The Word Is Change: buy new and used books or attend one of their many community-centered events.

• Dear Friend Books: wine, vintage books, regular events, and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating make this a perfect casual spot to hang out.

• Make Manifest BK: stop by this creative community space with a vegan cafe, comfy seating, and a variety of goods.

Upcoming Events

You’re invited!

• Friday, April 3rd @ 7 pm - Come to The Word Is Change for a study group hosted by Spirit of Jericho, a study group for organizers for the freedom of political prisoners, and Prison Lives Matter (PLM), an organization created by politicized prisoners to connect organizing across the walls. Register to receive the reading material.

• Friday, April 3rd @ 7 pm - Attend a “poetic evening of whimsy” at dear friend books hosted by wind-up mice, an art and literary publication.

• Saturday, April 4th @ 1 pm - What ecological world do we want to live in, and is it far off from the world we live in now? Writers of all levels are invited to a climate writing workshop hosted by Embodied Earth and Chyna Cassel at dear friend books.

• Saturday and Sunday, April 4 - 5 @ 12-7 pm - Attend Make Manifest’s “Cash Me Out Weekend”, a weekend of intentional shopping, and enjoy a free drink with any purchase, music, live art, readings, and more.

• Thursday, April 9 @ 7 pm - Bed-Vyne is partnering with Cheeni to host a family-style “Indian-ish” 9-course wine pairing dinner! For $100, enjoy selections from Cheeni’s menu and free-flowing wine while making new friends. Book via Resy.

• Sunday, April 12th @ 7 pm - Celebrate poet Soham Patel’s new book, The Daughter Industry, which is a “genre-defying” collection of poetry. Soham will be in conversation with Dawn Lundy Martin, an American poet and essayist at The Word Is Change.

• Monday, April 13 @ 6:30 pm - Read Cruel Optimism by Lauren Berlant with company at dear friend books. Join General Ideas, “an experimental reading group, interested in reading together as form.”

• Wednesday, April 15th @ 7 pm - Participate in a “Book Trivia Night: Diaspora Edition” hosted by Prose & Roast and Cheeni. You’ll form teams of 6 and test your knowledge across six subcategories spanning iconic authors and unforgettable characters for a prize! Save your spot via Partiful.

• Friday, April 17th @ 7 pm - Attend a book launch party at The Word Is Change for Imogen Smith’s raw & zero, a poetry book reflecting “trans spirituality, the genocide in Palestine, and the manifold intricacies of queer love and struggle.”

• Sunday, April 19th @ 7 pm - Celebrate the publication of The Way Disabled People Love Each Other by award-winning author Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha at The Word Is Change. The collection of poetry is “a fierce crip reckoning with all the ways disabled people love each other, in all our complexity.” Note that masks are mandatory at this event.

• Monday, April 20th @ 7 pm - Join Colleen Asper with artists Katherine Behar and Chang Yuchen, composer Julie Harting, and translator C. Luke Soucy for the launch of to catch the sounds that she can then give back with her own voice at The Word Is Change. The zine collects 22 practitioners across disciplines to the question: “How do you think about repetition in your work?”

• Sunday, April 26th @ 2 pm - Attend an afternoon of poetry reading and improv poetry with Camille Newsom at dear friend books. Camille will also be typing donation-based custom poems!

• Wednesday, April 29th @ 7 pm - Listen in to a discussion between author Alex Werth and Dr. Brandi Thompson Summers about “How struggles over Black sound have shaped Oakland’s culture, politics, and geography” based on Werth’s book On Loop.

• Thursday, April 30th @ 7 pm - Craft in community at a BIPOC craft circle night at Cheeni. “Bring your fiber arts works-in-progress (knitting, crochet, embroidery, weaving) and spend a relaxed, chatty evening together.” RSVP on luma.

See you soon,

The TAMA Team

Happy Women’s History Month! We hope you spend March celebrating not just the indelible ways the women in your life have shaped you directly, but also the very virtues that women embody: persistence, discernment, wit, leadership, love, beauty, community, courage, passion, and so much more.

We’re here to weather it all with you. Keep reading for our recommendations and upcoming events.

Cool things

Our monthly recommendations.

• Put your money where your support is by shopping at any of our women-owned businesses this month. Here’s a cheat sheet for you:

  • Ancient Blends Apothecary - natural apothecary specializing in hair, skin, and body care products and herbal wellness

  • Brooklyn Kettle / The Narrativ House - café and concept store serving coffee and pastries alongside curated goods

  • Brown Butter Creamery - artisanal gelato shop and bakery

  • The Bush Doctor - natural juice bar

  • Cheeni - Indian café and wine bar

  • Chicky’s General Store - specialty grocery and sandwich spot

  • dear friend books - vintage bookstore and wine bar

  • Hatch - black woman-owned cocktail bar

  • Life Wellness Center - wellness studio offering massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic care

  • Peace & Riot - home décor and gift shop

  • Make Manifest - coffee shop, culture and apparel retailer, and community event space

  • Mommy + Papi - children’s toy and clothing boutique

  • Quality Roots - premium cannabis dispensary

  • The Stuy Wash N Dry - full service laundromat with drop off, pick up, delivery, and dry cleaning offerings

  • Why Hate Math - math tutoring center for K–12 students

• Edify yourself through the infinite wisdom of women authors. Pick up some required reading, such as Toni Morrison’s Beloved or Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, at The Word is Change.

• Cape Verdeans know it as Kamoka. In Jamaica and Grenada, it’s known as asham. Haitians call it sham sham. Try out Brown Butter Creamery’s new but very familiar Kamoka gelato.

Upcoming Events

You’re invited!

• Wednesday, March 4th @ 7 pm - “Now more than ever we need to harness the power of our collective radical imagination.” Get real about imagination at “Visioning New Worlds”, a radical imagination Workshop at The Word is Change.

• Friday, March 6th @ 7 pm - “Come DRINK & DANCE while listening to the sounds of Brooklyn’s PREMIER trans artists! 1 hour DJ sets from Pillow Princess and Eclair + live performance from Heather Hills.” RSVP for this free event via Partiful.

• Friday, March 7th @ 5 pm - Taste some wine and be outside with Bed-Vyne Brew and Hatch for a wine tasting collab spanning both locations.

• Sunday, March 8th @ 2 pm - Spend International Women’s Day at The Word is Change for the zine launch of Sing for Our Lives. Come read a new zine and sing together because “there is power in a union.”

• Thursday, March 12th @ 7 pm - In Backstitch, a debut novel from Marian Mitchell Donahue, two sisters unravel family ties and uncover truths about their troubled late mother through her art. Celebrate the publication by attending Marian’s conversation with co-founder of Galiot Press Anjali Duva at The Word is Change.

• Thursday, March 19th @ 6 pm - In Living Color NYC is hosting a Live Art Party at Hatch, featuring a set by DONXZITO. Join in on this creative takeover of musicians, visual artists, dancers, vendors, and more.

• Friday, March 20th @ 8 pm - Bring your friends and your best Bollywood knowledge to Cheeni for a Kareena Kapoor Khan Trivia Night. Keep an eye on Cheeni’s Instagram and website for more details to be posted soon.

• Sunday, March 22nd @ 2 pm - Attend an event exploring “The Healing Union” hosted by The Aboriginal Womb Circle and Mindfulness Therapy at Make Manifest. Shop cultural pieces, and indulge in workshops with the intention of balancing the ying & yang polarity.

• Thursday, March 26th @ 7 pm - Don’t cede your imagination, there is Joy in the Soft Apocalypse. Attend this recurring friend-favorite event at The Word is Change, described as “a literary salon of tender, radical community.”

• Friday, March 27th @ 8 pm - Fight the post-Carnival blues at “One More Whine”, the ninth installment of Carnival Tabanca. Join DJ Silence, DJ Kev Mas, Internal Affairs, and bartender TCOOKS at Hatch.

See you soon,

The TAMA Team

In these unprecedented times, whether you feel faithful or hopeless, courageous or scared, energized or depleted, you’re in good company. We’re in all of this together–we always have been.

Happy Black History Month! To our black community members, we hope you have a month full of pride, joy, and prosperity. To our allies and friends, we invite you to share in our pride because Black history is American history, too.

We look forward to seeing you this month. Keep reading for our recommendations and upcoming events.

We announced our new leadership transition

Read about it and meet our team.

Cool things

Our monthly recommendations.

• Since it’s also the month of love, here’s a fun fact: In February of 1903, the first Teddy Bear was sold at 404 Tompkins Avenue, now home to black-owned vintage boutique Byas & Leon. Stop by and pick up something lovely for your love.

• Get Valentine’s Day ready with a haircut at Locale Barbershop. Take it from one of their many 5-star reviewers, “Amazing place, amazing people and a excellent hair cut.”

• Wine and dine your valentine at one of our many bars and restaurants. Here’s a quick cheat sheet for your date-planning needs:

  • Bar Camillo - Italian restaurant and bar

  • Bed-Vyne Wine and Spirits - Curated wines by taste

  • Cheeni - Cafe and restaurant serving Indian-inspired dishes

  • Dear Friend Books - Bar and vintage bookstore serving wine, tea, and kombucha

  • HATCH - Cocktail bar

  • Ler Lers - Authentic Thai restaurant

  • Nagle’s Bagels - Fresh bagels and sandwiches spot

  • Peaches Hot House - Southern comfort food restaurant

  • The Taco Bar - Mexican restaurant and bar

  • Warude Japanese Bowl and Taco - Fusion tacos and Japanese bowls restaurant

  • Wadadli Jerk - Jerk chicken and Caribbean staples eatery

Upcoming events

You’re invited!

• Join friends at The Word is Change for various events throughout the month:

  • Tuesday, February 7 @ 7 pm - Attend the Sink or Burn Book Launch Party to celebrate the release of Cristy Road Carrera’s ode to love & revolution.

  • Thursday, February 5 @ 7 pm - Listen to four black female poets recite at Black Abstractions: A Poetry Reading. Their poems remind us that Blackness—and its expressions in art—contains multitudes.

  • Saturday, February 14 - At Love Letters Vol. 7, an annual reading, listen to a performance of personal, fictional, and archival letters. After, participate in writing letters of solidarity and support to incarcerated people.

  • Wednesday, February 18 - Explore radical imagination, spiritual abolition, and worldbuilding at A Radical Imagination Workshop with Zulaikha We.

• Sunday, February 15th @ 5pm - Cheeni and Prose & Roast are hosting a book discussion about Mother Mary Comes to Me. Whether you read the book or not, join a guided discussion about rebellion throughout generations, South Asian maternal relationships, and the line between fiction & non-fiction. RSVP via Partiful.

• Thursday, February 19th @ 6:30 pm - Cheeni is thrilled to present Spice & Swirl with Preeti: Wine for Indian-ish Cuisine. Enjoy a multi-course, family-style dinner with selections from Cheeni’s food menus along with unique wine pairings from Brooklyn-based wine educator, Preeti. Snag your tickets via Resy.

• Sunday, February 21st - The Bush Doctor Juice Bar is reopening after its winter break! Stop by and have Tiecha blend you something cheery.

See you soon,

The TAMA Team

After close to ten years of dedicated leadership, Tiecha Merritt, Owner of The Bush Doctor Juice Bar, has stepped down from her role as President of TAMA.

“From 2014 to 2025, Tiecha Merritt’s leadership transformed the Tompkins Avenue Business Corridor. As a founding organizer and TAMA’s first president, she united local businesses to increase visibility, drive foot traffic, and strengthen community. Her advocacy helped establish Tompkins Avenue as a nationally recognized model for merchant collaboration and inspired similar efforts across other corridors.”

Under her leadership, TAMA achieved significant milestones that elevated Tompkins Avenue as a destination for commerce, culture, and community. Key accomplishments include the expansion of the TAMA SummerFest Weekend Walks, the launch and success of Tompkins Avenue Open Streets—which received the Alfresco NYC Award for Best Open Street in 2021 and recognition in Time Out Magazine in 2022—the designation of Tompkins Avenue as a tourist destination, awarded by the NAACP Business Award, and the successful coining and promotion of “Black Girl Magic Street.”

In addition, Michael Brooks of Bed-Vyne Wine & Spirits and Ayo Agbede of Brooklyn Kettle, who served as Vice President and Treasurer respectively, have also stepped down from their leadership roles. Together, the outgoing officers worked collaboratively to ensure a thoughtful and strategic transition, shepherding the organization toward its next chapter.

Effective January 2026, TAMA is pleased to announce the following new slate of officers:

• President: Rotimi Akinnuoye, Bed-Vyne Wine & Spirits and North Star Books + Bar

• Vice President: Ayo Agbede, Brooklyn Kettle

• Secretary: Khadijah Tudor, Life Wellness

• Treasurer: Melinda Shaw, Why Hate Math

The Tompkins Avenue Merchants Association extends its deepest gratitude to its outgoing leaders for their vision, dedication, and lasting impact on the Bedford-Stuyvesant Tompkins Avenue commercial corridor. TAMA looks forward to building on its strong foundation under new leadership and continuing to advance economic vitality, cultural preservation, and community pride.

Contact:
Oma Holloway
ADENA Consulting Group, LLC
Email: oma@adenaconsultinggroup.com

TAMA is a team of Tompkins Avenue business owners focused on enhancing the avenue and ensuring its small businesses have the tools they need to succeed. If you’ve attended a summer open streets event on Tompkins, you’ve experienced one of the many fruits of our team! We believe community is a form of wellness, and the best things happen when neighbors come together. We’ll be in your inbox once a month, inviting you to learn, play, eat, drink, create, and just be together.

And if wellness is a part of your resolutions this year–whether mental, physical, social, or otherwise–keep reading for a curated list of our very biased recommendations ;)

Cool things

Our monthly recommendations.

• Trying to eat more fiber, heal your gut, boost your immunity, glow up, and eat down? Take a trip to The Bush Doctor, and Tiecha will juice you something for your needs.

• Fallen victim to something going around? Stop by The Life Wellness Center and ask for a bottle of Fire Tonic. Trust us, it’ll get you right.

• Cleanse your space of 2025’s energy with a sacred sage bundle from Ancient Blends. New year, new vibes.

• Reflect on the old year with some analog journaling. Find journals, planners, fancy pens, and much more at Peace and Riot.

Upcoming events

Come and be social!

• Wednesday, January 7 @ 7 pm - Dear Friend Books and Lit and Loud are kicking off a monthly live book reading series with three readings by audiobook narrator William DeMerritt. They describe it as “a live read-out-loud event that makes literature social again.”

• Friday, January 9 @ 7 pm- Join poets and friends of The Word is Change Uche Nduka and Erica Miriam Fabri, for a poetry reading from their new books, To Umber and Morphology.

• Saturday, January 17 @ 10 am - Participate in a “F*ck The Hustle” workshop at Life Wellness Center to “discover more empowering ways to live your life the way you want to, achieve your dreams, and have ‘it all.’”

• Thursday, January 29 @ 1 pm - The Word is Change is continuing to host Joy in the Soft Apocalypse, a series of live readings centered around joy.

See you soon,

The TAMA Team