Neighborhood Spotlight: peace + RIOT

June 21, 2025 741 79 5

The first time I stepped into peace + RIOT was on Halloween. My son was still in grade school, and a few neighbors and I took our kids down Tompkins to trick-or-treat at the local shops and bodegas. We wandered into the store by chance, and I remember the moment clearly. Bright amber light washed over us, the scent of citrus and sandalwood wrapped around my shoulders, and I thought: this place is special.

That feeling hasn’t changed. Every few Sundays, I pop in to grab a bag of incense and browse the shelves. It’s my go-to when I need a thoughtful gift— a candle, a book, or something beautiful I didn’t know I needed until I saw it.

peace + RIOT is more than a store; it’s also a bridge to Bed-Stuy’s past, grounding us in local history, whether we realize it or not.

Owner Achuziam Maha-Sanchez’s roots in the neighborhood run deep. Her grandparents bought their brownstone on Hancock Street in 1937. They came from Barbados and Jamaica, part of a vibrant Caribbean presence that has long shaped Brooklyn’s cultural fabric. “My grandmother was the president of our block association back in the ’80s,” she shared. “Leaving a legacy is a really important thing to me.” Her family was the first Black family on their block, and their presence continues to anchor this corner of BedStuy.

Before peace + RIOT, Achuziam ran a shop called Ivo Landing across the street. After closing it in 2007 during the housing crisis, she shifted full-time to interior design, a path rooted in her studies at FIT, where she earned a degree in fashion buying and merchandising. That drive for legacy is evident not just in her commitment to the neighborhood but also in the thoughtful way she curates her shop. Drawing on both business acumen and design sensibility, she’s created a space that feels intentional, layered, and alive with memory.

“In my head, I have a place in the Hamptons, a place in Whistler,” she said. “So when I’m shopping for the store, this really is just a peek into my brain.” The shop is curated for the summer and winter homes that live in her imagination; spaces filled with texture and intention.

It’s also a family business. Her husband and son help choose what makes it to the shelves. Her son, now 15, just started working at the store, earning paychecks and learning the ropes.

Next door, their kids’ shop Mommy + Papi spills sunshine out onto the sidewalk, its sunny yellow facade and cozy nook interior brimming with toys, games, and gear for the under-10 crowd.

peace + RIOT is a reminder that legacy doesn’t have to be loud. Sometimes it looks like a warm, fragrant shop on Tompkins, offering a quiet thread of continuity for anyone who happens to walk through the door.

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