Print
Retail

Half United Opens Its First Retail Location

By Johanna Cano, posted Dec 18, 2018
Wilmington-based Half United opened its first brick-and-mortar store at 1607 Queen St. (Photo by Johanna Cano)
Wilmington-based Half United opened its first brick-and-mortar store in time for the holidays to feature its products and those of other local businesses, one of the founders, Carmin Black, said Tuesday.

Half United creates and sells jewelry, shirts and leather bags, and for every item sold, the company donates money that becomes seven meals for someone in need.

The store was founded by Carmin Black and her brother Christian Black in 2009.

The store at 1607 Queen St. has Half United products as well as products from other local businesses such as MISSIO Hair, which donates money from its hair products to help fight human trafficking, and makeup company River Organics.

Most of the products are under $50, and Half United will donate money for meals regardless of the brand of the item sold.

The store had a soft opening in the summer when Half United held an event to celebrate its partnership with Port City Java, Carmin Black said. Half United sells coffee sleeves and donates 50 cents for every sleeve sold.

After that event, Black said she felt people might not come into the store because it is not located in a business district but then decided to open the store to allow people to see their products in person.

“Fast forward to Christmastime, we just thought, ‘You know, we've got these brand-new leather goods from Haiti that we really want to showcase, we've got a lot of friends that are designers and artists and craftspeople that are always looking for places to sell their products, why not start it around Christmastime and then continue to invest in it and build through 2019.’”

Half United sells its products online at Nordstrom.com and on its own website; however, the company mostly sells its items in small boutiques all over the world, Black said.  

Having customers in Wilmington be able to see and feel the company's products allows it to realize how special and handcrafted the products are, she said.

“Showing stuff on Instagram or showing things on our website… it's not necessarily giving our customer the ability to come in and tangibly see the products that these artisans that we partner with create,” Black said.

The company also hopes to hold community events in its space on Queen Street to help expose other artists in the area.

While the store doesn’t represent how well a brick-and-mortar Half United store would do because it’s not in a business district, they are in talks to further expand the store concept, she said.

“We have definitely thought whether or not, in the next few years, if Half United should have a physical retail space. And if we did that, it would be in a high traffic area,” Black said.

Half United has been expanding its product offerings in the past years, adding a clothing line and leather bags this year.

The company hopes to continue adding products, especially to allow customers to support Half United’s cause with a product they enjoy.

“For 2019, we're going to be offering a slew of new products because this company was built on the recycled bullet casing necklace, and while we still are very proud of that product as a symbol of our fight against hunger and the symbol of transforming something meant to harm and turning it into a symbol of healing, we realized that there is sensitivity surrounding gun control and gun violence, though that product has nothing to do with either of those,” Black said.

She said the company also wants to help customers understand how Half United products help feed children in need, which is a message Half United is not putting forward enough.

“I think we've definitely, in the past, missed the mark on that a little bit because unlike a lot of companies that oversell the amount of good they're doing … I think in Half United's case, the amount of good we're doing is under-marketed,” she said.

Black said she hopes to continue to grow the business and maintain customer satisfaction so Half United can continue to support humanitarian causes.

“This business is truly only in existence to help other people,” Black said. “It's the name of our brand. If we will all do our half to help fight hunger and unite together, there’s no end to the amount of good we can accomplish.”
Ico insights

INSIGHTS

SPONSORS' CONTENT
Untitleddesign2

The Importance of Real Estate Appraisals

Steve Mitchell - Cape Fear REALTORS®
Untitleddesign2 9202334730

Best in the State: Providing Quality Care to Medicare and Medicaid Patients Allows Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Reinvest in Community

Novant Health - New Hanover Regional Medical Center Novant Health
Dave sweyer 300 x 300

Insights into the 2023 Leasing Market in Wilmington, NC: What You Need to Know

Dave Sweyer - Sweyer Property Management

Trending News

Conservation Group Signs $8M Deal To Buy The Point On Topsail Island

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

National Organization Bestows Top Award On Cape Fear Professional Women In Building

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

Engineering Firm Hires Four Employees

Staff Reports - Mar 26, 2024

N.C. Ports Officials React To Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 26, 2024

NCino's Fourth-quarter Earnings Signal Rebound From Liquidity Crisis

Audrey Elsberry - Mar 27, 2024

In The Current Issue

Q&A: Andrews Reflects On Leadership

Pender County Manager David Andrews is slated to retire this summer after 33 years in local government....


Topsail-area Realtors Share Updates

Pender County Realtors recently shared updates about the coastal market at an event hosted by the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Associa...


Expanding Tastes On Castle Street

As John Willse and Beth Guertin, owners of Wilmington Wine bottle shop and now the recently opened Creative Tastings restaurant on Castle St...

Book On Business

The 2024 WilmingtonBiz: Book on Business is an annual publication showcasing the Wilmington region as a center of business.

Order Your Copy Today!


Galleries

Videos

2023 Power Breakfast: Major Developments