Celebrating 30 Years of Flavaz: A Journey Through Fashion, Culture and Community
- ItzYourz411
- Aug 6
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 8
The Beginnings of Flavaz
In the early '90s, the fashion landscape was transforming rapidly. The rise of urban streetwear was gaining momentum, inspired by music, art, and a vibrant Hip-Hop culture.
The musical aspect of Hip-Hop was maintaining a foothold in mainstream culture. The fashion aspect of Hip-Hop was following close behind with urban and black owned fashion brands such as FUBU, Karl Kani, Phat Farm and many others penetrating the mainstream marketplace.
In the fall of 1992, Flavaz co-founder Dondre "Donni-Oh!" Phoenix, co-managed "The Corner Store", co-owned by Ronald "Junior" and Simon Edwards and also co-managed by Eric "Sha" Jackson in Easton, MD. That experience was the genesis of Flavaz. The Corner Store closed in the fall of 1993.
Several weeks leading up to the Million Man March, October 16, 1995, Phoenix (age 24) and street vendor entrepreneur, Michael Allen (age 33) began dialogue about the possibility of a business collaboration. Days after the Million Man March, the two were so inspired by the Million Man March's message, they had decided to move forward with their business collaboration.
Flavaz Clothing & Accessories Opens December 1995
It was in this exciting atmosphere that Flavaz Clothing & Accessories opened its doors in December of 1995, bringing fresh styles to a small town. Perhaps, far ahead of its time. Flavaz name was changed to Flavaz Urban Wear in 1998.
Flavaz became the first black owned clothing store in Historic Downtown, Easton, Maryland.
Urban brands such as Maurice Malone, Pepe Jeans, Echo, Groovy Styles, Rocawear, Wu Wear, Avirex, Mecca, FJ560, Willie Esco, PNB Nation, Nappy Wear, TWISM, Damani DaDa, School of Hard Knocks, Da-Link-Went Wear and Rugid Wear, amongst others, were featured at Flavaz.
Many of those brands were very hard to find and even a few, found exclusively at Flavaz.
Along with fashion, they provided DJ mixtapes, featuring DJs such as Kid Capri, Doo Wop, SNS, DJ Clue, DJ Camilo, Tony Touch, DJ Juice and Dirty Harry, as well as local DJs like Donni-Oh! and DJ Ill Kid.
They provided fragrance oils, incense, books, magazines, bean pies and more. They also partnered with local entrepreneurs to allow them to sell their products within the store.
Flavaz catered to a specific market, offering the latest trends not found nearby. The founders Dondre' Phoenix and Michael Allen recognized that locals longed for vibrant fashions inspired by urban influences. Focusing on quality, affordability, and individuality, helped Flavaz quickly gain popularity among residents, especially young people. In its first year alone, the store saw sales increase by 30%, proving its strong community connection.
Community Engagement and Support
Flavaz was always been more than a retail space; it was a community hub. From the beginning, the founders prioritized engaging with local residents and supporting various community initiatives. Whether partnering with local schools, sponsoring youth sports teams or hosting fashion events, Flavaz continuously strived to uplift the community.
Flavaz hosted several NBA Live Tournaments and Madden Bowls at the store. One Friday per month, Flavaz hosted an "Open Mic" cyper for local rappers.
Flavaz participated and extended its services and resources to the local public schools through its Intern, Career Shadowing Program, allowing students to learn about the retail business three hours a day, twice a week.
In June of 1999, Flavaz also contributed to the Easton High School All Night Graduation Party by providing several gift bag prizes for the door raffle giveaways.
Evolution of Style: From Vintage to Current Trends
As the years passed, fashion and technology underwent significant changes, and Flavaz Urban Wear adeptly adapted. Flavaz opened its online store in the spring of 1999 with flavazurbanworld. com. By then, Dondre Phoenix was the sole owner of Flavaz.
Due to the selling and eventual demolition of the building that Flavaz leased from, in late fall of 2000, Flavaz moved to a new location further uptown, on the same street. Flavaz remained at that location until May of 2001.
The owners of the original building Flavaz leased, told Phoenix, upon completion of the new building, Flavaz would be able to return. That was in late 2000, it's now 2025 and that building has yet to be rebuilt.
Flavaz transitioned to exclusively online as flavazurbanworld .com until 2005. During the peak of the Urban brand explosion in the mid to late 90's, Flavaz thrived.
However, the oversaturation of Urban brands caused many clothing companies to either be bought out by larger companies or they just closed due to lack of business. With the changing landscape of Urban brands, specialty Urban stores, such as Flavaz, took a heavy hit and nearly all of them were forced to close within a few years.
Flavaz Transition Into Promotional Company
Flavaz Urban Wear recognized the changing landscape of Urban fashion, so it transitioned from fashion to entertainment promotions. Co-founder Dondre "Donni-Oh!" Phoenix moved to Philadelphia for a short time and partnered with former college basketball teammate and friend Michael Harris.
In 1996 Harris started Kobe Bryant's Fan Club. He also organized Kobe Bryant's Prom Date with singer/actress Brandy, along with Kobe's appearance on The Moesha Show.
Michael Harris is the CEO of B.E.S.T. Sports & Entertainment (currently BEST Sports Consultants) in Philadelphia, where Phoenix served as the Public Relations Consultant.
In 2002, Phoenix founded Flavaz Promotions. They co-organized several events including the The NBA All-Star Charity Basketball Game in Baltimore, MD, The Theo Ratliff Basketball Camp in Easton, MD, a feature segment for ESPN's The Life featuring, then client, NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, the Allen Iverson Celebrity Softball Game in Wilmington, DE, Rasheed Wallace and Antoine Walker's 2002 NBA All-Star Parties in Philadelphia.
Flavaz Promotions also provided gift bags to the award presenters and nominees at the BET Awards from 2002-2005.
In 2008. Flavaz Promotions organized a comedy show dedicated to Bernie Mac. They even raffled off some memorabilia from "The Bernie Mac Show". It was hosted by Chris Thomas, the former "mayor" of BET's classic video show, Rap City. Included in the line up from the hit TV show Martin, Reginald "Bruh-Man" Ballard, Queen Aisha, Red Bone and Eddie Bryant.
Below, check out some footage from the Bernie Mac Tribute Comedy Show.
The Relaunching of Flavaz
In May of 2022, Flavaz relaunched online as Shop Flavaz @ shopflavaz.com
Today, Flavaz boasts a well-curated selection of exclusive graphic tees, hoodies and hats that attracts a vast range of shoppers, world wide, from young adults to old school hip-hop heads. From eye-catching street graphics to clean, inspirational graphics, the online store caters to various tastes while holding on to its urban roots.
Flavaz has partnered with local artists to showcase their custom designs. One recent collaboration resulted in a limited-edition line that sold out within a week, illustrating the online store’s commitment to local talent and community engagement.
Flavaz has also partnered with several national media/entertainment companies to help cross-promote their brands.
Embracing the Digital Age
With the Digital Age fully upon us, it's imperative to embrace it, as oppose to resisting it. Many of us who have been around to see vinyl, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes and CDs, truly understand the evolution of how we consume products. Remember the VHS, Blockbuster Video stores, DVDs and Redbox???? Aside from a nostalgic specail
Now we're streaming that same audio and video content from our computers, mobile devices and TVs.
Flavaz has created itself a space within the digital sphere with ShopFlavaz.com .
There has definitely been a shift from the traditional "brick-n-mortar" in-store shopper to the online shopper.
Here are the latest shopping habits by most consumers and Flavaz has positioned itself to capitalize:
Overall Shopping Preferences:
In-store:
45.7% of American consumers prefer to shop in-store, according to Capital One Shopping.
Online:
28.2% of American consumers prefer to shop online, according to Capital One Shopping.
Hybrid/No Preference:
26.2% of American consumers prefer a hybrid approach or have no preference, according to Capital One Shopping.
Product Category Preferences:
36.2% of American consumers prefer to purchase personal electronics online, according to Capital One Shopping.
32.8% of American consumers prefer to purchase apparel online, according to Capital One Shopping.
29.8% of American consumers prefer to purchase beauty products online, according to Capital One Shopping.
24.5% of American consumers prefer to purchase home furnishings and appliances online, according to Capital One Shopping.
Celebrating a Bright Future in Fashion
As Flavaz Urban Wear (currently Shop Flavaz) marks its 30th anniversary, this moment serves as both a celebration of the past and an exciting look ahead. The store's journey through fashion reflects the strength of community and the significance of staying true to its roots.
Shop Flavaz has designed a collection of tees (Flavaz Collection '95) to commemorate the nostalgia and history of Flavaz Clothing & Accessories and Flavaz Urban Wear. Along with the purchase of Flavaz Collection '95 apparel, a "Best Of '95" mix CD will be included with each order.
In a world where trends rapidly change, Flavaz remains a pillar of resilience and creativity. Its rich history and community commitment will undoubtedly lead the online store into a future where urban style and local culture thrive side by side. Here's to many more years of fashion, creativity, and community at Shop Flavaz!