Booked Design Space HTX Corey Ivory, owner and creative designer and Alexandria Greene Jones, co-owner and PR of Booked Design Space has definetly made a mark in 2019. Only being open for one year Booked Design Space creativity has captured the eyes of Houstonians since launching the African American Selfie Musuem. The selfie museum launched as a black history pop-up and now serves as a permanent museum in the heart of Houston’s Montrose. Each room is designed to reflect real-life events and to celebrate moments in time that we may have taken for granted. For instance, the Houston 90’s bedroom is a replica of the owner and creative direcotr Corey Ivory’s, late brother’s bedroom who passed from kidney failure in 2012. He loved Houston music, and he introduced Corey to screwed and chopped music including Houston legends Big Hawk, Big Moe, and Dj screw just to name a few. Corey wanted to pay respect to his brother and also create nostalgic rooms that people can identify with. After receiving an overwhelming response they decided to make Booked Design Space the home of the #afamexperience and a permanent fixture 12
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to the city as a trademarked selfie museum. Many tourists, celebrities and Houstonians stopped by and posed for the gram on the nostalgic backgrounds including. History-Making Simone Biles, Rapper Tobe Nwigwe, H-town 4-real Rapper Kiotti, elected city officials and a slew of Houston influencers and entrepreneurs. “When I create a new build
out It gives me great pride in knowing how it will be received in person but that it will also photograph well on social media for millions of people to see. Being able to keep up with the current trends and incorporate them into my designs has helped separate me from the typical artist.” says Ivory. What is Booked Design Space Story? Well for us we just really wanted to give back to the community, and not only make it a safe space where not only African Americans
can come and feel good about the history of black culture but also where it is a fun interactive environment where other nationalities can come and take pictures and learn about black culture in a safe space. How long did it take you both to open Booked Design Space? A lifetime but in all actuality it took one month. We got the space in December and we got it up and running in January of 2019. What has been the hardest thing about operating Booked Design Space? Corey: The amount of growth and success and be able to keep up. Alex: On the hard side, we would have learned about permits, triple net commercial space, residential zoning, the things that you have to get in it to grow it and learn it. The overhead cost, you might say this is how much it cost to run a business but you don’t factor in the lysol wipes, toilet paper,paper towels, the paper for the printer and ink. It’s just those little things. Growth but on the other side is knowing and learning it you grow through it. How often do you change the build outs for the Booked Designed Space? Every 3 months the muse-
