Source: Greentop Gifts / Greentop Gifts
Introducing Clarence Claus™ a.k.a Black Santa. Jacquelyn Rodgers had the vision for Greentop Gifts when she was just a young impressionable mind watching her mother paint holiday figurines to look like her family for the holidays. Rodgers wanted her son to feel the same representation when he looked at the jolly figure. So she decided to make her own!
Like thousands of other business, this year, Greentop Gifts suffered sluggish sales during the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic. But Rodgers was able to secure a grant from Visa & iFundwomen and Beyonce’s BEYGOOD foundation that allowed her to keep the family business going during their busiest time of year.
We caught up with Rodgers as she rolls out (get it) new Black angel wrapping paper and pajamas for the whole family.
Source: Greentop Gifts / Greentop Gifts
HelloBeautiful: What inspired you to create Greentop Gifts and the Black Santa Claus wrapping paper collection?
Jacquelyn Rodgers: Growing up I remember my mother putting Christmas trees in every corner of our house, painting angels and Santa figurines to look like our family for the holidays. We created memories from those moments and those memories are part of the inspiration behind Greentop Gifts. I wanted my son to see images that looked like him. When I couldn’t find wrapping paper in the stores I just decided to make my own and it turned it something so much bigger than just something I wanted for my son.
HB: Tell me how receiving the Visa & IFundwomen Grant Program for Black Women-Owned businesses kept your business afloat during the pandemic.
JR: We were able to use the Visa & iFundwomen and Beyonce’s BEYGOOD grants to continue to pay and work with contractors that help keep Greentop Gifts going in our busiest season. We are super grateful for these programs that allowed us to keep our business running in the midst of the pandemic.
HB: How has your Black Santa Claus character Clarence Claus helped young children find themselves in the character?
JR: It’s so important for children to see images that look like them. In the shows they watch, the books they read and even in celebrations! We hear stories from parents saying their children were starting to question why Santa didn’t look like them and our items helped to fill that void. It’s so important for all children to see diverse images, not just black and brown children.
Source: Greentop Gifts / Greentop Gifts
HB: What other products do you offer that promote diversity?
JR: We recently released our newest collection with a Black Angel wrapping paper. We are also working on items for other celebrations that will be released in early 2021!
HB: When did you first feel represented by products like this in the marketplace and how did a lack of representation affect your outlook on the holidays?
JR: Growing up I remember my mom buying wrapping paper with Black Santas. But over the years they became harder and harder to find. It’s annoying to see rows and rows of merchandise during the holiday season with very limited diversity. Our spending power is so large and to think we are underrepresented continuously is disappointing.
HB: Favorite holiday tradition?
JR: Our favorite holiday tradition is going to taking our kids to see the Black Santa Claus in our hometown every year. We love seeing how much our kids have grown each year.
Shop Greentop Gifts, here.
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