What does JIVA-APOHA, The Café Tabac Film and Madonna Have in Common? IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Angela Shore
We are so proud to announce Café Tabac alumna Angela Shore, an out and proud lesbian, and her Jiva-Apoha brand as “Participating Sponsor” in our upcoming #Back2Tabac #NYCPride2015 fundraiser event sponsored by MAC Cosmetics on Wednesday, June24th! We have a really special treat for our VIP guests at this event courtesy of Jiva-Apoha and its creator Angela Shore, who will also be there. Angela has been endlessly generous to this project, from her donations to the event’s VIP gift bags to her powerful interview for our film and her constant encouragement throughout our filmmaking/movement-building process.
She is an exemplary member of our Café Tabac community in her practice of “giving back” and making contributions to the well-being of others through her personal actions and her business model. She has been a great supporter of our project’s mission to tell its unique and enduring story of women’s empowerment and visibility. Her company, Jiva-Apoha, is not only an extension of the expansive heart and compassion she embodies, but also reflects her energy and flair, inspired by sources as varied as the Sadhus of India and Native American invocations of nature, to Patti Smith and the pantheon of rock-and-roll icons of the ’70s. Her unique thumbprint mirrors our Café Tabac ideal of creative individuality connected to a larger social vision. We are proud to align ourselves with this self-defined ‘Soul-Searcher Rolling Stone.’
According to Angela, so much about the Café Tabac era fueled the growth and strength of her personal journey channeling into the creation of Jiva-Apoha. She makes blends of luxuriously nourishing holistic oils for the face and body made with 100% herbs, plants, flowers, minerals and therapeutic grade essential oils. In Jiva-Apoha’s mission statement: “My unquenchable desire to help others find peace, relief, and answers is a continuous passion. I have a natural philosophy of holistic wellness and ecological focus that plays into every aspect of the brand; from the organic, pure ingredients to the humane ethics employed every step of the way. I’m wild about anthropology, photography, art, design, music, hospitality, wellness, ecology, exotic foods, spices, and everything that smells beautiful.” To find out more about Jiva-Apoha and the incredible products they have to offer, check them out online at www.jivaapoha.com and as “JivaApoha” on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter. We are big fans of their products which have nurtured us through the long and arduous process of making our film.
Angela moved to New York in 1991 from South Beach when the AIDS epidemic was still raging on. Her first job was studio manager for Fido Dido with Joanna Ferrone and Susan Rose, where they also shared the same office with the brilliant Anneliese Estrada, director of DIFFA and creative director for the Red Hot Organization’s sizzling Safe Sex campaigns and OUT Magazine’s fashion photo stories. Here she was introduced to the high profile gay and lesbian community of NYC, and continued to develop relationships with them at the casually elegant setting of Café Tabac. OUT Magazine had even asked her to be on their first cover, which she declined and regrets to this day.
She generously opened up and shared with us in her interview for our film, vivid memories of the time she spent at St. Vincent’s Hospital during the time of Café Tabac. As the East Coast’s largest AIDS ward, she made frequent visits to her friends and her most beloved Uncle Ricky, all of whom she lost. She shared with us how important it was to have a sanctuary like Café Tabac to come to after those visits, where she could be free and let go in a space and community of people where nothing had to be explained. She formed close bonds with friends and extended family which endure to this day. She attributes Sunday night host and co-creator Wanda Acosta’s genuine warmth and love, and the tone that that set for the night, as the reason why it resonated so deeply for a generation of women, and calls Wanda “our night mama.”
She also shared the delightful diversions and inspirations that Café Tabac provided as a young woman from the South (originally North Carolina) in the crazy town that was New York’s Greenwich Village of the early ’90s. The unparalleled vision of female beauty, empowerment, sexuality and creativity she witnessed every Sunday night was heightened by such instances where she would be standing at the bar next to Madonna. Well on top of her foot. Which of course, Madonna let her know. Oops!
We are grateful to be a part of Angela and Jiva-Apoha’s journey. And as with all the sponsors associated with our Café Tabac project, we invite you to support these awesome businesses so that they can continue to support our endeavors and contribute to the well-being of the world at large. Thank you Angela and thank you Jiva-Apoha! We look forward to celebrating Pride with you this year!
JOIN US #Back2Tabac #NYCPride2015 Sponsored By MAC Cosmetics
The EVENT is on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24th, 2015
INFO & TICKETS HERE>>> cafetabacfilm.com/pride2015
#WomenUnite #Back2TabacByMAC #IndependentVoices #WomenMakeMovies #WomenInFilm #SupportIndependentFilm #SupportWomenOwnedBusinesses
Photograph Courtesy of Liz Von Hoene