A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the arrival of the small, local, women-and minority-owned businesses at JFK T8.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, American Airlines and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports announced the opening of six new retail spaces at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s (JFK) Terminal 8 (T8) operated by small, local, women- and minority-owned entrepreneurs.

As part of the $125m commercial redevelopment program for T8, reported by TRBusiness in July 2023, these shops were selected through URW’s small business accelerator program and represent the program’s commitment to providing opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs while delivering an enhanced offering to passengers.

URW’s small business retail accelerator is lowering the barrier to entry for small local businesses by offering flexible deal terms and small format, plug-and-play spaces that significantly reduce upfront and design costs.

The project has developed six dedicated turnkey spaces – two inline stores and four retail kiosks – for founders or businesses from southeast Queens, greater Queens, or the New York City metropolitan/regional area.

New businesses

The six new businesses which have been allocated retail space at JFK T8 are as follows below.

Alchemy

Alchemy is a Brooklyn-based lifestyle brand offering luxury in everyday living, founded by Jennifer Spencer, who curates candles, perfumes, jewellery, and home decor.

Handmade in small batches, Alchemy priorities sustainability and local craftsmanship.

Jennifer Spencer, founder of Alchemy.

“Opening a shop at JFK, a gateway to the United States and a crossroads for travellers worldwide, is an incredible milestone for me and my company,” Spencer said, adding: “Being a part of the transformative redevelopment of Terminal 8 is a unique opportunity to raise brand awareness on a global stage, contributing to this vibrant and iconic space while celebrating progress, diversity, and innovation.”

Beautiful Amore Skincare

Amerrah Danielson, a Queens resident and graduate of the Institute of Concessions, began making skincare products 22 years ago driven by the desire to find solutions for sensitive skin.

Her kiosk features her high-quality, vegan products including body and lip butters, lotions, oils, scrubs, hand sanitizers and hair care.

Amerrah Danielson, founder of Beautiful Amore Skincare.

“My goal is to be a household name so having my products on the global stage of JFK gets me one step closer,” Danielson said, adding: “I hope I can inspire people who look like me and push them to follow their dreams. This program is truly for the community and speaks volumes to URW Airports in providing the spaces and support for us to succeed.”

Bevo’s Kitchen

Queens resident Gracia Clery-Leonce, a clinical laboratory scientist and a healthy lifestyle coach, offers everyday foods like jams and preserves.

In 2020, Clery-Leonce added a savory line of vegan/vegetarian dishes to her packaged products. She brings her farmer’s market favorites including jams and preserves, granolas, fruit chips, trail mix and snack balls to Terminal 8.

Gracia Clery-Leonce, founder of Bevo’s Kitchen.

“With JFK in my backyard, I always wanted to get my products into the airport, so this is a dream come true,” Clery-Leonce said, noting: “Eating healthy while traveling is challenging, especially for plant-based travelers and I want to change that. I want to teach the world the importance of a healthy lifestyle via good healthy eating habits and what better way than to interact with passengers from around the globe.”

Natchie

Brooklyn resident and singer/songwriter Nadia Ackerman is bringing natchie, her popular line of hand-drawn illustrations to the airport for the first time.

Her art started with song lyric illustrations and then sketches of iconic New York. Her store features art, greeting cards, stationery, luggage tags, magnets, sustainable totes, and more.

Nadia Ackerman (right), founder of Natchie.

Ackerman said: “I always wanted to be in airports as I believe it is the perfect place for my brand.

The support I have received through URW’s small business initiative is immeasurable. This is an enormous opportunity to expand to a global audience and I’m so excited to be here.”

HoneyGramz

Queens resident Ruth Harrigan is the founder of HoneyGramz, a company based in Great Neck, N.Y., that is created by her passion for beekeeping.

She aims to help save the bees by teaching the importance of pollination to customers and her community.

Ruth Harrigan, founder of HoneyGramz.

She offers a collection of honey from New York and specializes in creamed honey, as well as bee-themed tea towels, luggage tags, mugs, books and more at her kiosk.

Harrigan stated: “Being in JFK exposes our products to the whole world and I am elated for the opportunity.

We want to create awareness about the importance of bees and being able to spread our message to passengers around the world is such a gift. This is a dream come true.”

Mother Earth Juice Bar

Jamaica resident Dr. Lord-Marcelle used her expertise in holistic medicine to open Mother Earth Juice Bar in 2017. The juice bar and wellness center specializing in natural health, is a go-to for supplements, tonics, herbal remedies, and naturopathic therapies.

Lord-Marcelle said: “Opening up my business in the airport is a tremendous opportunity for me as an African-American woman from the Caribbean.

Dr. Roxanne Lord Marcelle, founder of Mother Earth Juice Bar.

To be able to have a presence in T8 is an exciting milestone for my business especially, as a community leader who is dedicated to helping people get certified to operate in airports.”

The revitalisation of JFK

This $125m investment for T8 falls under the auspices of a wider $19 billion transformation of the airport, which has also seen major investment and tender opportunities at its New Terminal One (NTO), T4, and T6 facilities.

In January 2017, the JFK Vision Plan was announced to transform JFK into the world-class airport that New Yorkers deserve.

The Port Authority’s capital investment in this was $3.9 billion, which it noted is leveraging private investment at a rate of nearly four to one when taking into account the full private investment of more than $15 billion that has been committed to the four projects comprising the full redevelopment of JFK.

Back in 2020, JFKIAT announced a US$3.8bn Terminal 4 redevelopment project after Delta consolidated operations there, with the terminal fully operational since 2023.

Concurrently, operations on NTO commenced in June 2022. The US$9.5 billion ‘world-class’ terminal, which measures 2.4 million square feet terminal – the largest at JFK – is due to open in 2026, and will anchor the airport’s south side.

The $400 million expansion of Terminal 8, led by American Airlines, which operates the terminal, was completed in November 2022.

The commercial redevelopment program by JFK T8 Innovation Partners was – and remains – a joint venture led by URW and certified minority-business enterprise (MBE) equity partner Phoenix Infrastructure Group.

Since then, URW and the Ports Authority have only continued to push immense changes across the North American hub.

As reported in November 2023, JFK Millennium Partners and Vantage Airport Group triggered the first of a two-stage solicitations process for T6, seeking proposals from vendors, with the 1.2 million sq ft international terminal expected to cost $4.2bn; it is due to open in February 2026.

It is designed to connect seamlessly with Terminal 5 to create an anchor terminal on the airport’s north side; construction started in February 2023.

This process closed in January, with the next phase inviting preferred bidders with a New York-inspired retail, duty free and F&B footprint.

As of November 2024, Avolta companies Dufry and Hudson had won this tender, and with it the right to preside over the duty free, travel convenience and speciality retail concessions at T6.

It is intended to connect seamlessly with Terminal 5 to create an anchor terminal on the airport’s north side.

Avolta also captured the retail and F&B contracts at JFK International Airport’s (JFK) new Terminal 8 in early December 2024.

The growth of T8

Rick Cotton, Executive Director for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said: “Our vision for a world-class airport at JFK is one that creates a uniquely New York sense of place while also providing economic opportunities to businesses from the surrounding community.

Cutting the ribbon for six new concessions at Terminal 8, each operated by local and diverse business owners, demonstrates that we are delivering on our commitments by creating opportunities for the community and providing a New York sense of place for our passengers.”

Rick Cotton speaking at the unveiling of the opening of  thesix new retail spaces at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s (JFK) Terminal 8 (T8).

The local businesses were selected based on their unique products, ability to scale, and business plans.

The entrepreneurs offer a variety of goods that were specifically chosen for the JFK Terminal 8 passenger.

Products include jewelry, home decor, hand-drawn illustrations of iconic New York scenes, honey and honey-based products, vegan skincare, jams and preserves, tonics and health supplements.

“As the Port Authority develops world-class airports around the region, we are working with our private partners to ensure that local businesses are able to share in these historic investments,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole.

“Helping local businesses access concessions opportunities at Terminal 8 is an asset for our passengers, who will enjoy products unique to New York that are made and sold by local artisans and vendors.”

“These six, local women bring the energy and enthusiasm of a small business owner to Terminal 8 while offering one-of-a-kind products, which are made right here in New York,” continued Dominic Lowe, US chief operating officer of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.

Lowe noted: “Working with the Port Authority, the Institute of Concessions and American Airlines, we designed these opportunities with a support system to help businesses thrive.

This cutting-edge program is part of our overall effort of integrating local businesses and products and will serve as a model for JFK and beyond. Airports from all over the country have reached out wanting to understand more about what we’re doing, and how we’re doing it.”

Lowe was also in attendance at the opening ceremony, addressing the need for integrating local business into the retail offering at JFK T8.

Through a competitive process, the program gives local businesses the opportunity for a short-term lease to test their concepts in the airport environment with hands-on support from URW’s team of retail experts, curated education, and networking events to enhance overall business readiness and success in airport environments.

URW said it actively recruits and maintains a pipeline for future opportunities.

“America is excited about the continued partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and URW to support local Queens and New York-area small businesses,” said Amanda Zhang, American Airlines’ vice president of corporate real estate.

She added: “URW’s small business retail accelerator program will positively impact local community members and their businesses for years to come by providing them with affordable access to airport retail space and a global customer base that may have otherwise been out of reach.

We look forward to providing our customers and customers of our partners at Terminal 8 with even more local shopping and restaurant options with the opening of these accelerator stores and kiosks.”

Putting community first

Since 2018, the JFK Redevelopment Community Advisory Council has been working with the Port Authority to expand community outreach efforts and develop community-focused programs, ensuring that this ambitious project solicits ongoing feedback from local stakeholders and provides meaningful opportunities for local businesses, MWBEs, students and jobseekers.

The council is co-chaired by US Representative Gregory Meeks and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and is composed of elected officials, community boards, business and nonprofit organizations, civic organizations, and clergy leaders from the targeted local communities of southeast Queens, southwest Queens, the Rockaways and western portions of Nassau County.

Since its inception, the council has worked with the Port Authority to advance the agency’s commitment to a 30 percent MWBE contracting goal in all categories of work, with a special focus on opportunities for local businesses, across all aspects of the JFK redevelopment program, including terminal projects, which are being built by union labor under a full project-labor agreement.

In 2023, acting on guidance from the Community Advisory Council, the Port Authority initiated the Institute of Concessions to help small, local business owners learn the skills necessary to compete for opportunities at JFK.