Carly and I both come from the ATL, Hot-lanta, as it is sometimes called. Atlanta is home to over 60,000 black-owned businesses that are not only sole proprietorship, but also employee hefty swathes of the Atlanta population. Since we no longer live in the United States, and wanted to do our part to help minority businesses in the Netherlands, we’ve created a small list from a combination of two great websites – Travel Noire and NSMBL, who have quite frankly, already done most of the heavy lifting for us.
Food and drink
Started in 2017 by two brothers, this restaurant is heaving during lunch time (expect a wait) being quite close to a WeWork and co-working space Charley’s. So what kind of food can you expect? Southern-style mixed with Surinamese flair – vegan, vegetarian, and meat options are available. There’s falafel, famous fried chicken sandwich, W&BLT (waffel & BLT)
Lunch is served weekdays from 11:00 – 15:00 with most sandwiches around 8.00 EUR. Dinner starts from 15:00 and has a similar price point as lunch. Brunchie brunch is served from 11:00 until close on Saturday and Sundays.
I cannot stress this enough – book a reservation, and be prepared for some damn excellent food.
With two locations in the Center and trendy Oost, this Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant was first opened in 2014 by Saba Habte as a way of introducing African cuisine to Dutch houses. The restaurant has vegan, vegetarian, and meat options available and better still, you can eat with your hands!
I highly recommend making reservations at both locations and bring CASH! Last time my husband and I went, we forgot and had to run to Waterlooplein to take out money… not all that easy after we had stuffed ourselves senseless with the Injera plate.
The restaurant also serves alcohol – Ethiopian beer and Heineken (do the Ethiopian beer, it’s better) – as well as wine. The coffee is intense as well so give it a go, if it’s not too late in the day. Expect to pay for an Injera plate for 3-4 people, a couple of bottles of beer or a bottle of wine around 50 EUR total for everyone.
fashion & accessories
Pattern and print, frills and sexy silhouettes, if you’ve been looking for something in the Netherlands that isn’t over-sized or baggy, this is where it is at. Fabric choices are a combination of cotton-blends and breathable polyester. Dresses are from 120 – 140 EUR, tops and blouses are between 65- 95 EUR and skirts are 65 – 85 EUR. Essentially, these belles are at the same price point as what you would spend at Arket, but instead you’d be helping a small business owner.
Pearls have been a symbol of aristocracy and wealth going back millennia. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1900s, when pearls were cultivated for the first time, that the aristocratic symbol was suddenly available to the masses.
Look back at many a modern portraiture and what you’ll find is a bunch of upper-middle class to wealthy white women donned in pearls. Elena Carolina wanted to turn that symbol into something available for all sexes and minorities. Elena uses freshwater pearls as well as gem stones to complete her pieces.
Earrings are from 45- 120 EUR, necklaces are from 175 – 220 EUR, and a newly added Black Lives Matter bracelet is available for 20 EUR.
Two Bitchin' Belles 