This Black Girl Magic Holiday pop-up is chic, commemorative, and perfectly Instagrammable
The mother-daughter duo behind Philly’s Wine Garden are hosting a holiday-themed pop-up at the annex. in the Divine Lorraine.
Before the Rev. Major Jealous Divine converted the Divine Lorraine into a hotel in the 1950s, it was the Lorraine Apartments, a luxe Beaux Arts building that housed the city’s nouveau riche in the early 1900s.
The Black women who worked as housekeepers lived in its annex — far enough to be out of the elite’s line of sight, but close enough to be easily summoned.
Mother-daughter entrepreneur duo Nazaret Teclesambet and Favian Sutton — known in Philly’s classy brunch circles as the Wine Garden — learned about the storied history of the space, now called annex. at the Divine Lorraine, when they booked the space for their series of December happy hours. They decided to name the event series Black Girl Magic Holiday Pop-Up to honor the women who worked there so many years ago.
“We wanted to pay homage to the history of our ancestors in this space of joy and holiday cheer,” said Teclesambet.
On a recent December day, Teclesambet, 51, fiddled with the decorations in annex., dressed like one of Santa’s helpers in a pair of red sparkle pants and a cotton candy pink sweater that matched the puffy bows on the 12-foot Christmas trees she fashioned from pillows. Everything about the 1,700-square-foot space sings “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.” On the pink wall — opposite the cocktails and behind the hot chocolate bar — is a gallery of photographs and portraits of Black women effusing joy.
The Black Girl Magic Holiday Pop-Up is open every Friday night for happy hour and Saturday and Sunday afternoons in December. The cocktail bar features a menu of sweet holiday drinks like the poinsettia, a mix of cranberry, champagne, and candied cranberry mint; the sugar plum mojito, a blend of white rum, coconut cream, mint, and lime, topped with a mint garnish; and an espresso martini with a dose of caramel.
“We love pretty things, and we want people who come to feel pretty, happy, and excited about the holidays,” said 34-year-old Sutton, also in a plush sweater — hers is orange and paired with a tiered gauzy skirt for a top-of-the-Christmas-tree angel vibe. With their hair piled high in top knots, the women are nearly identical.
Teclesambet and Sutton are Philly famous for the Wine Garden, a seasonal outdoor pop-up wine tasting they’ve hosted in the summer since 2019. The garden is located at 5019 Baltimore Ave. in a lot theycq lease from former taco food truck operator Vanessa Jerolmack. The menu includes an array of frosés, sweet and dry wines Teclesambet and Sutton curate themselves, and food from neighboring food trucks.
“My daughter and I decided we wanted to create a beautiful, social experience that was welcoming to people of different generations,” said Teclesambet, who was both a real estate stager and a clothing boutique owner in a former life. “We like beer gardens, but we don’t like beer. So we created a wine garden.”
The Wine Garden, open every day in the summer, became so popular that by 2021 the duo was hosting outdoor brunches in venues throughout the town like Collins Park in Center City, Bartram’s Garden, and Franklin Square. The good times, lavish brunch buffets — including eggs any way and sweet and savory pancakes — and unlimited mimosas won them more of a following.
And every event features opulent florals, sparkles, high fashion, and plush girlie touches, making it instantly Instagrammable.
The idea for a holiday pop-up, the duo’s first indoor event — although there is an outdoor heated patio for those courageous enough to brave Philly’s winter — came from loyal clientele who wanted the Wine Garden vibe in the winter. They chose the annex. in the Divine Lorraine after celebrating Sutton’s daughter’s 1-year-old birthday there.
“We liked the vibe, we liked the space, and we knew we could do something here,” said Teclesambet. “This is our way of honoring Black women today and from our past with something beautiful they deserve.”
The Black Girl Magic Holiday Pop-Up is open Friday nights from 4 to 6 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $29 a person and include one complimentary drink. On Saturdays and Sundays, time slots can be booked for two hours between noon and 7 p.m. Tickets are $45 and include cocktail and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.