The Sable Collective Is Bringing Joy and Wellness to the Fashion District
Owner Shanti Mayers chats about how her boutique promotes wellness through healing remedies and self-affirming products for people of color.
Inside The Sable Collective at the Fashion District. Photograph by Mayannah Beauvoir
The Sable Collective, which previously shared a space with natural hair salon Duafe in North Philly, now has its own storefront in the Fashion District to call home. Owner Shanti Mayers — who is also a co-host on the podcast Around the Way Curls — stocks the shop with everything you need to begin a wellness practice, from sage to crystals and candles, to natural hair and skin products. In addition, the space is dedicated to maintaining a healthy spiritual atmosphere with affirming clothing, cards, and posters, and the shop hosts Self Care Sunday events at least twice a month. A big part of Mayers’ mission for the shop is to elevate the artistry and well-being of people of color, by supporting independent creators and helping them grow alongside her boutique.
To find out more about this new addition to the Fashion District, we chatted with Mayers about how she seeks to promote joy, beauty, and wellness.
PM: How did the Sable Collective come about?
Mayers: There was a need for it. Being a Black woman, it was very rare, if ever, aside from online communities, where I felt like I was included. Aside from that, there were no real spaces in Philadelphia specifically that had what I wanted, especially when it comes to quality products. I always felt like I was going into other boutiques and other communities to get these quality products. My business partners and I felt like it was just a no brainer — because there was this need, we had to fill it and bring that online community and wealth of makers and artisans and authors into a place where people can feel like they are included in a retail wellness experience.
View this post on Instagram
How does Sable create a space for wellness?
The first thing is, as the owner of the space, I try to have my mental wellness and spiritual wellness at the forefront. When hiring the staff and the team members, the goal and the focus for us is, number one, are we well? And number two, how do we create spaces where people feel good while they’re in them? We are very clear that we’re not “pimping out” wellness. We’re not saying that this sage is going to solve your depression or clear out the dysfunction that you have in your life or in your relationship. But I think once people know that there are tools they can use, it helps the wellness process. It feels less overwhelming. It feels like an actual practice that they can use in their daily lives towards finding the balance and the peace that everyone is trying to find.
What kinds of wellness products do you sell in the store?
I really think everything is connected to wellness. The three values that we have are Joy, Beauty, and Wellness. We have teas, pictures, and crystals that people really gravitate towards. And then we have self-affirming t-shirts and sweatshirts that make people laugh when they see them. Like the Thanksgiving sweatshirt that says “the macaroni and cheese is more important than the turkey.” Everyone — regardless of black, white, male, female, non-conforming — they walk past it and they chuckle and laugh. I feel like that’s more effective than like, the idea of sage.
The new Sable Collective location at the Fashion District. Photograph by Mayannah Beauvoir
A sweatshirt for sale at The Sable Collective. Photograph by Mayannah Beauvoir
A “Thank Black Women” sweatshirt for sale at the Sable Collective. Photograph by Mayannah Beauvoir
How do you choose the products you stock?
We have our social values set around buying from people of color, specifically black women of color, black artisans, black entrepreneurs and just women makers period. So whether they’re black or Asian or white we definitely want to take them in. Our first initial inspiration was like, Hey, there’s all of these black makers online that we really love, how do we get them in one space? So it’s just reaching out to everyone that we liked for a really long time and instead of just liking via double tapping their products on the screen, finally being like, Well, let’s bring them all in here! It’s been a lot of social media relationship building and business building that had to happen.
Some of the wellness products at the Sable Collective. Photograph by Mayannah Beauvoir
Which products in the store bring you the most joy?
I love Zelik handmade jewelry. It is a jewelry brand created by my sister. I know how much work she has put into her craft and it brings me so much joy to see other people appreciate and fall in love with her designs. It also warms my heart to be able to request consistent orders from her and many of my local makers who I know are full-time artists, managing a nine-to-five jobs, as well as being mothers and wives. They are all working really hard and it brings me joy to know that the orders for The Sable Collective not only contribute to them financially, but help fuel their dreams.
The Sable Collective is located at 1101 Market Street in the Fashion District. For more information, follow them on Instagram and check out the website.
Want to hear more from us? Join Be Well Philly at:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER
