38 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • FEBRUARY 11, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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QEDC, local groups promote small businesses on Valentine’s Day
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Queen’s Economic
Development Corporation’s
#MadeInQueens program has
joined forces with 43 other business
Photo courtesy of the QEDC
How to virtually celebrate the 2021 Lunar New Year in NYC
BY QNS STAFF
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Th e Lunar New Year Festival is a celebration
of new beginnings and spending
time with the family. Th e festival normally
features a parade, colorful fi reworks,
dance performances and delicious cuisine.
However, due to the ongoing pandemic,
the event has been moved online,
so everyone can celebrate the 2021 Lunar
New Year in NYC from the safety of their
home.
If you and your family want to participate
in the Lunar New Year this year,
here is a roundup of some places hosting
virtual events. Th e events feature live
performances, puppet shows, food demonstrations
and even craft s. Most require
you to RSVP, so register today to participate
in the Lunar New Year.
Lunar New Year
Festival at the Met
Th e Met is celebrating the Year of the
Ox with their virtual, Lunar New Year
Festival. Th e event will be an all-day
aff air, featuring virtual performances,
interactive activities and artist-led
workshops for all ages. Learn how to
do the lion dance for a prosperous
New Year or watch dancers from Th e
New York Korean Performing Arts
Centerput on a performance. Children
will learn how to make confetti poppers,
design their own zodiac animal
charm, or create a fi erce dragon puppet.
Th is free, online event will all be prerecorded
and will be available to view
on Th e Met website on Friday, Feb.
12.
Club CMA: Free Fridays with
Raquel: Lunar New Year
If you have a little one that has a creative
streak, they will love this event.
Every Friday, the CMA hosts Free
Fridays with Raquel. On Feb. 12, this
free, virtual event celebrates the Lunar
New Year with a fun craft . Inspired
by the work of Lu Zhang, children
will be creating
their own sculptures
to commemorate
the new year.
Th is event is
from 1 to 1:30
p.m. and geared
for ages 5 years
and older.
Register through
the CMA website
to get a Zoom link. Materials to participate
in the event are listed on the
website.
Chinese New Year Temple Bazaar
Th e Chinese New Year Temple Bazaar
will be hosting a virtual Lunar New Year
festival to celebrate the Year of the Ox.
Festivities include a hand puppet show
byChinese Th eatre Works, traditional
folk dancing performed by theNai-Ni
Chen Dance Company, and theQueens
Night Marketwill demonstrate how to
prepare classic Lunar New Year dishes.
Th is event requires an RSVP, which
you can do through their website. Th e
Lunar New Year Festival will begin at 2
p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021.
Chinese New Year Family Festival
The Chinese Institute is hosting a
virtual New Year Celebration. Families
will enjoy this interactive event where
they can watch live performances,
enjoy making dumplings and paint
lanterns. Download a free, Chinese
New Year activity pack Friday, Feb. 12,
so you can enjoy the event at home.
The Chinese New Year Family
Festival will begin at 11 am on
Saturday, Feb. 13. Register through
their website to reserve your spot for
this fun event!
boosters across New York
City to deliver messages of love
and support to small businesses
via the Sweethearts Shop Local
program, which runs through
Valentine’s Day.
#SmallBusinessSweetie came
about when graduates of the
Coro Neighborhood Leadership
Program, whose mission is to
learn how New York City works
and improve it, recently celebrated
their 10th anniversary. Many
of the participating nonprofi ts
are led by Coro grads.
“This initiative is raising
awareness about the importance
of shopping locally and supporting
small businesses,” said Leslie
Ramos, executive director of
the 82nd Street Partnership.“By
doing so, we help preserve jobs
and protect our local economy.”
MiQ, which promotes Queens
makers and manufacturers by
sharing their stories and providing
opportunities for new and existing
businesses to grow and fl ourish,
is asking the general public
to buy products from the following
list below and promote them
on social media channels with the
#SmallBusinessSweetie slogan.
Callio Fragrance creates perfumes
in a wide range of scents
and also gift cards, sets and travel
packages. Callio Fragrance
was launched in 2011 by Melissa
Gibson, who has been known to
spend hours at her favorite beauty
stores testing everything and
anything. She began blending
her own fragrances over 10 years
and aft er being asked constantly
what fragrance she was wearing,
she left her corporate job and
launched Callio Fragrance.
Culiraw whips up raw vegan
desserts. Plus, free decoration on
nine-inch Valentine’s Day cakes.
Culiraw’s desserts are only made
of natural, organic ingredients.
Most of them have only cashews,
walnuts, dates, cacao and coconut
oil. Its desserts also include
spices like vanilla and cinnamon
and fresh fruit to add more fl avor.
To boost nutritional value,
matcha, maca, goji, chia seeds
and açai are added. No use of
sugar or artifi cial sweeteners.
Lavender Works was founded
by Marina and her autistic son,
Joseph Horan. To date, Lavender
Works has sold thousands of
sachets, lavender sprays and
bags of all-natural laundry soap
in and around the community.
Marina and Joseph are proud to
provide individuals with autism
an opportunity to work at a job
they enjoy and the products they
create.
MumsKitchens NYC is a bakery
and catering business that
sells brownies, cookies, bars and
Caribbean treats available in special
gift boxes. MumsKitchens
NYC strives to ensure each product
is made to the highest standards
using only the fi nest of
ingredients, never using preservatives
or additives! Th ey are
known for their high levels of
customer service, unique fl avor
profi les and products that are in
a word: diff erent.
My Works of Art was founded
by Susan Varo, a self-taught
visual artist with a strong artistic
background.Always fascinated
with color and design, she
began drawing cartoons, animals
and portraits and her artwork
was quickly recognized by her
teachers and peers. My Works of
Art is a solely-owned, oil-painting
company off ering an array of
products. Th e client will be able
to select from an eclectic-online
gallery or commission artwork
if you so choose. Professional
art services are what you should
come to expect for artwork you
wish to own or give as a gift .
R+D Designs creates fun,
kitschy, 3D-printed jewelry and
is introducing its new “Keep it
Simple, Cupid” collection. Its
designs range from minimalist
dangles and local landmarks, to
Beyoncé in her “Single Ladies”
video and fl amingos that turn
pink. R+D off ers inexpensive
jewelry that can be easily customized.
Th ere are dozens of
designs to choose from, each
capturing the lively, whimsical
spirit of our brand. Th e jewelry
makes for a great gift or a lovely
treat for yourself.
Raw Bliss Balls is an allfemale,
Brooklyn-based raw
snack company that wants to
do nothing more than create
high quality snacks that not only
taste great, but are great for you.
Everything they make is 100
percent raw, plant-based, vegan,
gluten-free and dairy-free which
is a lot of ways of saying they’re
really good for you. Oh, and they
come in four delicious fl avors.
Sandra Smith’s inspirational
bags and decor are handmade
from start to fi nish in Queens by
creative designer Sandra and her
growing team of local women.
From heartfelt messages to motivational
decor, Smith’s products
focus on the meaningful and give
people the feels. Sandra Smith’s
is partnered with the National
Coalition Against Domestic
Violence and 2 percent of every
sale is donated toward creating
a culture of zero tolerance for
domestic violence.
Sathē is a clothing and lifestyle
brand in which the products are
made by resettled refugee and
immigrant tailors in NYC. Th e
company’s mission is to provide
economic opportunities for refugee
and immigrant artisans that
have tailoring skills, while connecting
customers more closely
to the products. Th ey promote
socially conscious fashion, in
that the customer knows exactly
who and where their products
are made, and that the majority
of the product’s cost is provided
to the tailor.
Scent by Heaven off ers a line
of unique scented candles, ecofriendly
air fresheners, and linen
fresheners that last. Th eir products
include natural soy wax candles,
parasoy candles, and aromatherapy
products like lotions
and liquid smudging. New sales
and items are posted every day.
Bring home a little bit of heaven,
because it’s Scent by Heaven.
Tembo’s tote bags are a fashion
forward, fair-trade made, sustainable
shopping solution that’s
good for mother earth. From
the immigrant women who sew
their products, to the historic
meaning of their classic prints,
Tembo’s bags embody the stories
of women empowerment
and African folklore. Its fabrics
are inspired by Africa, made
with a technique derived from
Indonesia and designed in the
Netherlands, refl ecting a global
melting pot of beauty and craft smanship.
In partnership with the
Artisan Sewing Co-op, Tembo’s
products are fair-trade made in
Queens by immigrant, refugee
and asylee women.
Photo via Getty Images
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