Business of the Month Round Up: A Look at Women Owned Businesses
Every month Village Preservation selects a local business to honor in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo through our business of the month program. Potential businesses are identified through nominations, so be sure to nominate your favorite here. Businesses are highlighted through blog and social media posts, which share the backstories of the businesses, and their owners. Business owners come from far and wide, all with their own stories to share, and today we will be looking at a few businesses owned and operated by women.
Cowgirl, 519 Hudson Street
Cowgirl opened at 512 Hudson Street in 1989 by Waco Texas native Sherry Delamarter. Sherry had originally moved to New York to pursue a career in TV Production but landed in the restaurant business after becoming a partner in long-time, now-shuttered local favorite Tortilla Flats (767 Washington Street). This was followed by other successful ventures, including Gulf Coast and Sugar Reef, leading to an invitation to cater an induction ceremony at the fledgling National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Hereford, Texas. Sherry, who grew up steeped in cowboy culture, accepted the offer. This event in turn inspired the idea of opening a Cowgirl Hall of Fame restaurant in New York City, as a way of bringing attention to western culture and the role of women in the development of the west. The restaurants’ walls are adorned with Texan memorabilia, and the Cowgirl has continued to bring Tex-Mex favorites to a family friendly environment since 1989. Visit Cowgirl at 519 Hudson Street or learn more about the history of Cowgirl by checking out their business of the month post.
A Sustainable Village, 50 University Place
A Sustainable Village is a low- and zero-waste shop originally founded in the East Village. It was founded by Em Hynes, who was born in what was once Cambodia but is now Southern Vietnam. As a child during the late 1980s, she lived in a refugee camp, where she would spend weekend afternoons in a landfill, hunting for plastic bags that could be sold for the price of half a piece of candy. Her family used a single bar of soap for all cleaning needs and reused disposable containers until they broke apart. Em’s family immigrated to the United States, where Em embarked on a career in the fashion industry that lasted for a couple of decades. This period coincided with the rise of fast fashion and with a more general trend towards single-use convenience products, inspiring Em to establish a Sustainable Village. Learn more about Em and a Sustainable Village through their Business of the Month blog post.
La Sirena, 27 East 3rd Street
Le Sirena is a gift shop that specializes in Mexican Folk art. Opened by longtime local East Village resident Dina Leor, first for a brief stint on Avenue B, and since 1999 at 27 East 3rd Street. A former art teacher at Bellevue, Dina was already selling items on St. Marks Place and promoting her at-home daycare business when a partially vacant storefront inspired her to open her own shop. Her love for Mexican art, culture and folklore has continued to deepen over two decades, and her well-curated shop reveals this passion. You can visit Le Sirena at 27 East 3rd Street and learn more about through it’s business of the month post.
These are just a few of the many businesses we have highlighted through our Business of the Month program. Explore all honorees below and nominate your favorite local businesses here.
Here is a map of all our Businesses of the Month: