USA. Six retail spaces from local, women and minority-owned brands officially opened this week at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) Terminal 8.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, in partnership with American Airlines and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 18 December to celebrate the openings.
As part of the US$125 million commercial redevelopment programme for T8, these shops were selected through URW’s Small Business Accelerator Program and represent a commitment to providing opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs while enhancing the retail offer.
URW said its Small Business Retail Accelerator aims to lower the barrier to entry for small, local businesses by offering flexible deal terms and small format, plug-and-play spaces that reduce up-front and design costs. The project has developed six dedicated turnkey spaces – two in-line stores and four retail kiosks – for founders or businesses from Southeast Queens, Greater Queens, and the New York metropolitan/regional area.
The local businesses were selected based on their product offer, ability to scale and business plans. The entrepreneurs offer a variety of goods chosen for the JFK Terminal 8 passenger. Products include jewellery, home decor, hand-drawn illustrations of iconic New York scenes, honey and honey-based products, vegan skincare, jams and preserves, tonics and health supplements.
Through a competitive process, the programme gives local businesses the opportunity for a short-term lease to test their concepts in the airport environment with support from URW’s team of retail experts, curated education and networking events to enhance business readiness and success in airport environments. URW said it maintains a pipeline for future opportunities.
The participating businesses are:
Alchemy. A Brooklyn-based lifestyle brand founded by Jennifer Spencer offering luxury in everyday living with an offer that includes candles, perfumes, jewellery and home decor.
“Opening a shop at JFK, a gateway to the United States and a crossroads for travellers worldwide, is an incredible milestone for me and my company,” Spencer said. “Being a part of the transformative redevelopment of Terminal 8 is a unique opportunity to raise brand awareness on a global stage, contributing to this vibrant and iconic space while celebrating progress, diversity, and innovation.”
Beautiful Amore Skincare: Amerrah Danielson, a Queens resident and graduate of the Institute of Concessions, began making skincare products 22 years ago. She combined her love of cooking and cosmetology to create Beautiful Amore Skincare, known for its plant-based ingredients. Her kiosk features high-quality vegan products including body and lip butters, lotions, oils, scrubs hand sanitisers and hair care.
“My goal is to be a household name so having my products on the global stage of JFK gets me one step closer,” Danielson said. “I hope I can inspire people who look like me and push them to follow their dreams. This programme is truly for the community and speaks volumes to URW Airports in providing the spaces and support for us to succeed.”
Bevo’s Kitchen: Queens resident Gracia Clery-Leonce’s zest for a healthy lifestyle led her to start cooking and encouraging healthy eating habits, which in turn inspired the creation of Bevo’s Kitchen.
As a Clinical Laboratory Scientist and a Healthy Lifestyle Coach, her mantra, “Because you are what you eat,” drove her to start making everyday foods like jams and preserves launching her company in 2016. In 2020 she added a savoury line of vegan/vegetarian dishes to her packaged products. The T8 store carries favourites including jams and preserves, granolas, fruit chips, trail mix and snack balls.
“With JFK in my backyard, I always wanted to get my products into the airport, so this is a dream come true,” Clery-Leonce said. “Eating healthy while traveling is challenging, especially for plant-based travellers and I want to change that. I want to teach the world the importance of a healthy lifestyle via good healthy eating habits and what better way than to interact with passengers from around the globe.”
natchie: Brooklyn resident Nadia Ackerman is bringing her hand-drawn illustrations to the airport for the first time. Her art started with song lyric illustrations and then sketches of iconic New York locations.
Her store features art, greeting cards, stationery, luggage tags, magnets, sustainable totes and more.
“I always wanted to be in airports as I believe it is the perfect place for my brand,” Ackerman said.
“The support I have received through URW’s small business initiative is immeasurable. This is an enormous opportunity to expand to a global audience and I’m so excited to be here.”
HoneyGramz: Queens resident is the Founder of HoneyGramz, a company created from her passion for beekeeping. She teaches the importance of pollination to customers and her community and her store offers a collection of honey from New York.
Among the best sellers is the Gold Sofi award-winning Creamed New York Elderberry Honey. In addition to honey, the kiosk features offers bee-themed tea towels, luggage tags, mugs, books and more.
“Being in JFK exposes our products to the whole world and I am elated for the opportunity,” Harrigan said.
“We want to create awareness about the importance of bees and being able to spread our message to passengers around the world is such a gift. This is a dream come true.”
Mother Earth Juice Bar: Jamaica resident Dr. Roxanne Lord-Marcelle used her expertise in holistic medicine to open Mother Earth Juice Bar in 2017. The juice bar and wellness centre specialises in natural health, offering supplements, tonics, herbal remedies and naturopathic therapies.
“Opening up my business in the airport is a tremendous opportunity for me as an African-American woman from the Caribbean,” Lord-Marcelle said.
“To be able to have a presence in T8 is an exciting milestone for my business especially, as a community leader who is dedicated to helping people get certified to operate in airports.”
“As the Port Authority develops world-class airports around the region, we are working with our private partners to ensure that local businesses are able to share in these historic investments,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Helping local businesses access concessions opportunities at Terminal 8 is an asset for our passengers, who will enjoy products unique to New York that are made and sold by local artisans and vendors.”
“Our vision for a world-class airport at JFK is one that creates a uniquely New York sense of place while also providing economic opportunities to businesses from the surrounding community,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “Cutting the ribbon for six new concessions at Terminal 8, each operated by local and diverse business owners, demonstrates that we are delivering on our commitments by creating opportunities for the community and providing a New York sense of place for our passengers.”
“These six, local women bring the energy and enthusiasm of a small business owner to Terminal 8 while offering one-of-a-kind products, which are made right here in New York,” said URW US Chief Operating Officer Dominic Lowe.
“Working with the Port Authority, the Institute of Concessions and American Airlines, we designed these opportunities with a support system to help businesses thrive. This cutting-edge programme is part of our overall effort of integrating local businesses and products and will serve as a model for JFK and beyond. Airports from all over the country have reached out wanting to understand more about what we’re doing, and how we’re doing it.”
“American is excited about the continued partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and URW to support local Queens and New York-area small businesses,” said American Airlines’ Vice President of Corporate Real Estate Amanda Zhang.
“URW’s small business retail accelerator programme will positively impact local community members and their businesses for years to come by providing them with affordable access to airport retail space and a global customer base that may have otherwise been out of reach. We look forward to providing our customers and customers of our partners at Terminal 8 with even more local shopping and restaurant options with the opening of these accelerator stores and kiosks.” ✈
