Previous 1 of 7 Next Ariell Johnson owns Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, the East Coast's only comic book store owned by an African American woman. Our space is bright with white floors that mimic a gallery and we arrange and merchandise things in a way that doesn't always "make sense" in a city that is traditionally straight-forward and blue collar. YOWIE is here to bring you items to live with and enjoy! I decided to compose my thoughts and print them as a large poster to display in our windows. I recently moved back to Philadelphia and although I was sad to leave NYC, I am blessed to discover a whole new community of amazing people doing amazing things. Every item on this page was hand-picked by a House Beautiful editor. (Photo courtesy of Yowie) Founded by Shannon Maldonado, Philadelphia-based Yowie is a home and lifestyle shop focused on curating small collections from friends, independent artists, and designers. When neighboring businesses boarded up their windows with plywood, Yowie's Shannon Maldonado took a different approach, turning her storefront into a powerful show of support for protesters. Shannon grew up in a creative household in Philadelphia, PA. Black Designers Share What They Wish You Knew, Shop 100 Black-Owned Stores at This Virtual Event, How to Get Paid $8,000 to Shop Black Friday Online. Every event was free and you just had to sign up online. TIRED OF THE SHARING OF PAINFUL VIDEOS OF SAID MURDERS AND HAVING TO EXPLAIN THAT RACISM IS YES, IN FACT VERY REAL BUT ALSO INSIDIOUS, RAMPANT AND SYSTEMATIC. Shannon Maldonado founded YOWIE in 2016. Here are some of her favorite pics. Before COVID we had been working on a pivot idea for about 11 months. The first incident occurred when I was 11 years old. At YOWIE, we host workshops and collaborative events in our space, and even see our customer’s families grow and their lives evolve. Shannon Maldonado describes herself as “A Creative” meaning she's open to tackling a range of products. I worked on the idea for months and sought the help of advisors and mentors to get their insight on my idea. Shannon Maldonado / Shop Owner of Yowie. Yowie is a black owned business and we support the protestors. As I watched officers carry the listless body of George Floyd out of frame, something completely broke in me. I’m very excited to hire our first full-time team mate. I felt immense, overwhelming sadness over the loss of these many lives, brought to the surface by the loss of George Floyd. Backed 3 Projects. by people who I think mean well but always come off as annoyed by our presence. By now we have all seen the video (or should I say videos). I understand other businesses nailing plywood sheets to their storefronts, but I knew that did not feel right for my shop. Home . Ladies by Design: Shannon Maldonado Shannon is a force to be reckoned with. Why Philly? Outside of the shop I am working on my second project with the team that founded The Deacon, a boutique hotel and event space in Providence, RI. I wanted passersby and our audience to know where we stand and I thought that the sign could act as an invisible handshake. The Black Lives Matter movement is not a new conversation for us as a brand. Two weeks ago we kicked off phase one of our funding to get our big idea off the ground: a crowd campaign to bring on our first team member. It was an emotional time but we worked with our community to raise nearly $8,000 to donate to eight local Black organizations and that was a proud moment for us as a brand. Founder and Creative Director of YOWIE. Things felt different in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing but I am still waiting to see the long term changes. We like to think the phrase “all the things” applies to her journey through retail, fashion, interior design, art direction and knowing more obscure films than most can recall. YOWIE Address: 716 S 4th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147 STORY BY JULIE O’BOYLE AND RACHEL SCHWARTZMANN – DISCOVER YOWIE– PHOTOS BY JULIE O’BOYLE FOR THE STYLE LINE “When I was in middle school I told my mother that I. was going to live in New York and go to school for fashion, and soon it became an obsession and my singular focus,” says Shannon Maldonado, founder of … Shannon has 5 jobs listed on their profile. The warm, inviting space, designed by Shannon Maldonado of Hello Yowie, was created to foster and strengthen community as opposed to perpetuating the type of … We understand design can influence and make an impact in our communities and built environment. In the future, you'll be able to stay the night in one of YOWIE's shoppable boutique hotel rooms, shop in our expanded storefront, take a workshop or expose yourself to new artists and designers. So this year, in part with Haworth (best known for commercial furniture around the world), we are introducing short talks from emerging/women designers at the Haworth Designer Talks Space in BOK's Girls Gym. Meet Shannon Maldonado of YOWIE, a shop focused on highlighting local artisans and their designs, all while consulting on prop styling, art direction and even interior design. Why brick and mortar when you have an online presence? You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, See Inside This 'Modern Farmhouse' Tiny Home, A Serene, Seaside-Inspired Maine Vacation Home, Melania Trump Welcomes White House Christmas Tree, 16 Ways to Elevate the Wood Paneling in Your Home, HGTV's Alison Victoria Is Taking on New Clients, This Colorful Family Home Is Totally "Lifeproof", A Historic Kitchen That's Both Fresh and Authentic, How The Design World Became Digital in 2020, Why This Home Took Three Years to Decorate. "There’s a really strong undercurrent of community that started to build in the last two years of people starting group collectives or independent galleries—different places where people can gather to show their work," says Maldonado. It is historically a fabric and garment area that has a great old meets new vibe. That being said we’re working to expand our online presence and make some items online only for our out of state customers. Shannon Maldonado is the founder of Yowie, a Philadelphia-based shop selling items by independent makers and artists. Jennifer Ailey. “Innovation is always at the forefront of my mind when I am curating or designing for YOWIE or our clients. ... Shannon Maldonado was hungry to challenge her creative instincts in a new way. Retail isn’t dead but it’s very different now than it was before. I freelanced a bit while getting it off the ground and did a series of experimental pop-ups inside of other shops in Philadelphia for a year. Joined 05/22/2020 We got a big boost in traffic and sales due to many people amplifying Black businesses and founders. I often get challenged with questions like "What is this place?" It's a big city but it still feels small enough that you can make a real impact which is very inspiring. As I stood in my empty storefront (we've been closed since 3/13 due to COVID-19) applying the small pieces of tape to the edges of the poster I felt the water rising again.