A concept rendering of the Mezzanine. (Courtesy Christophe Roberts)
Seed Brklyn is a new retail, art and lifestyle space coming to Bed-Stuy
It's the brainchild of multi-disciplinary artist Christophe Roberts, who aims to pay it forward in the community
Chicago native and Brooklyn-based artist Christophe Roberts says he plans to literally “seed the block” with his latest brick and mortar creation, Seed Brklyn, which officially opens on October 21.
Located in the Avon Hall retail and office space at 1217 Bedford Avenue, Seed Brklyn will comprise a multi-brand retail shop, a cafe, and art gallery — all intended to uplift emerging Black and independent artists.
“This is an art project. I’m not building a store,” Roberts tells Brooklyn Magazine. “I’m building another one of my art pieces that interact with humanity, culture, the neighborhoods, and built off of my own personal interests as well. A lot of this concept comes from my journey in New York.”
Roberts is a multi-disciplinary artist who has collaborated with brands and designers, ranging from Wu-Tang Clan to Nike to Jeff Staple, and others. He specializes in sculpture, design, painting, and fashion — and with Seed Brklyn he says he aims to combine all of his modalities in one place.
“I didn’t call it ‘Seed’ for just the fun and catchiness of it,” says Roberts. “‘Seed’ means what it means — plant the seed and watch the growth.”
Visitors enter the space through Greenhouse Café, which features La Colombe coffee and plants for purchase, Funko and Super 7 vinyl collectibles, books from Taschen and Rizzoli, planting tools, and more.
Once caffeinated, you walk through a terrarium-filled hallway into the Garden, a two-story multi-brand retail space with both emerging and internationally-known brands. The first floor of the Garden includes brands such as Martine Rose, Rains, Maharishi, FourTwoFour on Fairfax, and Undercover. On the mezzanine: Against Medical Advice, 100 Wolves, 424, PRMTVO, All Caps Studio, and Socialite Archive. These brands will not only include clothing, but accessories and footwear too. Also on the first floor is a Japanese-inspired sneaker laundry machine and premium footwear care products by Jason Markk to keep your kicks clean.
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Pass through the Garden to get to the Oasis; an immersive art space and NFT gallery — a sort of incubator to educate Black artists and provide them with a platform. Roberts collaborated with Infinite Objects so guests can receive their own digital NFTs as well as physical copies. The Oasis is also dedicated to hosting events, and artists’ work.
Seed Brklyn emphasizes Black and independent designers. In a perfect world, Roberts says he wants to see multiple Black luxury brands at Seed Brklyn. For some of the brands at the opening, this will be their first time in a physical store.
“I’m all about supporting (smaller) brands like that and giving them a stage and a platform,” he says. “Building this collective, it was important for me to have a Black architect. it was important for me to bring in minorities as much as I could.”
Gentrification and erasure are prominent issues in many Black communities in Brooklyn, especially Bed-Stuy. Roberts not only wants to introduce the community to fashion, but provide resources and education to people who have not had the means or funds to achieve their goals.
“I want you to learn about industries here, I want you to learn about financial literacy, LLCs, logos, stress points of creating a business,” Roberts says. “I documented this whole process so other like-minded creatives and individuals will know the blueprint.”
Over the summer, Roberts gathered volunteers and young students to plant a garden at Bed-Stuy’s P.S. 3. That was just the beginning of Roberts’ community efforts and collaborating with non-profits in Brooklyn — with the goal of opening more Seed stores in cities around the world.
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Digital artist and graphic designer Shaylin Wallace, a.k.a. Shay the Surrealist, will be presenting her new four-part series “Roslyn” at Seed Brklyn’s opening reception “Seed the Blockchain” on October 21. The exhibition is dedicated to Wallace’s grandmother, who acted as her mother.
The D.C.-based artist is known for her floral artwork and has collaborated with brands including Nike, Adobe, Mercedes Benz, and the Chicago Bulls.
“The flowers I used in the artwork is actually her tablecloth from her house,” Wallace says, “It kind of symbolizes her essence and our relationship together, and growing up together. She’s been there for me.”
Included in “Roslyn” will be two limited-edition animated pieces for auction. Some pieces available for purchase at the show will be physical art, while others will be on the blockchain. Wallace will also debut two different limited edition wool blankets and lighters only sold at Seed Brklyn.
‘Roslyn’ by Shaylin Wallace (courtesy of the artist)
The interactive and immersive art experience at “Seed the Blockchain” will also feature work from Vince Fraser, Ceej Vega, and Dante Beals.
“I think what Seed is doing is different from a lot of galleries and exhibitions,” she says. “For them to bring artists in to help them shine — we also help them shine. They’re bringing something different to the table and also bringing people from the community together to interact with all of Seed.”
