4W: An Artistic Haven on Fulton

In 1991, four close friends shared a vision: to create a space where fledging artists and entrepreneurs in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill could showcase their talent and develop their businesses. This idea came to be known as “Women Working and Winning for the World” or later, 4W Circle of Art & Enterprise, Inc.

For Acquenetta Russell Browne, Sheila Kennedy, Lois Bell and Selma Jackson, the roots of 4W were planted, in part, from Jackson’s recognition of the growing influx of artists in the Fort Greene area at the time.

“In 1986 I had participated in a market study of Brooklyn,” said Jackson, a former bank manager. “And Fort Greene was the artist community of the entire borough. So we were like, ‘well if we want to appeal to artists and attract artists, we need to be where artists are.’”

The women, each aspiring businesswomen in their own, would put their monies together and rent a storefront on Fulton Avenue between S. Oxford Street and S. Portland Avenue. The plan was to sublease the space to black artists, craftsmen and start-up retail merchants and teach them how to run a business.

“The concept was that this was going to be something elegant for the community,” said Bell, who would come all the way down to Brooklyn from her job at Mt. Sinai Hospital in the Bronx to help run the business. “Something that we could be proud of as a people. People would be happy to come and they would look forward to coming back.”

With a separate art gallery in the back of the store catering to local musicians and vendors selling their products in the front, 4W immediately took off as a one-of-a-kind business.

The women took on different roles to keep their business thriving. Browne, already a city financial director, served as the accountant and bookkeeper. Bell assumed a managerial role. Jackson and Kennedy, who had her own home-based business at the time, lived in Fort Greene and focused on marketing and promotion.

In 2008, after nearly 17 years of hosting entrepreneurs trying to make a name for themselves, the tenants began to dwindle. Artists were going elsewhere for space to work and self-promote.

Still, years after its closing, 4W leaves a lasting legacy. Among the many artists and businesses who came through 4W were Chris Creations, a clothing store now on Vanderbilt Avenue. Designer Courtney Washington, who now runs a fashion outlet in Fort Greene and a boutique in Manhattan also started at 4W, and so did clothing designer Brenda Brunson-Bey, the owner of now on South Oxford Street.

“We nurtured small businesses,” said Kennedy. “There’s never a fair exchange when you give that much of your time, but we weren’t driven by profit alone. It was a community center.

She added, “To this day people come up to me like ‘I remember so and so! How is so and so?’ You don’t even realize how much you made a difference until you’re no longer there.”