Black-owned variety store continues to thrive on Georgia Ave.
Casey Carter is no stranger to the Shaw community in Washington, D.C. He is a graduate of Howard University’s School of Engineering, and his business, Phoenix Cultural Variety Store, has been thriving on the corner of Georgia Ave and Columbia Road NW for 17 years. Founded by his parents in 2006, this cultural hub is where the new and longtime residents of the neighborhood come to experience what’s left of Chocolate City and all that it represents.
Carter’s accent is a mixture of both DC and his homeland, Trinidad, a testament to how long he’s been immersed in the city’s culture. To most returning customers, he looks the same as when the store opened. Today, his short loc coils are covered with a black rasta beanie. He attributes his youthful appearance to no stress and lots of vacations. “I was in Barbados last week, but I’m old now. Can you see those little grays I got now in my chin?” He laughs while pointing to his chin. Clear nail polish shines on his perfectly manicured nails.
From the outside, Phoenix Cultural shines brightly from within. Don’t Play with My Heart by Jamaican singer Beres Hammond blasts from the stereo speakers as you walk in. Flags, money, and necklaces from around the African diaspora decorate the walls and ceilings of his apartment-sized storefront. T-shirts with nationally, internationally, and locally known black liberation icons such as Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, Dr. John Henry Clarke, Marcus Garvey, and Bob Marley fill the window displays with colorful hats representing Jamaica, Haiti, and Trinidad filled in between. “We try to cover everybody,” Carter explains. “We do a little bit of black American stuff, Caribbean stuff, and African stuff, and now and then, we try to bring in some Latino stuff as well, like Mexico, El Salvador, and some of these other places. We try to make sure that this is a sanctuary for people away from their country where they can still see things from their country. It’s tough for anybody being far from home, so being able to come somewhere in America that’s not Target or Walmart helps make the homesickness a little bit easier to manage. This place becomes a mecca for their needs.” He continued.
Carter also discussed the importance of Phoenix being a place where the community can trust to house and provide personal care products. On the right side of the room, a glass case holds several large tubs of high-quality mango butter, shea butter, neem soap, black soap, and natural oat deodorant. Adjacent to this is an open shelf with dried natural sorel, Jamaican Bissy Powder, Sea Moss, and Cerasse tea herb. “All of these things encompass the Caribbean experience. We want to make sure we allow people to experience some of the stuff they would have access to when they were in their country. It’s like a slice of home away from home”.
Reminiscing on how things got started for his family business here in D.C. He starts talking about One Drop Records, a black-owned music store. “That was the only place that used to tend to Caribbean needs. You could buy flags, t-shirts, and actual albums because, back in that time, albums were, you know, still popular. But they closed, and I remember letting my parents know there’s a big market down here for Island, Afro, and black American people.” His parents already had a business about five times the size of their DC location in Boston, MA. “We had a couple of locations, but because I was here going to Howard University (HU), it helped move things along, so we found the location a couple of blocks from campus, which is ideally what you want because, you know, every new semester there’s a fresh batch of students. You want new customers replenishing constantly for anybody in business, so you can’t go wrong with being close to campus.”
On how his parents came up with the name, he states, “When my parents first started in 96’ they were at one location, and the owner had changed up the agreement and gave them a short time to leave. They had to basically pack up the whole operation and find a location overnight. So Phoenix is just like the Sankofa bird: It comes out of the fire and regenerates. We come out from the ashes and restart as if nothing had happened.”
Because of gentrification, many black businesses that once lined the streets of Georgia Avenue NW no longer remain. Carter gives credit to community support for his variety store’s longevity and ability to stay up-to-date with customer needs. “We keep our finger on the pulse of the people. So, as trends change, we adjust to suit. It helps with our survival year in and year out. If somebody says they want a Marcus Garvey hoodie in a 2x, we prioritize that,”. He says.
Shortly after the start of our interview, a customer walks in. Carter quickly came from behind the counter to greet the man with a brotherly handshake before saying, “You come in for the usual boss?” His words about Phoenix being a sanctuary for the diaspora were on full display as he pulled out a tray of bandanas from one of the shop’s many glass casings. The customer sought a scarf representing his birthplace, Trinidad and Tobago. Shortly after, another customer walked in to get African chew sticks, a natural tooth cleaning remedy to help maintain dental hygiene naturally.
“A lot of times people come in, and they say they didn’t come for nothin’,” says Carter. “But it’s like a recharge. As we know, it’s rough, especially if you look like us. So sometimes people come in to refresh their spirit, plug into the energy in here, and go back out ready to battle. It’s good to come into a business place where you can see faces on the wall that look like you.” he continued.
High up on one of the walls is a short-sleeved shirt with an image and quote from Dr. Frances Cress-Welsing, a psychologist who is a beloved icon in the black community, particularly in spaces of black empowerment. Carter reaches up to bring it down and stretches it out over his slender torso. “I won’t rest until black children are taught to love themselves as themselves,” it reads.
Update: As of 2024, Pheonix Cultural Variety has been sold to another owner and is no longer in business.
