'Love Thy Community': BKLYN Blend's Custom Shoe Is Selling Quick

BED-STUY, NY — Bed-Stuy's BKLYN Blend is made entirely of Brooklyn — it was literally built with reclaimed materials from Bed-Stuy demolitions and the Coney Island boardwalk.

So when the owners were approached for a collaboration with Kith and Vans, they went with a design that did just the same.

The Bed-Stuy store's custom slip-on shoe — developed alongside Kith and Vans and released in June — features white etchings of Brooklyn's beloved institutions and traditions: the Coney Island boardwalk, Flatbush Avenue subway station and a fire hydrant spraying water above the sidewalk.

A matching t-shirt features similar drawings and BKLYN Blend's logo on the back — a stylized map of Brooklyn's neighborhoods.

"Each landmark carries deeply-rooted history and plays an important role in making Brooklyn one of the greatest places on earth. It represents diversity, resilience, culture and community," BKLYN Blend owners told Kith.

"We wanted to represent every part of Brooklyn because we all 'blend' together."

The merch dropped in mid-June as part of Kith's Love Thy Community initiative to uplift minority-owned businesses in New York City.

And just a month later, half of BKLYN Blend's limited supply of shoes and t-shirts were already sold — a pace that pleasantly surprised the team, said Maya Babb, BKLYN Blend's Social Media Manager.

"We have had a lot of love and support from our community," Babb told Patch. "It's heartwarming."

A Kith representative visited the BKLYN Blend's Tompkins Avenue location and was taken with the business's mission to spread love and offer education and access to clean, healthy food, owners told Kith.

"BKLYN Blend exemplifies the strength of community, and we are proud to contribute to their mission of making wholesome food accessible to all," Kith representatives wrote on the store's website.

Other businesses featured in the Love Thy Community campaign include Bronx bookstore The Lit Bar, Bronx and Harlem cake shop Lloyd's Carrot Cake and flower shop Brooklyn Blooms.

BKLYN Blend serves up a menu of fruit- and veggie-packed smoothies, juices, wellness shots and sandwiches and salads — all named as homages to Brooklyn streets, communities and places. They have two locations, one in Bed-Stuy and one in East New York.

"From the moment we opened our doors, our undeniable impact and the need for all we offer has been affirmed," owners said on BKLYN Blend's website.

For BKLYN Blend, the partnership is a reminder that people notice its efforts, Babb said. The partnership has brought the store new customers and online reach.

"We already know the importance we have in our community," Babb said. "It shows how far we've come and that people are noticing what we are trying to do."