Why The Oma, Shop Is Harlem’s Most Interesting Third Space – Essence

There is no other space quite like Lizzy Okpo’s ingenious brainchild, The Oma, Shop I and II. The Oma, Shop II, the second of her Harlem-based coffee, home and lifestyle shops opened just a year ago, and has infused the neighborhood with a new energy and excitement. The part wine bar, café, hairdresser, and concept store is as beautiful as it is warm. Beyond this, The Oma, Shop addresses a deeper void—one created by the gradual disappearance of spaces where Harlem’s commercial and communal spirit once thrived.

As someone raised in this neighborhood, who still lives here today, I often find myself lamenting on the lack of third spaces north of Central Park. Largely a result of rapid gentrification that’s only accelerated in the last two decades, the many small Black-owned stores, lounges, and restaurants that once peppered Harlem have been replaced by corporate chains and smoke shops unconcerned with the health and sustainability of our historic uptown community.

With a refreshing sense of purpose, Okpo’s vision for Black creativity and wellbeing defies this tired model of consumerism, offering Harlem and all of New York City a new space that affirms the dynamism and ever-evolving nature of Black life. There’s a warmth that wafts in the coffee filled air of The Oma, Shop II, while remixed classics play throughout the exceptionally beautiful space. The atmosphere alone is balm for the soul. The Venetian plastered walls, pale-pink plush seats, and stainless steel bar run by a collective of young Harlem natives, serves as an exciting alternative to the never ending Dunkin’ Donuts that have seemed to colonize every hood. Okpo insists that Black folks are always deserving of this sort of intentionality and care. 

As we sit amongst customers and friends, while watching a bevy of women get shape ups and braids in the adjoining hair salon—which also serves as a DJ booth for live-streamed sets and Oma, Shop parties—Opko remarks, “We should understand that beauty belongs to us. We should be comfortable understanding that we can walk into a space and say, ‘I belong here’ and not question it.” This is the essence of The Oma, Shop. It is a vibe you must feel to understand.

Below we catch up the founder behind The Oma, Shop to discuss her style origins, the inspiration behind the space, and more.

ESSENCE.com: The Oma, Shop feels like a new blueprint, as part wine bar, coffee shop, hairdresser, and small good store. Can you share how the inspiration for this space came to be?

Lizzy Okpo: When starting out I said, “let’s build something beautiful that belongs to us, where we don’t have to leave the neighborhood for the most simple things, like getting a cup of coffee.” As a neighborhood, we are deserving of uniqueness that also tells the story of our everyday lives. And that’s why we have for example coffee, lifestyle, and African hair braiding all within our shop. This is true to who we are as a brand and neighborhood. The Oma, Shop is a space where our community, the aunties and elders can come to a space and feel confident and comfortable that anything they take off the shelf is to heal them in some way.